The best version of this Jose Feliciano song I ever heard isn’t recorded – unfortunately.
It was performed on December 24, 2010, at my family’s Christmas Eve celebration.
Every year, my father would give a toast as he celebrated the gathering of his family. That gathering meant so much to him – he and my mother viewed us as their greatest achievement, and Christmas Eve was the manifestation of that.
Instead of his usual toast, he began to sing “Feliz Navidad.” He made up words as he went along, mixing in Spanish, English and – because he was my father – Italian.
It was magical, if not particularly loyal to the original.
And, as I look back on it, it was a gift. He knew that he was beginning to disappear into the world of Alzheimer’s – and this little song was his way of saying goodbye to us. He would live another six difficult years, but this was his last real chance to tell us how much he loved us.
To me, the songs of this season are not mere words and music. They have a power to evoke memory and remind us of what’s great about life. When they do that, they make the friends and family we love immortal – at least as far as we’re concerned.
So Jose Feliciano’s version will suffice. I’m grateful to him for it – for inspiring my father to wish us a Buon Natale from the bottom of his heart.
There are bad silly Christmas songs that needn’t consume any of our time.
And then there’s “Fruitcake.”
It was recorded by the Superions in 2010, a good year for Christmas comedy. The group was a side project of B-52’s lead singer Fred Schneider, recording an entire album called “Destination…Christmas.”
“Fruitcake” was the most promoted track, released as a single in September and made available on iTunes when it used to give away those free songs at Starbucks.
As for the namesake item, I wouldn’t think this applies to a decent Italian panettone. I think it’s more about one of those things you get from mail order that breaks your teeth if you bite into it.
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.
“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.
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:
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.
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.”
This is a really pretty old English carol. But its sweetness belies its depressing message.
The song was part of a Christmas pageant performed in Coventry as far back as the late 16th century. This part, best known for its “Lullay, lullay” line, is meant to be a lullaby sung by mothers whose sons were ordered to be slaughtered by King Herod in his hunt for the baby Jesus.
This makes “Christmas with the Devil” seem like wholesome fun.
Annie Lennox recorded it for a holiday album in 2010. Here she is performing it at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting.
“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.
SUBJECTISM 