Rhymes So Loud and Proud You Hear it; It’s Christmas Time and We Got the Spirit
Ok, so a couple of posts ago I took the liberty of ripping into some of the more popular holiday songs that we get inundated with each year around this time. It was suggested to me that I should counter-balance that post with some xmas tunes that really aren't that bad (relatively). That sounded like a good idea, so here we go:
Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding. Ok, this one has been covered a number of times, but in my opinion no one does it better than Mr. Pitiful. Mr. Redding takes this soul/R&B love song set during xmas time and turns it into a track that "shore do treat us right" every year.
The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. Ok, some might argue that The Nutcracker is not xmas music, but to them I ask why have toy soldier nutcrackers become so synonymous with xmas then? I'm a Tchaikovsky fan all year round, so this is no big stretch for me, really. We took the girls to a live performance of this seasonal ballet this past weekend and they both absolutely loved it. This just shows that xmas music doesn't have to be cheesy bubblegum pop. It can also be a classical and cultural tradition and experience. And involve codpieces.
Christmas Tears by Eric Clapton. Clapton. Blues. Xmas. Need I say more? I mean, besides bragging that I have Clapton tickets for when he comes to Denver in March... merry xmas indeed!
Roses are Free by Ween (also covered by Phish). Ok, probably not one to play in front of the relatives, but still a pretty good tune anyway even if it is a little warped. Hey, it's Ween, what did you expect from a duo who recorded such classics as Bananas and Blow and Mister, Will You Please Help My Pony?
Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC. Ok, how could I not include this one? I know it's corny. The ridiculousness of the lyrics is only overshadowed by the ridiculousness of the music video. However, it still is a lot of fun. Plus, how many other xmas rap songs can you rattle off?
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) by The Ramones. Is there a better way to celebrate xmas than blaring The Ramones? Joey and the crew actually present us with a pretty good holiday message to contemplate on this track. We shouldn't fight because "Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts." Well said, Ramones, well said. On a side note, the radio station in Boulder has a decent holiday music stream on their website that has a track of Joey Ramone singing Merry Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) in rotation. That one ain't bad, either.
Father Christmas by The Kinks. While this one is often overlooked as a "joke" xmas song, there is actually a pretty pointed message here about the commercialism of xmas and the irony that Santa tends to bring the most gifts to the kids who least need them. Who knew that listening to The Kinks would be the best way to stay grounded during the overwhelming wave of excess that we tend to get wrapped up in this time of year?
Christmas by The Who. Finally, a Who song that hasn't been completely overplayed by commercial radio! This little gem is hidden between the more prominent and recognizable tracks in the amazing rock opera Tommy and asks us the deeply profound question: how can men who've never seen light be enlightened? Hmmm... Really, I love this tune. It just may be my favorite on this list, seriously. If not for anything else the "wahwahwahwahs" in the background are totally infectious. You might just have to hit "repeat track" a few times just to get them out of your head.
Well, that's it for now. I'm sure there are many more that I have neglected to mention. If any of you all out there think a tune should be added to this list of "tolerable xmas tunes" please feel free to add them in the comments. I'm all ears and antlers...
In other news, I am traveling to California on business for the next few days. No, I will not be laying out on the beach somewhere. I will actually be in the middle of the desert, or more accurately, in the middle of two deserts: the Mojave and the Sonoran. We received a mandate from the top that all of the financial managers had to make a customer visit by year-end. So, I picked my favorite customer in Twentynine Palms to grace with my presence. This is mostly for show, a kind of "meet and shake hands" type of thing, but it should be a good trip nonetheless. I'll be checking in and out for the next few days (which is different from any other time?) but Inaction should be back in regular action soon.
Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding. Ok, this one has been covered a number of times, but in my opinion no one does it better than Mr. Pitiful. Mr. Redding takes this soul/R&B love song set during xmas time and turns it into a track that "shore do treat us right" every year.
The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. Ok, some might argue that The Nutcracker is not xmas music, but to them I ask why have toy soldier nutcrackers become so synonymous with xmas then? I'm a Tchaikovsky fan all year round, so this is no big stretch for me, really. We took the girls to a live performance of this seasonal ballet this past weekend and they both absolutely loved it. This just shows that xmas music doesn't have to be cheesy bubblegum pop. It can also be a classical and cultural tradition and experience. And involve codpieces.
Christmas Tears by Eric Clapton. Clapton. Blues. Xmas. Need I say more? I mean, besides bragging that I have Clapton tickets for when he comes to Denver in March... merry xmas indeed!
Roses are Free by Ween (also covered by Phish). Ok, probably not one to play in front of the relatives, but still a pretty good tune anyway even if it is a little warped. Hey, it's Ween, what did you expect from a duo who recorded such classics as Bananas and Blow and Mister, Will You Please Help My Pony?
Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC. Ok, how could I not include this one? I know it's corny. The ridiculousness of the lyrics is only overshadowed by the ridiculousness of the music video. However, it still is a lot of fun. Plus, how many other xmas rap songs can you rattle off?
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) by The Ramones. Is there a better way to celebrate xmas than blaring The Ramones? Joey and the crew actually present us with a pretty good holiday message to contemplate on this track. We shouldn't fight because "Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts." Well said, Ramones, well said. On a side note, the radio station in Boulder has a decent holiday music stream on their website that has a track of Joey Ramone singing Merry Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) in rotation. That one ain't bad, either.
Father Christmas by The Kinks. While this one is often overlooked as a "joke" xmas song, there is actually a pretty pointed message here about the commercialism of xmas and the irony that Santa tends to bring the most gifts to the kids who least need them. Who knew that listening to The Kinks would be the best way to stay grounded during the overwhelming wave of excess that we tend to get wrapped up in this time of year?
Christmas by The Who. Finally, a Who song that hasn't been completely overplayed by commercial radio! This little gem is hidden between the more prominent and recognizable tracks in the amazing rock opera Tommy and asks us the deeply profound question: how can men who've never seen light be enlightened? Hmmm... Really, I love this tune. It just may be my favorite on this list, seriously. If not for anything else the "wahwahwahwahs" in the background are totally infectious. You might just have to hit "repeat track" a few times just to get them out of your head.
Well, that's it for now. I'm sure there are many more that I have neglected to mention. If any of you all out there think a tune should be added to this list of "tolerable xmas tunes" please feel free to add them in the comments. I'm all ears and antlers...
In other news, I am traveling to California on business for the next few days. No, I will not be laying out on the beach somewhere. I will actually be in the middle of the desert, or more accurately, in the middle of two deserts: the Mojave and the Sonoran. We received a mandate from the top that all of the financial managers had to make a customer visit by year-end. So, I picked my favorite customer in Twentynine Palms to grace with my presence. This is mostly for show, a kind of "meet and shake hands" type of thing, but it should be a good trip nonetheless. I'll be checking in and out for the next few days (which is different from any other time?) but Inaction should be back in regular action soon.
posted by john at 11:44 AM
5 Comments:
Brick- Ben Folds Five.
Merry Christmas Ben.
the other day i was subjected to "i'm getting nuthin' for christmas" as sung by smash mouth and rosie o'donell.
it was hurtful.
LSD- Ok, I see... you're going for the more joyous, upbeat selections for xmas :-) Probably not one you'd want to include on your special xmas mix to your significant other (or maybe it is...) but considering that xmas is actually a time of loneliness and depression for a significant number of people, this is a great selection to round things out.
Kat- I truly, truly feel for you. I once heard Rosie O'Donnell and Elmo from Sesame Street sing Do You Hear What I Hear? and the next thing I knew my friends found me in a corner shaking in the fetal position. If that kid really did do all of that stuff in I'm Getting Nothin' for Christmas then his punishment should be listening to Rosie on continuous rotation. I'm guessing he'll be on the "nice" list pretty darn fast after that...
In the sad lonely Christmas vein, I just heard a very decent tune by Sufjan Stevens titled That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! It sounds amazing like Iron & Wine (freakishly so) and leaves the listener with that strange hollow feeling that one gets right after all the hoopla is over.
LSD- I haven't heard that one by Sufjan, but I am going to have to check it out for sure. I love his Illinois album. Definitely good stuff.
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