Leave it to Pentatonix to turn Christmas’s most famous grouch into the star of a holiday vocal showcase. With “Bah Humbug,” the group takes Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from coldhearted miser to joyful Christmas convert and packs it into a theatrical musical adventure. Apparently, even a man determined to avoid Christmas cannot escape a good harmony.
Released as the first single from their 2025 album Christmas in the City, “Bah Humbug” is an original song inspired by Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Rather than simply borrowing Scrooge’s signature expression, it follows the heart of his story: a bitter man confronts his past, witnesses the warmth missing from his present, and discovers the lonely future awaiting him unless he changes.
That storytelling gives the song an appealing sense of movement. Scrooge’s grumbling becomes a recurring musical hook, while the ghostly encounters push the narrative toward its Christmas-morning transformation. By the finish, the familiar expression of seasonal contempt has given way to generosity, connection, and celebration.
The idea began with Scott Hoying, who has said that The Muppet Christmas Carol was a childhood favorite. He initially imagined “Bah Humbug” as a sea shanty, and traces of that storytelling approach remained as the song developed. Written by Scott Hoying, Mark Hoying, and Dave Pierce, the finished piece embraces character, humor, and the dramatic possibilities of five distinctive voices.
It is a particularly fitting concept for Pentatonix. Their harmonies can create atmosphere, but this song also gives the individual singers room to become storytellers. Mitch Grassi has highlighted that everyone gets a featured moment, allowing the different characters and personalities within the arrangement to emerge. The result has the spirit of a miniature stage musical, with the ensemble carrying both the action and its emotional payoff.
The accompanying Live From Vevo Studios video presents the song as a performance, keeping the focus on the group delivering the story together. Directed by Luciana Baldovino, it offers a chance to appreciate how much of the drama comes from vocal expression and ensemble interplay. With a song this dependent on personality, watching the performers adds another dimension to the listening experience.
“Bah Humbug” also gives a holiday playlist a welcome change of mood. There is room at Christmas for hushed reverence and sentimental ballads, but there is also room for a little mischief, a few ghosts, and an extravagantly grumpy leading man. Pentatonix embraces that playful side while preserving the message that has kept Dickens’s story relevant for generations.
Underneath the theatrical fun is a simple idea: people can change, and kindness matters more than whatever they have managed to accumulate. “Bah Humbug” delivers that message with humor, harmony, and enough Christmas spirit to make even Scrooge consider an encore.
You can grab this song or their entire Christmas album over on Amazon and iTunes.
