Author Archives: Mark M. Meinero

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 22

“THE FIRST NOEL” – 3 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

I always thought this song was French. I mean, Nöel is in the title.

But apparently it’s Cornish – from Cornwall in southwest England – and dates back to the early 19th century. It tells a simple story of the Nativity.

The most popular versions of this song were performed by Whitney Houston and Christian rapper TobyMac with the electronic music persona Owl City.

I just heard my favorite version in the wild for the first time. It was in Maui, of course, because the performer was the Hawaiian singer Justin. He gives the song a sort a doo wop sound that enhances its message.

Hope you enjoy it:

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 21

“FROSTY THE SNOWMAN” – 4 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

“Frosty” is one of those holiday season songs that’s about the weather and not Christmas. Like “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,”

What I didn’t know until I started writing this is that Armonk, New York, in Westchester County, claims Frosty as a homeboy.

One of the song’s composers, Steve Nelson, is from Armonk and supposedly had the town in mind as the place Frosty and the kids run around. The community’s former police chief is credited with yelling “Stop!,” ending the apparent hoodlum spree through the streets.

In fact, Armonk has a whole day dedicated to Frosty. It was December 1 this year, so maybe next year.

Here’s Ella Fitzgerald’s version of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmw4Fu4XupE

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 20

“FATHER CHRISTMAS” – 5 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

I think of this as more curiosity than canon.

The Kinks released this punk rockish song as a single in 1977. It is among the more, uh, violent tunes of the season. There’s also a certain crassness to it – preferring cold cash to the silly toys that can go to the little rich boys.

Including the fact that the title is “Father Christmas,” this song seems very British. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I thought about linking to a version other than the original. But this song seems about getting to the point – “Give me some money!” – so here are The Kinks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPCPqDINEk

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 19

“EVERY TIME IT SNOWS” – 6 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

This Olivia Newton-John/Jon Secada duet was actually co-written by Newton-John and Canadian composer Amy Shy.

It might seem a little sad, but I think it’s a really nice ballad that captures the feeling of loss just about everyone feels at this time of year. 

I was never a big fan of Olivia Newton-John when she strung together Top-40 hits in the ’70s. And while “Grease” is not a movie I watch again, she’s the best part of it – there’s an enthusiasm in her performance that comes through. So this song would have to rank among the best I think she’s done.

Newton-John died a few years ago after multiple bouts of breast cancer. So I imagine this song is a bittersweet memory for her loved ones and her fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF87eHRPny0

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 18

“DONA NOBIS PACEM” – 7 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

It’s a simple – and I mean simple – holiday piece. And yet, under the right conditions, it sounds wonderful.

“Dona Nobis Pacem” is a round – like the ones that delighted kids in first grade (see “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”). It consists of three words – I’ll bet you can guess what they are.

No one knows who wrote the melody, which appears to date back to the 18th century. That’s great for those of you looking to record holiday music and avoid paying residuals.

The version I like the best is by pianist Richard Stoltzman, a classical and jazz clarinetist. He gives this song an almost tropical feel and throws in an occasional key change.

I also like the message, even if it is only three words: Give us peace

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEWOBGakJr4

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 17

“DOMINICK THE DONKEY” – 8 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

We’re about at the seventh inning of the countdown – or the seventh-inning stretch, if you will.

Which makes this song appropriate, at least if you’re a New York Met fan.

Lou Monte is perhaps best known for his rendition of “Lazy Mary,” the Sicilian song that plays at Citi Field after “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

But Monte’s holiday epic is “Dominick the Donkey,” a spirited romp with a hero better equipped than reindeer to handle the hills of Italy. 

The idea that he’s delivering an item of clothing made in “Brook-a-leen” is quaint at a time when it’s more likely to have been made in Burkina Faso.

The video is good if you’d like to sing along.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 16

“MELE KALIKIMAKA” – 9 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

It was my pleasure to spend the much of the past week in Maui. Where, believe it or not, it is also Christmas time.

The reason you might not believe it is that it’s nothing near cold there. We were walking by the beach in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops while it was 19 degrees at home.

But there are decorations – below is a picture of the Christmas tree just after sunset outside the restaurant where we had dinner. 

And there is music. It should not surprise anyone that the one song we heard play most in the seven December days we were there was “Mele Kalikimaka.” It was written by R. Alex Anderson, who was born in Hawaii. Bing Crosby popularized it in 1950.

Because it’s in English – other than the words “Mele Kalikimaka,” which mean Merry Christmas – it’s not considered traditional Hawaiian music. But it’s fun to hear Hawaiian musicians play it in Hawaii.

Unfortunately, there are few versions online, but this video by Josh Tatofi is most reminiscent of what I heard during a glorious week in paradise.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 15

“DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?” – 10 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Peace is a common theme of the holiday season. But it seems unusual that holiday songs would make a political statement about it.

Introducing “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Yeah, I know, it doesn’t seem like it has a message other than the more obvious one about the holiday. The night wind. The little lamb. The shepherd boy. And so on.

But the song was written by a married couple in 1962 as the Cuban Missile Crisis was unfolding. Those of us old enough remember that as a very scary moment in our lives. The composers were scared, too, and they wrote this as a plea to end the tension.

Bing Crosby popularized the song. It was originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale of “The Little Drummer Boy” fame. Here is their version:

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 14

“DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH” – 11 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

This song has a dual origin. The melody was written in the 16th century by French composer Thoinot Arbeau – it was the rave of its time, used for secular dancing events when they were finished making mustard in his birthplace, Dijon.

But the lyrics – the “Ding Dong Merrily on High” part – were written in the 1920s by one of those three-name British guys, George Ratcliffe Woodward. He specialized in taking old Renaissance melodies and giving them a modern – for the time, anyway – spin.

It’s a festive song and seems as though it should be performed by choirs. Here’s a version by the Atlanta Master Chorale.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 13

“COOLER THAN SANTA CLAUS” – 12 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Morris Day turns 67 today – which is why this song seems appropriate.

In the movie “Purple Rain,” Day is the flamboyant rival who wants to replace Prince as the main act at the clubs First Avenue and 7th St. Entry.

That persona comes through in this wonderful holiday song he recorded four years ago. I don’t spend a lot of time monitoring contemporary music, so I don’t know if “Cooler Than Santa Claus” is particularly popular.

It should be. The music video is fun to watch. And if it feels as though there aren’t a lot of different lyrics, there are more than in “Felix Navidad.”

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