“Goyim Friends” By The LeeVees When I was researching this song, I found an anomaly. Namely — I can’t find any proof that I heard this band in concert and yet I know I did. I got their CD signed. I specifically remember them talking about this song. But looking up the concert, I can’t find it. Did I actually see The LeeVees? Did Adam Gardner and Dave Schneider just show up at a Barenaked Ladies concert and play a few songs? I don’t know, and it’s gonna bug me. But let’s not let my recall issues distract us from
Continue readingMore Music of Christmas – Day 4: Skating
“Skating” By the Vince Guaraldi Trio Today I revisit the beloved TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. Last year — one year to the date, to be exact — I wrote about one of the songs from the show, namely “O Tannenbaum”. That song, whenever I hear it, instantly brings to mind the cartoon, Charlie Brown and Linus searching for the perfect tree. It’s a song synonymous with the season, obviously, but its inclusion in the TV special cements it as a classic. The song “Skating” is also linked to feelings of Christmas and the holiday, as I mentioned last
Continue readingMore Music of Christmas – Day 3: The Christmas Song
“The Christmas Song” By Mel Torme and Bob Wells Everybody knows… this song. (Sorry.) It is a Christmas classic, one of those seminal songs that is always played. Countless artists have recorded it, putting various spins on it from sentimental to meloncholy, from a capella to punk to rock to… probably grunge and polka somewhere. I’ve heard this song all my life, and I couldn’t begin to count the different ways I’ve heard it. But you can’t go wrong with the original, though, by Mel Torme and Bob Wells. As the composer of the song, it seems fitting that we
Continue readingMore Music of Christmas – Day 2: Christmas All Over Again
“Christmas All Over Again” By Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers This is a song that I wouldn’t say is one of my favorites. But nor is it a monstrosity. My relationship with Tom Petty’s music isn’t deep or life-affirming or anything like that. Like many musicians, I liked some of his songs. I didn’t like some. And I didn’t listen to much of his solo or group work that wasn’t on the radio. I saw him in concert once — my college friends were going so I tagged along. It was an okay experience — Tom Petty was good, the
Continue readingMore Music of Christmas – Day 1: All I Want for Christmas Is You
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” By Mariah Carey It’s the song that launched a thousand memes a month or two ago, as we awaited the start of the holiday season and this song to be heard on the radio. If you take all the radio stations playing Christmas music, it’s probably on the air continually from November 1 through December 26. Yes, it’s Mariah Carey and holiday classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. This is one of the few songs since, oh, 1970 that has actually gotten so popular that it’s become a holiday standard. Most
Continue readingThe Music of Christmas – Second Movement
It’s Christmas time… again! Yes, ASM is back for another look at the music of the holiday season! Last year, I took you on a trip through 25 (okay, probably more like 30) songs of Christmas and Hannukah, highlighting my favorites, and talking about several I dreaded to hear every year. But there are more than 30 songs in the season. So, why not a second movement, as it were, another helping? As I mentioned in the Prelude, this feature was inspired by the Steven Curtis Chapman song, “The Music of Christmas”. But this time around, I’m taking a different
Continue readingThe Music of Christmas – Day 25: “Christmas Adventure”
“Christmas Adventure” By Vince DiCola Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! We end our countdown today with a song by my most favorite artist. I’ve been a fan of Vince DiCola since his work on the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie. I mean, I made “Escape” my ring tone nearly fifteen years ago. I eagerly buy any new release. I’ve played a song with him. When you ask me who my musical hero is, I’ll instantly tell you it’s Vince. I’m not sure how I first found this song. I think I may have been doing a search
Continue readingThe Music of Christmas – Day 24: “Carol of the Bells”
“Carol of the Bells” By David Foster I first heard this song as part of a TV show of some sort. I caught only the last portion of it and never knew who the artist was. I made it a mission to find out. However this was years and years before Shazam was around, and I never heard it on the radio, so doing an internet search for “Carol of the Bells” was just an exercise in failure. Found many versions but not the one I needed. I’d hear it very sporadically on the radio the next few years, but
Continue readingThe Music of Christmas – Day 23: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
It’s a theme of three today. The selections here are all versions of a Christmas classic. It’s amazing how this song can differ in mood simply by changing the tempo and the arrangement. I had a hard time picking which mood I’d showcase first, but since this is 2020, I went with a melancholy feeling first. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” By Kenny Loggins This version starts with a piano melody, but what I really like is when the guitar starts about thirty seconds in, and then the harmonic enters. To me, a slow harmonica just captures the feeling
Continue readingThe Music of Christmas – Day 22: “Feliz Navidad”
Feliz Navidad By José Feliciano Ah, now we’re in the final days until Christmas, and we’re in the really good music. These last four are some of my most favorite holiday tunes, the ones that I really love. This song, written in 1970, is just so dang happy. It’s a simple song, repeating verses and choruses. Each repeat adds some more layers of audio, growing in size until at the end it’s a Latin pop spectacular. This song that is one of the most played every Christmas season, and unlike most songs that I hear over and over and over
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