Mike Rowe recalls topping Adele on iTunes chart with ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job’: ‘It’s so weird’
Proceeds of the song went to Folds of Honor and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Someone managed to top Adele during the holidays, and it wasn’t Mariah Carey.
In December, Mike Rowe announced on Instagram that his holiday track, "Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job," had reached No. 1 on iTunes, beating out the British singer's "Easy On Me," which came in second.
The Emmy-winning TV host and country music star John Rich teamed up with the Oak Ridge Boys to release a Christmas song highlighting Santa’s "dirty job," which also gave back to the community.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It’s so weird," the 59-year-old Rowe told Fox News about his unexpected musical achievement. "I was on John’s show ‘The Pursuit!’ He was interviewing me, and we were talking about music. I sang something, and he said, ‘Man, you can really carry a tune.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I can carry a tune.’ He said, ‘We ought to do an album.’ I’m like, really? But he said, ‘Yeah, that’d be great. We could do a ‘Dirty Jobs’ album. You know, Santa's gotta dirty job.' So we literally wrote the song in 10 minutes."
In December, Mike Rowe announced that his new holiday track, ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job,’ reached number No. 1 on iTunes, beating out Adele’s ‘Easy On Me,’ which came in second. (Getty Images)
After the pair quickly wrote the catchy jingle, the "Dirty Jobs" star said Rich, 48, called the Oak Ridge Boys to join in on the fun.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We went into the studio and recorded ‘Santa’s Gotta Dirty Job,’" Rowe recalled. "And three days later, John Rich calls me at home. He says, ‘Mike, you’re not gonna believe this, but you’re right under Adele.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to be underneath Adele.’
"And then the next day, he calls back and says, ‘Mike, you’re not gonna believe this. You’re on top of Adele.’ And I said, ‘Holy c—p John! One day I’m under Adele. Next day, I’m on top of Adele. I love the music business.
"We had, for about two weeks, the number one downloaded song in the world, right before Christmas," Rowe shared. "And the money we raised all went to charity – a really fun Christmas present."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Before topping Adele, Rowe and Rich appeared on "Fox & Friends" to debut "Santa's Gotta Dirty Job," which funnels proceeds to Folds of Honor, an organization that provides scholarships to military families, and the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which promotes trades and apprenticeships.
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The silly track highlights the nitty-gritty bits of Santa Claus' job, which includes reindeer kicking "buttock in his face," climbing up and down messy chimneys, outrunning "big guard dogs" and "making a B-line for the bathroom" after consuming too many cookies.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Santa Claus gotta dirty job / Santa Claus gotta dirty job," they sing in the chorus. "Santa Claus gotta dirty job / and he does it all night long."
The music video features Rowe and Rich singing their festive tune while decked out in Christmas clothes. The Oak Ridge Boys also appear in the video, offering backing vocals.
"Merry Christmas, Mike Rowe," Rich says at the end of the song.
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The Oak Ridge Boys provide backup vocals on the track. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
"Merry Christmas, John boy," Rowe responded.
As for Christmas 2022, Rowe hasn’t ruled out a follow-up for the song.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I’ll probably do it again," he teased.
These days, Rowe is keeping busy with the new season of "Dirty Jobs," which he brought back in 2022 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mike Rowe brought back ‘Dirty Jobs’ in 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/GettyImages)
"Viewers reached out by the thousands to say ‘Dirty Jobs’ was the granddaddy of essential working shows, and essential work is now headline news," Rowe recently told Fox News. "I was told, ‘Why don't you go back into the world? Look under the rock, see what's there. See what work looks like after two years of lockdowns.’ It was an offer I couldn't refuse. Just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in."