Posts by Alby

David Bowie became the latest Boomer rock icon to cash in his life's work, though in his case it was his estate that sold publishing rights to his catalog for…

This one's for all those who overindulged on New Year's Eve, assuming that's still a thing. Back when this song was released in 1965, a guy could sing about drinking…

Some Christmas songs belong only to the artists who created them. "Little Saint Nick" is just a Beach Boys car tune, just as "Run, Rudolph, Run" is first and foremost…

The one thing that really does sound better in the original German. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbhxZOOXLvU

Even bad Christmas songs can be redeemed by the right artist and the right treatment. As evidence, listen to Norah Jones breathe new life into this widely reviled novelty tune.…

Guest post by Nathan Arizona Sure, you’ve got your “Silent Nights” and your “O Holy Nights” and your “Adeste Fidelises.” They’re the stars of Christmas music. But some of the…

There's a myth concerning Christmas songs, namely that no new ones are being written. The evidence: the 25-year-old "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is the most recent tune…

Foxes and Fossils, the Atlanta-based dads-and-daughters YouTube band, this year covered one of my favorite holiday songs, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Civil War Christmas poem set to John Gorka's original tune.…

This 1987 recording is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK, and it's pretty popular on these shores, too, though I'll never understand why. Not why…

No 21st-century singer has released more holiday material than multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. In 2006, riding the crest of his critical acclaim (his LP "Illinois" was the highest-rated album of 2005…

Guest Post by Nathan Arizona “The Christmas Waltz” is a holiday song that exists for one good reason: FRANK WANTED IT. In 1954 Frank Sinatra was about to enter the…