Single Bells

Single Bells is not a standard dictionary entry but a contemporary phrase that has emerged in popular culture, primarily as a pun or wordplay on the classic Christmas song "Jingle Bells." The term has two main documented uses:

1. Lee Brice's song "Single Bells" (2024)

"Single Bells" is a country Christmas song by Lee Brice, released in 2024. The title and lyrics are a deliberate play on "Jingle Bells," replacing "jingle" with "single" to describe spending the Christmas holiday alone and unmarried. The chorus includes the lines: "Single bells, single bells, single all night long / Drinking whiskey, mistletoe tipsy till the bottle's gone." The song was written by David Tolliver and Matt Alderman, who conceived the idea by noting the phrase "Single Bells" as a twist on "Jingle Bells" in a phone memo. The song was described by Billboard as an interpolation that "manages to turn a public-domain kiddie classic into a mature-sounding piece."

2. Philippine film Single Bells (2023)

Single Bells is a 2023 Philippine romantic black comedy film directed by Fifth Solomon, starring Alex Gonzaga and Angeline Quinto. The film follows two women with contrasting views on relationships who join a self-love group called the "Single Bells Organization." The title similarly plays on the idea of being single (unmarried) during the holiday season.

Etymology and meaning

The phrase "single bells" is a neologism formed by substituting the word "single" (meaning unmarried or alone) for "jingle" in the well-known Christmas carol "Jingle Bells." It carries the connotation of being single during the Christmas season, often with a mix of melancholy and self-acceptance. The term has no historical usage prior to these 2023–2024 cultural works and is not found in standard dictionaries.