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
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!
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.
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.
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!
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?!?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.