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Ten year-old Gayla Peevey’s 1953 recording of “I want A Hippopotamus for Christmas” is arguably the most annoying tune that inevitably hits the airwaves each holiday season. Peevey doesn’t exactly have a sweet sounding voice and the trumpets, who-horns, or whatever you want to call those noisemakers blaring non-stop throughout the song certainly don’t help its cause either ... read more |
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Originally conceived as an anti-Vietnam rallying cry, “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” has become a yearly staple for holiday radio stations each December. It features John sarcastically lambasting listeners about another year going by without anything being done while the Harlem Children’s Choir croons ‘War Is Over’ in the background. It’s really a brilliant piece of protest music, but few are clever enough to pick up on its scathing double meaning ... read more |
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There are a lot of things I dislike about the holiday season, the chief of which is the annual Christmas carol takeover of my local oldies radio station. When I want to hear the Turtles, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra synth-tastically serenades me. When I'm jonesing for Smokey Robinson, I get the cheesy Michael Bublé instead. ... read more |
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The only thing more adorable than the movie itself is the soundtrack of course, which I proudly own and will play during say, a heat wave in the middle of June (though I forsake cuddling up to a warm blanket in my sweats with hot cocoa.) ... read more |
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I have a vivid memory of being seven years old and sitting around the Christmas tree a few days before the day. My father was taunting me about the high probability of receiving coal, while my mother scolded him with her eyes. “Santa Clause Is Coming To Town” was playing over the speakers, and my still-developing brain was in shock–not because I was worried about getting black lung from Santa but because my mom had apparently kicked Amy Grant to the curb ... read more |
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Cyndi Lauper is my favorite female solo artist of all time. Go ahead and snicker if you want. It’s true. She possesses everything I look for in chick pop stars: an octave-bending set of vocal cords, a completely unique sense of fashion, and a body I’d do dirty things to. She also wrote an entire track dedicated to female masturbation and frequently performs at charity events benefitting the victims of hate crimes. Could it really get any better? Yes ... read more |
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If “You’re So Vain” is a vicious indictment, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is the most insulting diatribe ever written. It’s chock-full of angry similes and descriptive metaphors. “Your heart is full of unwashed socks.” “You have termites in your smile.” Good God. If the Grinch was a real person, I’m pretty confident he’d never get laid. Then again, women do love a badass rebel ... read more |
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Like a criminal profiler for the F.B.I., our own Karl Spork has spent the last week attempting to infiltrate the dark recesses of the anti-hero protagonist’s mind. Its taken him to the dark edges of Christmasy abyss, but he’s finally completed his in-depth character study. Here is “Last Christmas” as seen through the internal monologue of the narrator ... read more |
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Clocking in at just over two minutes, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is a whimsical tale of holiday lore. The tune tells the story of a December get together with mistletoe, pumpkin pie, and even some caroling. While never directly stated, there’s definitely also some spiked eggnog going around with all the Christmas cheer at this party hop. Dancing in a new old-fashioned way? Try and tell me that’s possible sober. It’s not ... read more |
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Written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.—a.k.a. David Seville—in 1958, the Chipmunk Song is probably one of the most popular contemporary Christmas tunes. Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian (in the form of a chipmunk voice), the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks. It’s not often a fictional singing group gets recognition for their vocal performance, let alone a fictional group consisting of three chipmunks ... read more |
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Written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells, “The Christmas Song” has become one of the best recognized… well, Christmas song. According to Tormé , the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool,” one of the most-performed Christmas songs was born ... read more |
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Here at Music Blend, we’re going to celebrate the snowy season with a countdown of our favorite holiday-themed songs because let’s face it: there’s a hell of a lot of tunes Jesus would rather shake his saintly ass to than “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Even thinking about that wretched jingle makes me want to purchase books on witchcraft and engage in Pagan rituals. So, without further ado ... read more |
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