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Saturday, December 23, 2017

#3 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Day #23 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR is here, and let me tell you, we're already at the Top 3 of my 25 favourite Christmas songs of all time!  It's crazy how quickly this month has flown by!

So, what do I have prepared for you today?  Well, I have another instrumental tune that definitely reminds me of Christmases past and present.  For some of you, those memories could date back for years...fifty-two of them to be exact.

What's interesting about this song is that it's not exactly considered a Christmas tune.  In fact, the song has become sort of the major theme song for a group of comic strip characters, and featured in almost every television special that they filmed since the debut of their very first one in 1965.  But for whatever reason, the time that I hear this groovy tune the most is during the month of December. 

So, strap on your dancing shoes, and dance like Snoopy, Shermy, Linus, and Lucy, because here is my third favourite Christmas tune.  And I don't really need to tell you what the title of the song it because I just revealed it to you!



Yes, the quintessential "Linus and Lucy" is my third favourite Christmas song of all time.  The reason why I chose this screenshot from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" to illustrate this song is simple.  Every time I hear it, I think of this scene.  It's a song that almost everyone in the world has heard and loved.

Well, maybe everyone except Charlie Brown, who sees the song as a distraction from his Christmas pageant direction.  But hey, even the most jaded of us Charlie Browns can eventually find the joy in this tune.



This song, as well as all of the other songs featured in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" were composed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and their idea to inject traditional Christmas songs with a jazz flavour was daring, but worked brilliantly for the mid-1960s.  I couldn't imagine the special would have generated the same warm fuzzies had anybody else composed the music for it.

What I like best about "Linus and Lucy" is the was that it conveys a lot of different emotions.  The song is mostly considered to be a happy song filled with celebration and enjoyment - emotions that should be associated with Christmas morning.  But the key in which the song is written is a bit unusual as it paints the song with a bit of a melancholic tinge.  It fits the mood of the special though. 



I mean, think about it.  In addition to Charlie Brown trying to direct the Christmas pageant with a bunch of whiny kids like Lucy, Violet, Schroeder, and Frieda (which would have caused me enough stress), Charlie Brown is also having a hard time seeing the meaning of Christmas through the greed and the materialism and the fake aluminum Christmas trees in shades of scarlet, cerulean, and fuchsia.

(And yes, I did consult a box of Crayola crayons to get the names of these colours.)

When you look at the song through the eyes of Charlie Brown, it's a great song that symbolizes the frustration that Charlie Brown has for the holiday, but also the journey that he takes to find the answer. 

But if you don't want to analyze the song that much, I think we can all agree that it is a beautiful tune that works for the Christmas season.  Enjoy this tune!



Now, tomorrow at #2 - and for Christmas Eve, we have a song that I debated whether to make #1.  In the end, I chose to place it at two - which works because the song comes from the sequel of a popular 1990 film.

Friday, December 22, 2017

#4 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Here we are!  The final push for the holiday season!  We are at Day #22 in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, which means that we have just four songs to go in my Christmas song countdown!  But don't think that I'm going into hibernation for the rest of the year.  I'm already planning my year end review of 2017.  I'd like to call it the best and worst of 2017, but I'm having a hard time finding too many best moments.  I'm sure that once Christmas is over, I'll figure out something to write.

In the meantime, I'm going to talk about Song #4 on my Christmas countdown.  This song, as well as tomorrow's songs will be instrumentals (though not related to each other in any way).

In fact, the only thing that both songs have in common with me is that I started to appreciate both songs after seeing them used in a Christmas special on television.



Such is the case with today's song.  "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite".  In all actuality, I probably could have posted the whole score from "The Nutcracker Suite" because I really enjoy listening to it every Christmas. 

Why I chose "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" is because to me it sounds like the most Christmasy of all the tunes in the bunch.  It's a beautiful song to wrap presents to, or have in the background as you're doing up Christmas cards, or listening to on your iPod to drown out negative thoughts from crabby people in the stores and on the streets.

And yes, I have done exactly that!

Nutcrackers are also a bit of a big deal in my Christmas celebrations - well, at least where my sister is concerned.  She does have a collection of over three hundred of them.  Or, is it four hundred?  I don't know, I sort have lost count.  But I do have to admit that I find nutcrackers very cool.  Even though I've never actually used a nutcracker to crack open a nut.

Now, most of you know what the Nutcracker is about.  A prince became the victim of a spell cast by the Evil Vizier and the Rat King which transformed him into a Nutcracker doll, and caused the Vizier to take over control of Toyland.  To break the curse, the Nutcracker needed to get control of the ring that would transform him back, but the ring is hidden inside of an enchanted walnut, and only the Sugar Plum Fairy could break it open. 

And you want to know how I know the story so well?  Well, admittedly I watched a loose retelling of the tale via a cartoon show that I used to watch when I was a kid - one that I probably should be embarrassed to admit to watching but you know what...I'll own it.




"The Care Bears Nutcracker" was my first exposure to the tale of the Nutcracker, and while some parts were super schmaltzy and way too sweet for my tasted, I did appreciate the story behind it.  How the Care Bears were trying to save Toyland while also trying to cheer up a little girl named Anna.  And how the search for the ring that would break the curse coincided with Hugs and Tugs' quest to find their own ornament for the Care-a-Lot Christmas tree.  Looking back on it, it was a decent effort at a holiday special starring the Care Bears, and it was released almost thirty years ago when the Bears were at the peak of popularity.

But the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy will continue to be performed for years to come.  After all, it has been performed since 1892!  Have a listen!




Now, tomorrow's song as mentioned is also an instrumental - and it somehow turns a jazz classic into one of the 1960s grooviest Christmas tunes!

Thursday, December 21, 2017

#5 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Today in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, we have a bit of a quandary here.

As you know, I've been counting down my list of 25 favourite Christmas tunes, and for the most part, it's been a real fun ride with lots of earworms and happy songs that put you into the spirit of Christmas.  And as we approach
Day #21 in the countdown, very little has changed.

But today's song choice is a bit of a peculiar one.  A contradiction if you will.

You see, today I'm posting the oldest song within this countdown.  But I'm also simultaneously posting the newest song in this countdown. 

Wait, you ask.  How could this possibly be?  Is it magic?

I suppose in a way, it could be.  You see, the song that I have chosen was composed by French composer Adolphe Adam and was performed for the first time in 1847 - thereby making this song my oldest on the countdown.

But the version that I have selected of this song was released just fifteen years earlier in 2002 by singer Josh Groban.  Therefore, it's my oldest AND newest song.  And it is probably the only song on my list that is traditional Christmas - right down to the meaning of the holiday itself.



Now, I have to admit that I had a really hard time selecting a version of "O Holy Night" to feature in this blog.  As I said, it is probably my favourite of the traditional religious carols that are sung every Christmas.  There's not a version that I don't love of it.  Whether it was sung by Josh Groban, or Martina McBride, or even Celine Dion, the song is beautiful in any and all languages, and it is one of the few songs that I really could have picked any version of.



But since I didn't have any songs on my list post-2000, I thought I would choose Groban's version.  I do like his singing voice, and the video that I picked actually fits with the theme of the song - the song is, after all, about the birth of Jesus.

The story of "O Holy Night" and its creation is an interesting one.  Around Christmas 1843 in the village of Roquemaure, France, the organ that was in the church was recently renovated after being out of service for quite some time.  The parish priest had asked a man by the name of Placide Cappeau to write a poem to commemorate the event.  The poem had to be about Christmas, as the organ was fixed up to coincide with the Christmas services, and even though Cappeau was not considered overly religious, he decided to write the poem anyway.  The poem was eventually set to music composed by Adam, and that became the basis for the carol "O Holy Night".

It would be a few years after the song was first sung that a man by the name of John Sullivan Dwight - a Unitarian minister - tweaked the lyrics slightly to the version that most of us know it as.

So, that's the history of "O Holy Night".  Now for why I like it so much?



Well, I have to admit that like Cappeau, I am not really a religious person at all.  In fact, the more I hear about organized religion, the more I find that it does not fit my lifestyle or my belief systems.  Truth be told, I consider myself to be an agnostic.  But even though religion and Christianity doesn't quite hold much weight in my decision making, it's not to say that I don't believe in it.  I always saw Christmas as being a holiday where you're kind to your fellow man and woman, and where you put the best of yourself out there so that others can be inspired to do the same.

And certainly you don't need to be religious to appreciate the beauty of "O Holy Night".  It is a beautiful composition on its own.  I think it's worth a listen.




Tomorrow at #4, I have another old song to post, only this one is an instrumental, and this one reminds me of sugar plums, rat kings, and Care Bears?!?

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

#6 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Okay, I am not going to be wasting time with this one.  This is Day #20 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR and I will be posting Song #6 in my list of 25 favourite Christmas tunes.

And you can't get much more traditional than the song that I have chosen.

You know, I've been fortunate to experience a white Christmas on most occasions - well, except for that freakish heat wave we had back in 2015, anyway.  But growing up and living in Canada, we are accustomed to having some snow on the ground every December 25th.  Sometimes it's a dusting and other times Mother Nature forgot to shut off her sno-cone maker, but regardless, most of my Christmases have been white.

And personally speaking, I find Christmas more enjoyable when there is a blanket of snow on the ground.  It just makes it seem more like Christmas to me.  Though, I guarantee you that people reading this in Australia, or along the equator might completely disagree with me.



I suppose you've pretty much guessed the song I'm featuring today.  Yes, I am featuring the song "White Christmas", and yes, I'm featuring the version as sung by Bing Crosby.

Penned by Irving Berlin in the early 1940s, the song was first performed by Crosby in 1941 - just eighteen days after Pearl Harbor was bombed during World War II.  The song was broadcast over the radio on Christmas Day, 1941 and immediately became a huge hit.  In particular, the song was one of the most requested songs by the Armed Forces Network.  Certainly this made sense.  After all, with the world at war with each other, soldiers were often on guard in bases that were far away from home.  Often times, they were in areas that didn't receive snow for Christmas - hence the line "just like the ones I used to know".



The song was so popular that it was recorded with Crosby, the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, and the Ken Darby Singers for Decca Records in the astonishingly fast time of eighteen minutes!  Most artists now need eighteen minutes to begin setting up for a recording session, so this was amazing to see.  The single was recorded in May 1942 and subsequently released July 30, 1942 as part of the soundtrack to the film "Holiday Inn".

Of course, very few recordings of the 1942 version still remain, so the version that most people have likely heard (myself included) is the re-recorded version that was released in 1947.

But you know, regardless of what version you listen to, one thing is for sure.  This was one of the first examples of a secular Christmas song becoming not just a huge hit on the charts, but was also one of the first secular songs to be brought into homes as an annual tradition.  I know of some people who say that it isn't Christmas until they hear this song at least once.

So, as an early Christmas gift, allow me to play the song for all of you.  Enjoy it!




Now, I know some of you might be wondering why I don't have many religious songs on my chart.  It's nothing personal against the meaning of the season.  It's just the way this list went.  But I promise you that I have a very traditional tune coming up at #5.  And it's simultaneously one of the oldest songs on my list and the newest one.  I'll let you think about that one for a minute.  Or, rather...a day.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

#7 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

The last week of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR is well under way.  It's less than a week to go before Christmas and we are on Day #19 of the Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me).

Song #7 is a first for this countdown.  It's an instrumental piece without any lyrics - one of two that is featured in this countdown. 

Now, when it comes to sounds of the season, I think that there are many that you could list.  The most obvious one is the sound of children laughing and having fun.  And why not?  Christmas is the greatest holiday for children of all ages.  Even big kids like me!

Or you might say that a quintessential Christmas sound could be the bellowing "Ho Ho Ho" that you might hear from Santa Claus - both the department store variety and the North Pole variety!

I suppose a more modern sound one might hear would be the sound of cash registers beeping and debit terminals chiming and irate customers cursing that they have to wait in line.  Hey, I didn't promise that all Christmas sounds were pleasant to the ears.

But I think that if I had to choose one sound that immediately reminds me of Christmas, it would be the sound of a bell chiming.  I mean, if you stop and think of it, there are no other holidays in which bells are more prominent than during the Christmas season.

I mean, think about it.  Bells are everywhere.  Bells ringing in church steeples at the conclusion of Christmas Eve services.  Bells of the people manning the Salvation Army kettles.  Bells that jingle along as you go on a sleigh ride.  Even Santa and his elves are quite proficient in the ringing of the bells.

Now, I'm sure you know where this is going.  Obviously the reason that I am bringing up bells is because the song at #7 is all about bells.  And, certainly, no other Christmas song uses more bells than "Carol of the Bells". 

Now, when it comes down to it, there are very few versions of "Carol of the Bells" that I don't like.  In fact, you could play almost any version of the song and I would absolutely sit back and listen to it.  It's such a powerful tune.  And while lyrics do exist for this tune, I much rather prefer versions that leave the lyrics out and just focus on the chiming of the bells.

The song itself is over a hundred years old, first heard in 1914 and was based on a Ukrainian folk chant.  And while there are hundreds of versions of this tune that I love, the one I've chosen added a hard rock twist to the mix, and as a result, it's on the list at #7.



I don't have many songs from the 1990s on this list, but when I first heard the version by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a teenager, I immediately fell in love with it!

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra are a group that formed in 1993 and is made up of Paul O'Neill, Jon Oliva, Al Pitrelli, Robert Kinkel, and dozens of talented musicians.  And since 1996, the group has delighted audiences with their own take on holiday classics.  They are the same songs you love, but with a modern rock twist.  The end result could very well be some of the most unique interpretations of holiday favourites that one could hear.



Certainly their own version of "Carol of the Bells" is epic from start to finish.  But you might be surprised to know that the tune is actually part of a medley that falls under the main umbrella title of "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24".  It is a song that combined "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with "Shchedryk" (the original Ukrainian name for "Carol of the Bells", and the song depicts a lonely cello player who is playing Christmas songs in the middle of Sarajevo - which at that time was experiencing war that ripped the city apart.  If you want to listen to the song in full, feel free to click HERE if you like.

But if you just want to hear my favourite version of "Carol of the Bells", watch below.




Tomorrow, I'll post my sixth favourite song.  And it could be considered one of the best-selling and most recognizable Christmas single of all time.

Monday, December 18, 2017

#8 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Only one week left until Christmas!!!!!!!

It is Day #18 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, and I will be officially posting Song #8 on the Top 25 Christmas Songs of All Time - well, according to yours truly, that is.

Before we get to that though, how about a quick recap of the list so far?  You know, just in case some of you are just joining us.

25.  Here We Come A-wassailing Medley
24.  Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
23.  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
22.  Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
21.  Merry Christmas Everyone
20.  Step Into Christmas

19.  Same Old Lang Syne
18.  O Christmas Tree
17.  The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
16.  Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy
15.  Frosty the Snowman
14.  Merry Christmas Darling
13.  Santa Claus is Coming To Town
12.  Silver and Gold
11.  Sleigh Ride
10.  It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas
09.  Christmas Wrapping

And for song #8 - a classic tale of peace among men and beagles that has a personal story attached to it.



Yes, at #8, I have Snoopy vs. The Red Baron.  Not the most Christmasy of titles, but the song itself brings as much happiness as a warm puppy.  And don't think this is the last time you'll see Snoopy referenced in this countdown.



The song itself was performed by The Royal Guardsmen - who were never guardsmen for the Queen.  In fact, they weren't even British.  They hailed from Ocala, Florida!  And when they first released this song, they ended up getting in a lot of trouble from Snoopy's creator, Charles Schulz.



You see, the idea of the song came from Schulz's famous comic strip "Peanuts".  About a year before this song was released, the first of many comic strip arcs featuring Snoopy as a World War I flying ace attempting to bring down the Red Baron, and the Royal Guardsmen decided to record the song from that idea.  They turned it into a Christmas tune where Snoopy tames the Red Baron and they celebrate Christmas together.

The problem was that the Royal Guardsmen didn't have the clearance to actually use Snoopy as a character in the song since they didn't exactly own him.  This prompted Schulz and United Features Syndicate to file a lawsuit against the group.

Fortunately, this story has a somewhat happy ending.  Although the group lost the suit and were ordered to pay UFS any money that was raised from publishing revenues, Schulz did agree to let the band use Snoopy in any future songs - of which at least two more were released:  "Snoopy's Christmas" and "Snoopy for President".

An updated version of the song was later released in 2006 entitled "Snoopy vs. Osama". 

Now why do I love this song so much?  Well, aside from the fact that it was a favourite in my home (whenever it came on the radio, it was always cranked up loud), it reminds me of an ornament I bought a couple of years ago to commemorate the very first Christmas that I would spend in my new home.



Buying a first home is always a huge deal, and I really wanted to mark the occasion with a special ornament to mark the first holiday spent in the house.  So, I chose this one.  Snoopy on his doghouse fighting the Red Baron along with the year I became a homeowner!  That was one Christmas I will never forget.



Seriously, it was almost 70 degrees that Christmas Eve - which was highly unusual for Canada!



Anyway, have fun listening to "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron"!

Tomorrow at #7 - a classic instrumental Christmas tune - with a heavy rock twist!

Sunday, December 17, 2017

#9 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

Welcome to Day #17 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, where today we will be checking out what my 9th favourite Christmas song is in a list of 25.

And I warn you ahead of time.  It's probably the most non-traditional song that I have on this list so far.  Non-traditional in that it's a song that starts off being a "Bah, humbug" kind of song, but transitions into a sort of happy tune given that the song is all about how much stress Christmas can be.

And when I say that it starts off with a "Bah, Humbug", I mean literally it starts with that phrase.



This is a song that was recorded and released the same year as my very first Christmas - 1981.  So right off the bat, the song holds a bit of meaning for me.  It was recorded by the group that called themselves "The Waitresses" - best known for their single "I Know What Boys Like". 



The song itself is a bit of a play on words.  The way that lead singer Patty Donahue sings the words, it's almost like she is dropping words to a hip hop beat (so, in a way she is Christmas "rapping").  But the song itself is about how she plans to wrap up the holiday season.

Which to her involves shutting off all the lights, not going to any holiday parties, and proclaiming that she will miss it this year. 

And really, how many of us have wished that we could do the same thing?

Believe me, I know how stressful Christmas can be.  After all, I've worked thirteen Christmases in the world of retail.  The wall to wall people who are cranky that they can't find everything that they are looking for, and the purchasing of gifts for people that you may or may not like, and buying all the food for the holiday dinners, and forking out forty bucks in postage to send Christmas cards, and trying to learn all the words to "O Come All Ye Faithful" for your daughter's fourth grade Christmas pageant, and...yeah...you know how Patty feels.

I like how the song tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end.  In between the rants and raves about how she hates Christmas, Patty also tells the tale of how she met a guy that she was interested in at a ski shop, got his number, got too distracted to call him, and later meets him at an all-night grocery store when both of them are buying canned cranberries.  It's got a rough beginning, but by the end of the song, at least Patty admits that she's happy to celebrate the holiday after all.

Of course, the sick beat and the killer bass hook really draws me into the song right off the bat.  Would you believe that the song was composed by Chris Butler using an assortment of guitar riffs from unused songs that he had composed years earlier?  To make a brilliant song like "Christmas Wrapping" out of literal scraps...that's like wrapping a beautiful gift using just a handful of leftover wrapping paper!

Of course, Butler also wrote the song in the middle of summer for inclusion on the album "A Christmas Record" as a response to how much he hated the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

As it turned out, the song became a massive hit - the year after it was released, it reached #45 on the UK charts.  Many artists have also covered this single for holiday albums of their own from the Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue to the Saturdays and Bella Thorne.



Of course, the original one was and always will be the best one.  And while sadly Patty Donahue passed away from lung cancer in 1996 at the age of 40, it's nice to know that she has forever left her mark on the holiday season by creating one of the most rockin' holiday songs ever.

The song that I will be posting at #8 tomorrow is one that I have represented on my own Christmas tree...one that represents the most exciting day of my life.  And no, the Red Baron does NOT make an appearance.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

#10 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

It's Day #16 in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, which means that we're officially in the Top 10 of my favourite 25 Christmas song countdown!  It's the home stretch everyone, and I have to say that this year, it's starting to feel like Christmas is coming soon!

There are definitely a lot of signs that make it look very Christmasy.  At least where I am living there is a lot of snow on the ground, lights on nearly every house, and lots of decorations up all over the place.  The stores are even filled with wall-to-wall people looking for last minute gift ideas.

Trust me.  I know.  My store was filled with them today.

But hey, what can I say?  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas more and more.  And speaking of that, it happens to be the title of the song that I am featuring today.

Originally composed by Meredith Willson in 1951, "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" has been a staple in many Christmas playlists over the last six and a half decades.  And certainly a lot of artists have put their own spin on this holiday favourite.

But which version is my absolute favourite?



Well, let me preface this by saying that there is a very significant reason why there are so many songs from the 1980s on this list.  You might have noticed that of the fifteen songs that I have posted on this countdown, five have been from that decade alone.

The reason being is very easy.  I was a child throughout most of the 1980s, and therefore my fondest Christmas memories are from that particular time period.  Or if the song itself is not from the 1980s, then I link the song to an '80s memory (much like when I posted the Chipmunk song earlier this month).



When it comes to this song, Johnny Mathis' version was the one that I heard first (and most).  After all, it was released in 1986 which would have been right around the same year that I started getting really excited about Christmas.  It was just a magical time filled with anticipation over opening up the gifts under the tree, and gorging on Christmas candy and cookies, and just thinking that it was the greatest day in the world. 

And just the way that Johnny Mathis sang the song along to the beautiful musical arrangement.  It just screams joy and excitement.  It was as if Johnny was singing the song from the perspective of a young child who was just as excited about Christmas as I was - a rare feat given that Mathis was fifty-one when this song was released.



The song was featured on his album "Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis", and was also featured on the television special "Home for Christmas" right around the same time.  But it wouldn't be until six years later in 1992 that the song would really gain momentum when it was included in the soundtrack of the film "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York".  And since then, the song has been in and out of the Top 10 for Billboard's Christmas charts.



The video for this song comes from the "Home for Christmas" special, and I have it for you to watch right here.  I hope you enjoy it!

Now, stay tuned for song #9 on the countdown - a song that might be the least traditional tune on this chart - but damn, it's a good one!

Friday, December 15, 2017

#11 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me)

It seems hard to believe that there is only ten days left before Christmas arrives.  And here in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, we have been counting down the twenty-five Christmas tunes that fill me up with Christmas cheer.

This is
Day #15 in the countdown which means that I will be posting song #11 today. 

Before I do that though, I want to make a little bit of a confession.

Now, when it comes to Christmas traditions, there certainly are a lot of them to be found.  Living in Canada where the chances of having a white Christmas are quite high, a lot of activities involved snow.  My favourite was tobogganing down the many hills in my small town and seeing just how fast I could go on my little sled.  I also liked building snow forts in the backyard, and building snowmen in the front yard, and making snow angels.

But do you want to know one winter activity that I have never done in what will soon be my thirty-seventh Christmas?

I have never gone on a sleigh ride.

I have always wanted to experience it just one.  Have the bright red carriage attached to a couple of horses and having them pull me through a pathway where we could see the Christmas lights on the houses and the snow atop the evergreen trees.  It is something that I have always wanted to experience, but I have never done it yet.

(Mainly because I haven't found anyone to share the experience with.  Sleigh rides by yourself would probably be incredibly dull.)

Until that day comes, I guess the only way I can experience it is through song. 



And at #11 on my countdown, we have the Ronettes with their interpretation of the song "Sleigh Ride".

Now, it might surprise you to know that when "Sleigh Ride" was first released in the 1940s, it was actually composed in the middle of summer!  Leroy Anderson began writing the song in July 1946 during what was one of the hottest days of the month, and by 1949, the original version by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops was performed for the first time.

Of course, over the last seventy years, many artists have covered this single both with and without the lyrics.  And some of the artists who have performed this classic tune (for better or for worse) include Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Amy Grant, Debbie Gibson, TLC, and Glen Campbell.

But I think when it comes down to it, I prefer the version by the Ronettes the best - and it's not because of the ring a ling a ling a ding dong ding part either (though that section always made me smile as a kid and still does now).

No, the reason why I like that version so much was because it was the one I grew up hearing the most - even more than the instrumental versions that shopping malls play three weeks before Christmas in a continuous loop.  Whenever the radio station played "Sleigh Ride", it was almost always the Ronettes version.  I can definitely see why that was the case.  The Ronettes were one of the hottest all-girl groups during that time period and they definitely had the singing chops to put their own spin on the tune.



Now, this wasn't the only Christmas tune that the Ronettes have released.  The song appeared on "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector", and the Ronettes also contributed "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Frosty the Snowman" to the compilation.  But there was something about "Sleigh Ride" that stood out more, and became the biggest Christmas hit for the group.  Even all these years later, the song is still widely popular on Christmas charts and is downloaded quite often from iTunes and Spotify.



I'm not afraid to admit that I have it downloaded onto my iPod right now.  My hope is that one day if I do go on a sleigh ride, I can listen to this song as it happens.  Wouldn't that be a Christmas dream come true?

Now, I hope you have been paying attention to the list of artists who have also recorded "Sleigh Ride" within this article.  Because one of them is the subject of our #10 song.  And as the days get closer to Christmas, I can see that it's starting to look a little more like...oh, wait.  I said too much. 

Thursday, December 14, 2017

#12 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

We are now past the halfway point in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR and I am ready to head towards what my favourite Christmas songs of all-time are.

It's
Day #14 of the calendar which means that I will be posting my twelfth favourite Christmas tune.  It's a song that has been a part of my Christmas traditions for...well, since I've been born really. 

And the subject of today's song just happens to be about two dominant colours that you might see in the Christmas decor of many homes and businesses.

I know what you're thinking.  It has to be a song that features a lot of red and green, as those colours are synonymous with Christmas.  Well, while that might be true, I'm actually thinking of two different colours.  Colours that are shinier, brighter, and would be worth a fortune in the trade world.

I'm talking about
silver and gold, of course.  And yes, silver and gold is definitely present at my household.  Well, okay, maybe not REAL silver and gold.  My bank account can't even afford to buy aluminum most days!  But on my tree are several silver and gold decorations of various shapes and sizes. 

After all...the gigantic snowman that sang this song proclaimed that silver and gold decorations should be on every Christmas tree!



Of course we all know the singing snowman is Burl Ives - the man who was responsible for singing a good portion of the soundtrack featured in the 1964 Christmas classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".  And while I loved every song from that album (well, minus the rather bland "Fame and Fortune") I think that "Silver and Gold" will always be my favourite Burl Ives song.



If you stop and take a good listen to the tune, it's really well put together musically.  The instrumental backing is a beautiful melody using a wide variety of instruments, and it blends with Burl's dominant voice very well.  The inclusion of the song takes place shortly after Rudolph and Hermie meet up with Yukon Cornelius, the lovable prospector who is in search of riches. 



And what would Yukon be looking for the most?  Silver and gold!  Or, peppermint, as it turns out!



But aside from the song being a great one, it holds a few personal memories for me as well.  I mean, when I was a kid, I couldn't get through the holiday season without watching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at least once.  Hell, I'm 36 and I STILL have to watch it at least once during the holiday season.  It was, and still is a fantastic show to watch for the holidays. 

And I can definitely recall being mesmerized by silver and gold things during the Christmas season.  Whether it was the gifts underneath the tree that were wrapped in silver and gold paper, or the chocolates in my stocking that were covered in silver and gold wrappers, or the decorations that were silver and gold in colour.  To me, those two colours bring back a slew of Christmas memories and miracles from all of my Christmases combined.  Good memories.  Peaceful memories.  Memories that I think I will hold onto forever.



So, let's have a listen to "Silver and Gold" once more.

Tomorrow at #11...ring a ling a ling a ding dong ding.