Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 12/26: Ben Folds Five, “Brick”
Nobody sets a happy story on Dec. 26. So when Ben Folds’ song opens with a timestamp – 6 a.m., day after Christmas – it pretty much guarantees we’re about to hear a sad tale. And we do. Folds’ autobiographical account of his high school girlfriend’s abortion and its emotional aftermath appeared on his band’s […]
Song(s) of the Day 12/25: The Year’s Most Popular Christmas Songs From the Archive
Visitors hit the archive every Christmas for holiday songs from years past. There are the most visited holiday songs from the archive this year. Admittedly, they would make a disjointed playlist, so I’ll just leave the links here. Song of the Day 12/22: The Moonglows, “Hey Santa Claus” Song of the Day 12/20: Seymour Swine […]
Song of the Day 12/24: Jimmy Boyd, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
When you hear this novelty tune these days, it’s usually the Jackson 5’s version, with 12-year-old Michael playing the youngster shocked to see his mother canoodling with Kris Kringle. It appeared on the group’s 1970 Christmas album, their fourth for Motown, and Michael was already a star. Jimmy Boyd was a year older when he […]
Song of the Day 12/23: Angela Lansbury, “We Need a Little Christmas”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona “We Need a Little Christmas” is a Christmas song about celebrating Christmas when it’s not Christmastime. Auntie Mame has just lost all her money in the 1929 stock market crash. She needs cheering up right now. So forget the calendar, “We Need a Little Christmas,” she tells her household. “Haul […]
Song of the Day 12/22: The 1975, “Wintering”
Christmas can be a hectic time for young adults. You’ve left the nest, but your parents expect you to return home for the holidays, and they’re likely to treat you like you’re still in high school. Catching up with old friends you bump into just heightens the feeling of traveling in time as well as […]
Song of the Day 12/21: Maddy Prior, “Ding Dong! Merrily on High”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona There are two Christmas songs with what seem like almost endless strings of “o’s” in the word “gloria” – “33 syllables in just one breath,” one expert determined. One of these songs you’re surely familiar with, the other maybe not so much. The chestnut “Angels We Have Heard on High” […]
Coons Said What?
This might be the least mealy-mouthed thing Chris Coons has ever said as a senator. He was on MSNOW, formerly MSNBC, to talk about the semi-release of the Epstein files, when he dropped this bombshell: “There were some new photos released of different powerful men in and around the company of Epstein. One thing that […]
Song of the Day 12/20: Cast in Bronze, “Carol of the Bells”
If the “Carol of the Bells” doesn’t sound like a Christmas carol, it might be because it wasn’t at first. It was a Ukrainian New Year’s song back when Ukrainians celebrated the New Year in April. When the country adopted the Gregorian calendar, with New Year’s Day in January, the tune switched seasons. Maybe because […]
Song of the Day 12/19: Gene Autry, “Here Comes Santa Claus”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona A perennially popular Christmas song was born when a crowd of parade-goers in 1946 shouted “here comes Santa Claus” as the Grand Marshal approached on horseback in cowboy regalia. They were clamoring for the nearby Santa impersonator, but Gene Autry, atop Champion, heard the shouting and knew what he needed […]
Song of the Day 12/18: Wham!, “Last Christmas”
The good news is that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” might be slipping as the world’s most popular holiday song. The not-so-good news: It’s being supplanted by George Michael’s “Last Christmas.” So people are trading retro-Spector for ’80s synth-pop. Billboard has a chart called the Global 200 that tracks streaming plays […]
Song of the Day 12/17: Frank Sinatra, “Mistletoe and Holly”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona This is the time of year for songs that celebrate poison. Mistletoe and holly: Don’t eat them. Frank Sinatra seemed a little venomous now and then, so maybe it’s fitting that he first sang – and even co-wrote – “Mistletoe and Holly,” which has become a Christmas classic. But he […]
Song of the Day 12/16: Vince Vance & the Valiants, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Wait, wait, don’t go! This isn’t what you think it is! It’s not the Mariah Carey hit, the one that plays in stores so often that retail workers voted it their most hated Christmas song. This is an entirely different piece of music! Yes, it’s got the same title, and the same basic premise, listing […]
Song of the Day 12/15: The Ray Coniff Singers, “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona You don’t find many Christmas songs with St. Nicholas in them. Santa Claus took over in the 19th century with a big boost from Clement Moore’s poem “The Night Before Christmas” and the illustrations of Thomas Nast. Their Santas were kind of elfin, not exactly like ours. The poem described […]
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