💚 About the Song
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is Dr. Seuss gone full cabaret villain.
Composed by Albert Hague with lyrics by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), it was written for the original animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas! TV special in 1966.
It’s part jazz, part Broadway sneer — all attitude.
Thurl Ravenscroft (uncredited for decades!) delivered that glorious bass vocal — smooth, deep, and dripping sarcasm.
On ukulele, it’s irresistible fun: minor swing chords, sly pauses, and enough space to make faces between lines.
🎸 Ukulele Playing Tips
We’ll use E minor, which captures that dark, jazzy mischief.
You’ll need Em, A7, D, G, B7, and C7.
Verse progression: [Em] – [A7] – [D] – [G] – [C7] – [B7] – [Em]
Tempo: 90 bpm — laid-back swing with bite.
Strumming pattern: down–down–up–up–down–up with accent on beats 2 and 4.
For a spikier jazz feel, try down–chuck–up–up–chuck and mute the low strings slightly.
This song loves stops — drop the sound completely before each punchline lyric.
Vocal tip:
You don’t sing this — you perform it.
Channel Thurl Ravenscroft’s gravelly growl, or go cartoonishly dramatic.
If you can raise one eyebrow mid-line, you’re doing it right.
💡 Trivia You Can Drop Casually
- Thurl Ravenscroft was the uncredited vocalist — best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger (“They’re grrreat!”).
- The film’s narrator, Boris Karloff, did not sing — despite what most people think.
- Composer Albert Hague also wrote songs for Fame and Plain and Fancy.
- The lyrics feature Seuss’s finest insults: “You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel.”
- The Grinch’s song became a hit again thanks to Jim Carrey’s 2000 live-action film and Tyler, the Creator’s 2018 version.
🌈 Final Word
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is part Christmas tune, part villain monologue — and the ukulele makes it even cheekier.
It’s campy, bluesy, and guaranteed to make people laugh and hum along.
Play it slow, sneaky, and smirk your way through it — it’s the most fun you’ll ever have calling someone a nasty wasty skunk.
