Christmas Song Time (Revised)
OK, folks, I am working on a followup to last year's look at unconventional Christmas music. (You can find last year's story — and links to some audio — here.)
I'm hoping to showcase some different songs in this year's piece. Thanks to your suggestions, will most likely include John Denver's "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" and Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From the Family." Also, Billy Mack's "Christmas Is All Around" (which, on the soundtrack to "Love Actually," is even more hilariously awful than the movie implies).
If you're looking for inspiration and memory jogs, check out www.mistletunes.com.
Any and all new suggestions are welcome, by comments posted here or in e-mail to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
November 28th, 2006 at 8:03 am
How about The Little Drummer Boy, as performed by Bing Crosby and David Bowie? Yes, it has the overall "weird" value, simply because it's Bing Crosby performing a duet with David Bowie, and Bing died not long thereafter (and even before Christmas that year). To me, it's somewhat akin to if Bob Hope had performed alongside Dave Chappelle.
Yet, the song ended up sounding pretty good . . .
Have you ever checked out VH-1's "The Big 80's Christmas" cd? I picked it up at Target in 2001 or so, and I'm not sure if it's still in print or not. In addition to the afore-mentioned "Little Drummer Boy" (never mind that it's from 1977), the McKenzie Brothers' Twelve Days of Christmas, and the obligatory "Christmas Wrapping," there's a good song on it by Squeeze about there not being any room at the inn and a cut by The Ramones.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:46 pm
Sufjan Stevens has released a Christmas EP for the past five years, culminating in a really big box set this year.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone has a song called "Cold White Christmas," which is just as depressing as the band and song names suggest.
"Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" is the Ramones track mentioned above; it's been a favorite of mine since I was a kid.
The Raveonettes' "The Christmas Song" has been in just about every holiday movie or tv special of the past couple years, but it's still great fun.