This was written and recorded for the classic 1966 TV Holiday Special, which was a book before it was made into a TV holiday classic.The song appears three times in the special, starting when the main character begins sewing his impostor Santa suit.
Each time it plays, we hear more about the despicable green guy, who eventually grows a heart. The version played on K103 is a combination of the three shorter versions used in the show.
The main character is voiced by Boris Karloff, a famous horror movie actor. which led many people to believe he recorded the song. But the voice you hear is actually Thurl Ravenscroft, who was also the voice of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes ``Tony The Tiger," one of the most famous advertising icons ever created. (CLIP) Ravenscroft passed away in 2005 at age 91.
And today’s song has been incorporated into most other adaptations of the story. In the 2000 live-action film, Jim Carrey performs the song in character, singing about himself. The 2018 CGI animated film features a substantially updated version of the song from Tyler, the Creator.
The soundtrack to the special won the Grammy Award for Best Album for Children at the 10th Annual Grammy Awards.
Dr Suess, aka Theodore Geisel, the creator of today’s song and the character it is about, made a point of never trying to write his stories with a moral in mind, stating that "kids can see a moral coming a mile off."
His books express DID often wind up expressing his views on a remarkable variety of social and political issues, even if he never planned it that way:
The Lorax, about environmentalism and anti-consumerism
The Sneetches about racial equality
and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” which criticizes the economic materialism and consumerism of the Christmas season.
Thurl Ravenscroft...You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch...on K103’s I Know That Song