Tag Archives: Holiday Music

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 9

“CHRISTMAS DOWN IN COOPERSTOWN” – 16 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS

Baseball and holiday music are both obsessions of mine. So I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if there is something that shares both my passions.

That would be “Christmas Down in Cooperstown,” a song written and performed by Dana Cooke. It’s the one song we know he’s performed, appearing on an album of baseball music sold at the Hall of Fame and showing up on a Syracuse radio morning show.

The song isn’t half bad. It has a certain wistfulness that, if you’ve ever been to the Baseball Hall of Fame, seems appropriate.

Can’t find anything else Cooke has done – a website supposedly his doesn’t come up. So if this is his one and only work, it’s a masterpiece.

How appropriate this is as Mets fans celebrate their future Hall of Famer, Juan Soto.

https://hungryformusic.bandcamp.com/track/christmas-down-in-cooperstown

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 8

“CHRISTMAS WRAPPING” – 17 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

A lot of people hate this.

Some think it’s a little overplayed, which is probably true of everything in the holiday canon. 

Others are bothered by the storyline. This young woman seems superficial to some. And, of course, that “happy ending” thing is seen as suggestive.

The question of whether a song itself is good or bad meets a test when someone other than the original artist – in this case, The Waitresses – performs it.

So here’s Kylie Minogue to test whether you like or hate the song or the recording.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 7

“CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEVIL” – 18 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS 

“The elves are dressed in leather and the angels are in chains.”

That doesn’t seem like the first line of a holiday classic.

But, for fans of Spinal Tap, it wouldn’t be the holiday season without “Christmas with the Devil,” the special record the band made a year or so after the mockumentary that made it famous.

The song expertly combines both holiday sounds (sleigh bells) and the grating twang of heavy metal guitar. David St. Huggins, Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls and a soon-to-be deceased drummer give this song an earnestness that underscores its, um, message.

Here’s a live recording of it:

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 6

“THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ” – 19 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS 

This is one of those old-timey holiday songs. The first people I think of when I hear this are Frank Sinatra and Robert Goulet – when was the last time you heard a new waltz?

In fact, the song was written specifically for Sinatra. He wanted a signature Christmas song similar to rival Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” As it seems usual, the song was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne on a hot summer day in Los Angeles.

It did not get the traction that “White Christmas” did. But I think it’s a better song and I know it’s one of my youngest brother’s favorites. When it plays, it evokes memories of my parents and Christmas Eve.

In three-quarter time.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 5

“CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE” – 20 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Charlie Brown could have saved a lot of time and (good) grief if, when asking Linus why he was in a funk about Christmas, he just listened to the song playing in the background.

Few songs capture what the holiday means to so many people as this one, another classic from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It’s a piece that sounds best on piano – or at least I think so.

As sweet as the lyrics are, I always prefer hearing this on solo piano. Here’s the composer, Vince Guaraldi:

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 4

“THE CHRISTMAS SONG (CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE)” – 21 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

A former colleague used to say that there was no reason for anyone else to perform “The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole’s version was so perfect that other musicians would be foolish to try.

As I’ve gotten more into music composition and arrangement, I realize why this thought isn’t quite right. For one thing, if the song is good, you might want it to be part of your songbook.

For another, you might come up with something that no one has ever heard before.

Even Cole covered the song – three times. He first recorded it in 1946 – without the lush string arrangement that’s a hallmark of the recording. The version you likely listen to is the fourth one, made in 1961.

The song’s co-composer, Mel Tormé. covered it as well – he and his friend Bob Wells wrote it in July 1945 as a cooling thought on a hot Los Angeles day, but he gave it to Cole. It was about a decade later that Tormé thought to do it himself.

The version I’ve linked to is by Jacob Collier, born nearly 50 years after the song was written. I saw him in person this year and was amazed by his love of harmony. Hope you can enjoy this as much as any of the other umpteen versions of this wonderful song.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 3

“CHRISTMAS ORATORIO – SINFONIA” – 22 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, my second favorite classical work of the season, marks 290 years of performance in 2024.

My favorite section is the opening of Part II, which commemorates the announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. It’s the Sinfonia, which is not sung, unlike many of the other parts.

For some reason, the oboe and flute solos in this section evoke a civilized, traditional Christmas. This version, played by the Luther College Symphony Orchestra from Decorah, Iowa, is fairly faithful to the piece.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – DEC. 1

“CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS” – 24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

My theory is that the appeal of “Christmas in Hollis” is hearing the singer’s mother’s facility with a carb-laden Christmas dinner.

It’s also that it’s fun. 

The song became popular as part of the first “A Very Special Christmas” albums, a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. That album also gave the world Whitney Houston’s rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” among others.

“Christmas in Hollis” has become an unlikely holiday classic, beloved by people who have absolutely no use for anything else involving rap. Its message is a simple one – it’s Christmas time and they’ve got the spirit. Spreading it is Run-DMC’s gift to us.

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HOLIDAY SONG COUNTDOWN – NOV. 29

“CHRISTMAS COMETH CAROLING” – 26 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

I listen to a lot of holiday music – even in the “offseason,” looking for unusual, interesting stuff.

And, even though there are still some who believe I should wait until Sunday (December 1), I’m going to start this year’s holiday song countdown today, the day after Thanksgiving.

The first song is “Christmas Cometh Caroling,” the first of the 15 Christmas songs written by Alfred Burt, a brass player from Michigan who worked with various orchestras.

His father, a minister, had a tradition of writing a holiday song for his church’s annual Christmas card. In 1942, after Burt graduated from the University of Michigan, his father asked him to write the music for the songs.

Burt did that until his death, at age 33, of lung cancer.

“Christmas Cometh Caroling” is one of my favorites – given Burt’s affinity for chord changes, one of the least complicated to try to play. Here is a version recorded by Kenny Loggins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUKCzezNBxA

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