It's a milestone that I "celebrate" every year. This year's winner is "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes. That's right: it's the first Christmas/Holiday song I've heard this year.
I could have been worse. Paul McCartney's awful "Wonderful Christmastime" would have gotten stuck in my head for at least two weeks. Or it could have been Elton John's "Step Into Christmas," which I did step in just a few minutes after I got off the sleigh.
Man, I just hope I'm spared anything from The Kenny G Christmas Album.
Some songs I actually look forward to hearing. I rarely hear the David Bowie/Bing Crosby duet "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth." Although if I heard it enough times, it would probably enter into the Most Hated category.
Cindy absolutely despises any of the Chipmunks Christmas tunes, which I can understand. She also hates John Lennon's "Happy Christmas/War is Over," which oddly never really grates on my nerves, despite the chorus of kids.
There are a few songs that enjoy hearing, but don't get much air time. The ONLY John Denver Christmas song I like is the almost never-played "Christmas for Cowboys." A great anti-Christmas song is Emerson, Lake and Palmer's "I Believe in Father Christmas," which also doesn't get much play. (The version you'll hear, if you hear it at all, is usually the big overblown orchestral production number version.) "O Holy Night" is my all-time favorite Christmas carol, but not many singers can pull it off. (Nor should they try.)
How about your faves and least-faves? Send 'em in.
Now Playing = Anything but Christmas music
Now Reading = Paint cans, that's about it. Kitchen's almost finished.
4 comments:
At least, you have more than one song!
Seriously, how many times can you listen to "Dredyl, Dredyl"?
I also like McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."
Now that's weird. . .O Holy Night is probably about my favorite too. Michael Crawford did a version I really liked on an Xmas album a few years ago with various singers.
I also like "Do You Hear What I Hear," ever have since I sang it in the elementary school annual Xmas sing-along. I don't know who sings the only version I ever hear of it; somebody like Bing or Sinatra, I think.
I used to love the Mannheim Steamroller Xmas albums; they have several not-so-common traditional tunes I like, like "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "Pat-a-pan (Willie Take Your Little Drum.)"
I think the first tune I heard this year was the "War is Over" tune. I don't mind it. As for something I hate . . . maybe "Jingle Bell Rock."
I'm just ecstatic that I don't work in retail and therefore don't have to listen to Xmas Muzak over and over and over and . . .And, dude, it's not even Turkey day yet. There shouldn't be Xmas music until Turkey day. Damn commercialism.
First Christmas song of this year: some terrible Gloria Estefan thing with synthesizers. I only heard about 15 seconds of it on the way home from work before I decided that silence was indeed golden.
Our three-year-old loves the John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album. Lera's favorite is Glen Campbell. Lots of songs to hate on those albums.
My favorite Christmas song, though, is "I Want a Hippoptamus for Christmas," recorded by 6-year-old Gayla Peavey in 1953. One Christmas when we were in Texas the all-Christmas-music radio station must have played this 1,000 timees, and I have not heard it since. But it is hilarious.
Oh, and growing up it wasn't Christmas until my Dad brought out the vinyl of Handel's Messiah with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony.
Last year we found a CD of Mahalia Jackson Christmas songs. Growing up in the 60s, the various gas stations and hardware stores would do a Christmas album, and they often featured One Black Singer, so several of the ones we had featured the legendary pipes of Mahalia... The CD we bought, though from old analog recordings, did not fail to impress with the sheer power of her voice. I'm not a huge fan of Gospel singing, but certain voices (Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews, etc.) have rattled around my homes for forty years at Christmas and hers is one.
Very fond of more contemporary stuff, too, such as the Canadian Brass Christmas stuff and Mannheim Steamroller -- we just bought a Chicago Christmas CD this weekend, but it's not Thanksgiving yet so we couldn't open it. (grin)
Dr. Phil
Post a Comment