Song of the Day 12/15: Diana Krall, “Christmas Time Is Here”
Yesterday I said “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was the saddest Christmas song, and Nathan Arizona nominated this one as a challenger. He’s almost right — almost. This is the most depressing Christmas song, which is a little different. Lee Mendelson’s lyrics list the subtle joys of the season, all undercut by the melancholy of Vince Guaraldi’s melody. That made it perfect for the opening of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the 1965 animated special — it plays over the opening credits scene of children ice skating just before Charlie Brown tells Linus how the season makes him depressed. With her affectless delivery, jazz pianist/singer Diana Krall captures the emotion perfectly.
The lasting success of the project — both the TV special and its accompanying soundtrack album remain Boomer Christmas standards — surprised almost everyone involved with it. The entire production was rushed into existence in six months, and wasn’t completed until days before its initial broadcast. It had no laugh track, its pace was slow, its tone subdued and its animation crude even by the lowered standards of the day. Even worse, Charles Schulz insisted on having Linus recite the Annunciation to the Shepherds from the second chapter of the Book of Luke at a time when religion was anathema to network executives — and made it the climax of the plot, so it couldn’t be edited out. The network and even the producers expected a big-time flop. Mendelson, who was actually the show’s producer, not a lyricist, never grew accustomed to its enduring popularity.
“The whole thing from beginning to end has been surreal,” Mendelson said. “The fact that it’s become such a permanent part of the holiday season is surreal. And every time I hear it on the radio, or I hear it in a store, or someone says, ‘wah, wah, wah,’ I realize we’re very lucky to have been associated with Mr. Schulz and his characters. It all comes back to his characters, and his philosophy, and his humor.”
Mendelson became a lyricist by necessity, not choice. “[Vince] Guaraldi had written a very beautiful melody for the opening skating scene, but about two weeks before it was about to run on the air, I thought, ‘Maybe we could get a lyricist to put some words to this,’ ” Mendelson told Rolling Stone in 2015. “I called a few lyricist friends of mine, and everyone was busy. So I sat down at my kitchen table and I wrote out a few words, and we rushed it to the choir that Vince Guaraldi had been working with in San Francisco. And he recorded it, and we got it into the show about a week before it went on the air.”
Vince Guaraldi died of a heart attack in 1976 at the age of 47. Lee Mendelson was 86 when he passed away just last year — on Christmas day.
Great song. This time of year, I find that I’m tunelessly singing the first phrases to myself endlessly.
For this series I nominate “Alone on Christmas Day”
It brings together the liet motifs of Mike Love being a dick and melancholic Christmas songs.
I’d certainly put ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ in this pantheon of sad Christmas songs.
Did’ja know that the BBC banned it during WW II because it might depress the troops (who wouldn’t be home for Christmas)?
It’s right up there, and might well deserve the title of Sappiest (or Schmaltziest) Christmas Song. Its sentiment always seems unearned to me — sort of a holiday version of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” in that regard.
I still go with Sinatra’s Whatever Happened To Christmas
I’ll go for Blink-182’s “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KYOAw47O-I
The category is “sad,” not “disturbed.”
For maudlin, you can’t beat the Pogues ‘Fairy Tale of New York’
Never could stand that song. A self-pity party.
Ah, but check out this version by the Stornoway based band Peat and Diesel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mwgm1_UHiE
“Fairytale of Stornoway”
In England, “Fairy Tale of New York” is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century. Which says about all you need to know about England in the 21st century.
My wife feels the same way. She hates the drunkeness and self-pity. It reminds her of all the worst qualities of Irish side of the family. That’s what I love about it. The worst qualities are what knit the tribe together.
Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” is a pretty damn sad holiday song.
Well, so is “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” if you look at it in a certain way — it’s obviously about a murder. I’m pretty sure Grandpa staged that whole thing to look like an accident.
Well, how about Bill and Taffy Danoff’s “Please Daddy, Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas”?
I have a new favorite Christmas song:
“Christmas in Paradise,” by Mary Gauthier.
It has one of the best first lines I’ve ever heard:
“Davey stole a Christmas tree from K-Mart last night”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwmM5hUkaLE
Phoebe Bridgers does “If We Make It Through December” on her new Christmas EP. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is there too. Double sad.
John and Yoko’s “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” has a melancholy feel to it. Or maybe that’s just me.