Grandma Got Run Over by a Lawsuit

It seems like only yesterday, I was sitting in the back of my dad's old Chevy, flying down the expressway to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas. I was sitting in the back, finishing off a Junior Whopper, double Cheeseburger, wondering if I would have to tell dad, he had to find a rest stop bathroom pretty soon.

Suddenly, I didn't care about a restroom anymore. Mom was fiddling around with the radio dial, trying to pull in a station we could listen to. She tried to pull in one that had a song I could barely hear, "Grandma got run over by a reindeer...", then static. As mom kept flipping the tuner dial, I came alive.

"Mom! Go back to that song!" Of course she was ignoring me. I was just that kid in the back seat trying to keep my sister's feet out of my lap.

"Mom! Really! Please go back to that song. MOM!!" I finally got her attention and she did try to pull that faded station in for me, but it was gone.

Later, we got to Grandpa's house. I was asleep by then and barely remember going to bed.

In the morning, Grandma took me shopping with her. We turned on the radio and there it was. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". I was so excited, my Grandma had to pull over for a moment to figure out what I was going so crazy over.

So, we both sat there in the old Plymouth that morning, listening to this whacked out, Christmas song and laughing so hard, Grandma was crying.

I got the cassette of this song for Xmas, from my Grandmother. I still have it somewhere, but I don't have a cassette player any more. I have it on a CD, with some other Xmas classics, and play it every year, more than a few times.

"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" is a classic now. Released in 1979, by Elmo and Patsy Shropshire on the "Elmo 'n' Patsy" label, in San Francisco; it was not long, that this song caught fire and gained national attention, as a Christmas novelty.

In 1982, the label changed to "Oink" and was rerecorded. This is what we hear today. As a note. The original "Elmo 'n' Patsy" label recording, has become a real find. The original 45's that are in mint condition, are collector's items and are worth more than their weight in gold, today.

As the story goes, it is a good one. Randy Brooks wrote the song. He made a cassette of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" for Elmo and Patsy, for promotional purposes, in 1978. The Shropshire's, loved the song, enough for them to record it themselves. Elmo, then sold off the records to the public, on stage, after performing there duets. The 45 got to a San Francisco DJ at KSFO, and the rest is history.

The distribution of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" went through some changes, arriving at "CBS Records. From here, the song went through other rerecording measures, until Elmo and Patsy signed on with "Epic Records".

Finally by 1992, Elmo and Patsy got divorced. The song was then rerecorded, yet again by Elmo. Then rerecorded again by him in 2000.

As a note, I enjoyed the recording I heard one the radio, with my Grandma. It just seems as if there has been a lot of stress over a Christmas song that goes to millions of hearts, around Christmas time.

It is sad now, that Elmo Shropshire is being sued in legal court over a song we have all come to cherish.

Elmo Shropshire was sued for breach of contract, last Monday, that he interferred with Rappoport's million dollar deal to sell musical trucks, dolls, musical snow globes, cookie jars and other theme products, based on the song,"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". This was supposed to be a world wide cinch for the company, that Shropshire nixed for them.

The "Fred Rappoport Co. claims, Mr. Shropshire interfered with ongoing business, by contacting companies Rappoport contracted with, that were making theme related toys and products, based around the holiday song.

Elmo's "cease and desist" letters to these companies Rappoport was in negotiations with, cost the company in damages, so the suit claims.

The song remains the same. They can sue it, demoralize it, or simply remove it from the stores.

"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" is a novelty Xmas song, yet it touches all of us, because it pokes fun at who we are.

It is a sad time when a Christmas song has to go into court and answer up to millions of dollars lost to a company, that might have had it's best interests at heart. Then there is the non-author of the song, who has made it popular for all of us to experience.

I do have to wonder about a Mr. Randy Brooks. He is the person who wrote this song. "Randy, are you getting anything at all from any of this?"