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Tuesday, December 26, 2017

2017 IN REVIEW - THE SCHEDULE


With Christmas out of the way, there is just a few days left of 2017...so you know what that means?


That's right!  It's time for the annual look back at 2017 with my best and worst retrospective of the year gone by.

I won't be starting this off right away though.  I have something special planned for tomorrow's blog, but in the meantime, I have the schedule mapped out.  It will be a six day look at the year in several categories beginning on December 28, 2017.

So to tide you over, here's the list of topics we'll be discussing for the year end retrospective.

Dec. 28, 2017 - 2017 in Fads
Dec. 29, 2017 - 2017 in Music
Dec. 30, 2017 - 2017 in Film
Dec. 31, 2017 - 2017 in Television
Jan. 1, 2018 - 2017 in News
Jan. 2, 2018 - Personal Reflections of 2017

Stay tuned...it'll be a lot of fun! 

Monday, December 25, 2017

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

Merry Christmas to one and all!  I certainly hope that it has been a good one to you!  Things are great here - well, minus the three feet of snow we received the last couple of days.  But, hey.  You know me.  I love a white Christmas!  Seriously, it was #6 on my list of Top 25 Christmas songs of all time!

But here we are. 
Day #25 and the final day of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR.  You know, 2017 has been a rather unusual year where time slipped away from me, but it has been good to be on here every day for the month of December.  I can't guarantee that I will be able to do this every month, but it was a great time!

Now, I'm sure most of you are guessing what my favourite Christmas song of all time is.  Believe me, it's a choice that might seem unusual to most of you.  But it always has been a song that has resonated with me because of the meaning behind it, and it comes from one of my favourite holiday specials.

You know, watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a child, I always looked forward to seeing Rudolph, Hermie, Yukon Cornelius, Clarice, and all of the other characters featured in the show.  But admittedly, I was not a fan of Donner or Santa in this show.  I mean, yeah, eventually both of them saw the error in their ways and saw Rudolph as being a fine asset to the team.  But both of them were incredibly cruel and insensitive to Rudolph because of the fact that he was born with a shiny red nose.  It was really uncomfortable to watch Rudolph get the shaft all the time because of something he couldn't control.  It also made me not like Santa for a while after watching.

And while we are on the subject, poor Hermie was also rejected because instead of making toys, he wanted to fix cavities.  And the elves made him feel so uncomfortable about himself that he quit his job and ran away!

Rudolph and Hermie eventually meet up with each other, and along the way Yukon Cornelius joins them on their journey to freedom, and somehow they find themselves on a strange island.  And this island is the source of my favourite Christmas tune ever.




But the reason why "The Island of Misfit Toys" is my favourite Christmas song ever is quite complex. 

Now, on first glance, the song is well composed, and the vocalists are very talented.  It's a nice happy tune filled with happiness and hope that the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys will find a home for Christmas Day.  



But look closer at the residents of the Island of Misfit Toys.  They are all toys that have some sort of defect that make them abnormal from their toy counterparts.  Like a train with square wheels, or a water pistol that squirts jelly, or an elephant with polka dots all over him.  Now, other than their physical differences, the toys are as friendly and kind as could be, and they treat Rudolph and his friends with kindness.  It amazes me that because they look different, or that they do unusual things that they are rejected and forced to live on a deserted island.

What is also amazing is that even though the outside world sees the toys as "misfits", they have bonded in such a way that they really are like family to each other.

Ironically, Rudolph and Hermie want to join the Island of Misfit Toys, but the king won't let them because they are not exactly toys - meaning that you can be a misfit from the island of Misfit Toys.  But Rudolph makes the toys a promise that he will find each and every one of them a home for Christmas.  And true to his word, Rudolph keeps his promise.




I guess it comes as no surprise why I love this song.  I honesty feel like I should be a part of the island of Misfit Toys because I've felt like a misfit my whole life.  Definitely a misfit from my classmates.  Most likely a misfit from my work colleagues.  Some days, I feel like a misfit within my whole family, and it's not because I don't love them - it's because I am so incredibly different from them that I feel like I have nothing in common with them.  But you know, Christmas Day is one of those days in which being a misfit doesn't matter.  It's a day in which everyone comes together to share love, food, gifts, and joy...and where nobody is ever left behind. 

And, that's why I love "The Island of Misfit Toys".  Because when Christmas Day is here, it truly is the most wonderful day of the year - even for self-confessed misfits like myself.

That's the list!  To close it off, here's the full list for you.


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
08.  Snoopy vs. The Red Baron
07.  Carol of the Bells
06.  White Christmas
05.  O Holy Night
04.  Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
03.  Linus and Lucy
02.  Christmas Star
01.  The Island Of Misfit Toys

I have a few surprises coming up for the last week of December (and 2017), so stay tuned!  In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas!

Sunday, December 24, 2017

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

It's Christmas Eve!  It's also Day #24 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR where this year I've been counting down my favourite Christmas tunes.

I've already counted down twenty-three songs, and just to recap, here is the list so far...

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
08.  Snoopy vs. The Red Baron
07.  Carol of the Bells
06.  White Christmas
05.  O Holy Night
04.  Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
03.  Linus and Lucy

And for today's Christmas Eve entry, we have a song that was featured on the soundtrack of the sequel to the 1990 film, "Home Alone".

Now, can we just state that for Kevin McCallister, Christmas Eve is probably one of the most unluckiest days of the whole calendar year?  I mean, on Christmas Eve, he's forced to confront the Wet Bandits (or Sticky Bandits in the sequel) on Christmas Eve after his family somehow ends up leaving him behind. 

I mean, sure, it was fun for us to watch Kevin clobber the bad guys with blowtorches, Christmas ornaments, Micro Machines, and cans of paint.  But I could probably think of a million other things I would rather be doing on Christmas Eve than defend my home against burglars.

At least in the first film, Kevin was in the comfort of his own home and knew exactly where everything was and what to do.  He didn't have that luxury in the second film.  After all, a mix-up at the airport saw Kevin spending the holidays in New York City while the rest of his family went to Florida.  And in the second film, he only had his uncle's dilapidated townhouse as shelter.  That, plus the fact that he was alone in the largest city in the world which could be extremely scary to walk in at night.  Of course, this begs the question...why would Kevin tangle with his enemies this time around in the first place?

The answer lies in my second favourite Christmas song of all time.



I won't lie...I absolutely love the song "Christmas Star".  Funnily enough, you never hear the full version of this beautiful tune in the movie.  It plays exactly twice - once when Kevin is starting to miss his family after seeing a star in the sky, and another when he discovers the source of the star is a children's hospital.

The same children's hospital that a toy store called "Duncan's Toy Chest" plans to donate all of its money to - the same toy store that the Sticky Bandits plan to rob on Christmas Eve. 



This is the moment in which Kevin declares that "you can mess with a lot of things, but you can't mess with kids on Christmas", and leads brilliantly into the booby trapping of the townhouse scene.

But back to "Christmas Star".  The melody is so beautiful, yet sad at the same time.  It's a song that fits the movie theme well - missing someone at Christmas.  And yes, I know that for many of us, Christmas won't be the same because there's going to be people who won't be there to celebrate it with us.  So, I suppose this song brings some comfort in having us believe that our lost loved ones are there with us - even if it is in the form of a star in the sky.

To be honest, I have no idea why this song seems to be overlooked on the playlists of many radio stations.  I mean, yes, the song is only twenty-five years old, but it's still worth playing.  It's a modern Christmas tune that sounds traditional, and that's not something a lot of people can pull off.  But then again, John Williams did the score for this and hundreds of other movies.  If anyone could make a song this wonderful, it's him.  Here, have a listen for yourselves.




Tomorrow is Christmas Day, and the final song on my list.  While it's a most unusual choice for my favourite Christmas song, I couldn't think of a better tune to end this off.  After all, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year where I would hope that EVERYONE feels welcome.

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.