Tag Archives: Holiday Music

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I WONDER AS I WANDER – 10 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

This song always sounded British to me. But it actually originated in western North Carolina in the 1930s.

Its composer, John Jacob Niles, liked to take little snippets of music that people in his area sang and make them into full-fledged songs. In this case, he heard a girl singing three lines – the rest is his.

Other folk tunes that Niles wrote in this manner are “Go ‘Way From My Window,” recorded by Linda Ronstadt, and “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” recorded by Rhiannon Giddens.

This version of “I Wonder as I Wander” is by Barbra Streisand.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=NCbwU7de-ok

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I WISH EVERYDAY COULD BE LIKE CHRISTMAS – 11 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

The first track BonJovi released from the 1992 album “Keep the Faith” was the title song. 

I can’t say I’m that familiar with it. I’m not a huge BonJovi fan, although I think it’s a fine group and Jon is a fine singer.

But I – and a lot of other people – are familiar with the song on the B side. It’s “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas,” and it’s a wonderful piece of holiday music,

It sets a nice mood and has a heartfelt, cheerful sentiment.

It’s not to be confused with the Brook Benton song of the 1950s that is a little mushy.

And it, of course, is not the ultimate holiday song of Jersey Shore musicians. (Bruuuuuuuccceee!) It’s a pretty damn good second.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=2qLql7S9oro

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I SAW THREE SHIPS – 12 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

This one has always been a head scratcher.

As far as I could figure out, there was nothing nautical about the Nativity. Bethlehem is probably a 2-day camel ride from the Mediterranean. But apparently, according to the fourth stanza, the ships sailed into a landlocked town.

So what are the ships the singer is talking about?

It’s possible the lyricist, William Sandys, was thinking of the three wise men as being the “ships.” Camels, after all, are known as ships of the desert.

Or they were metaphorical in some way. Or symbolic of some event that happened in between the birth of Jesus and 1833, when Sandys published his lyrics.

The song seems out of place entering the second quarter of the 21st century. But I’m sure there are folks who love it.

Here’s a version by the choir of New York’s Trinity Church:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=bnP_XZBRclc

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS – 13 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

In the early 1950s, there were actually people who took offense at this work.

They believed the original singer, a teenager named Jimmie Boyd, waa watching his mother liplocking some guy who wasn’t his father. For them, it wouldn’t have been a laugh if Daddy had seen what was going on, it would have been a sin. 

But, of course, we all know who’s who in this tale, and it’s really just pure, wholesome family fun.

That’s also true when the lyric is changed to “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus,” as RuPaul and others have famously done.

The definitive version of this song is probably the one by the Jackson 5 in the early ’70s. But I’m more partial to the version by the Ronettes.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=p-mWqt1nnZ0

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I HEARD THE BELLS – 14 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

“I Heard the Bells” is a reminder that. for many people, the holidays is a time of painful memories and a struggle to connect with the joy of the season.

The lyrics are from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called “Christmas Bells.” He wrote it after his wife was killed in a freaky fire accident and his son suffered serious injuries fighting for the Union in the Civil War.

It’s those events that give this song its gloomy start. In particular, the third stanza that begins “And in despair, I bowed my head. ‘There is no peace on Earth,’ I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.”

In the end, though, the song’s protagonist finds his center. It has a line that I cling to the whole year, particularly now given the state of our nation and the misery imposed on it.

“The wrong shall fail, the right (lower case r) prevail. With peace on earth, goodwill to men.”

The music for the song was written by Johnny Marks, best known for “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” If you think that a little incongruous, you’re not alone – unless you consider that Rudolph overcomes adversity, too.

Here is the version recorded by the great Harry Belafonte:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=3KJGxHAOhzc

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I DON’T INTEND TO SPEND CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU – 15 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

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.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=THkbra7Q__U

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS – 16 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Greg Lake was part of what was referred to in the ’70s as a “supergroup” – made up of key players from other big-name bands.

In this case, he was part of Emerson, Lake and Palmer – a group whose trademark sound was to incorporate classical riffs in their music.

When he went solo, Lake wrote a Christmas song that was at turns wistful and cynical, an unusual combination. He reminisced about holidays past while decrying the commercialism of the season. He threw in a few measures of a Sergei Prokofiev suite and created “I Believe in Father Christmas.”

The result is what seemed at the time like a very dramatic holiday tune. Is it a classic? I’m not there, but I do like to hear it a time or two every year.

Here is the original:

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=yfY4b1NszpY

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: HOW DID THIS THING GET IN ME? – 17 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Since 2005, singer Judith Owen and her husband, comedian Harry Shearer, have been doing a holiday season benefit called “Christmas Without Tears.” 

It combines their two vocations, music and comedy. In 2015, they recorded the show at the Largo club in Los Angeles. It’s not a particularly well-known album, but it has some amazing performamces.

A somewhat irreverent one is by singer-songwriter Amy Engelhardt. Her number gives the perspective of the Nativity from the person who does the real work that night – the Virgin Mary.

Not something you sing around the Yule log. But fun.

Enjoy.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=2ySb1xW2eWo

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: HOSPITALITY HYMN – 18 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Four years ago, I experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke. It was very mild and I’ve had no recurrence, thank you.

That night, I remained in the hospital for observation. And, of course, being hooked up to an IV, it was hard to sleep. My wife had brought me my laptop, and I used it at around 3 a.m. to compose.

I thought about all the good people in the ward who were caring for me – doctors, nurses, gurney operators, technicians, et cetera. And even though it was mid-June, it made me think about how these folks make holidays possible for so many people.

So I wrote this song, “Hospitality Hymn” (see how I cleverly worked the word “hospital” in there) both as an ode to the spirit of caring at this time of the year and a plea for tolerance and compassion.

Yes, there are words, but it’s the instrumental version that’s on YouTube Music and other streaming services. It’s part of my three-song holiday EP available on iTunes and other digital downloading apps.

I hope you share your hospitality this season – and that it comes back to you manifold.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=LQpjKhtrTq8

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN: THE HOLLY AND THE IVY – 19 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

It’s been two years since the passing of pianist George Winston.

His “December” album has been a part of our holiday season for 40 years and we’ve seen him in person numerous times at venues throughout the New York metropolitan area. So it’s not a surprise that when we think about people we miss at this time of year, we think of him – even though we didn’t know him personally.

“The Holly and the Ivy” is my favorite track on “December.” It’s his riff on a early 19th century British folk carol that otherwise is not particulaly stirring.

Instead, Winston imbues it with a passion that lifts the spirit. For me, it would not be the holiday season without hearing it at least once.

Here it is: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv0UoevHh28

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