If you want to imagine what it was like to celebrate Christmas in the late ’60s, this is the recording.
Back then, French singer Claudine Longet often appeared on the TV variety show (look that term up, kiddies!) hosted by her husband, Andy Williams.
Little is remembered of her non-holiday canon. But a recording she made gained some popularity when it was included on the B.F. Goodrich tire company’s lone promotional holiday album.
The song “Snow” was picked up by Goodrich. The flipside was “I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You,” written and originally recorded by Margo Guryan. The artists Guryan wrote for – Spanky and Our Gang, Bobby Sherman, Freda Payne – are a Who’s Who of that era.
Longet’s version of the song evokes Peter Max, black light posters, kaleidoscopes and the whole ’60s milieu. Her whispery voice adds some charm.
The song was covered by the British band Saint Etienne. It might be cool to hear a contemporary singer – Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Adele – take a stab at it.
SUBJECTISM 