Year-round Yuletide oddities
British rock band Queen slipped into rockabilly on their 1980 album The Game… the single peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1979… became the group’s first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks.
Joel Kopischke tries to make a list prioritizing his Xmas activities in “Crazy Little Christmas Time.” TV, ebay, family–you know the drill.
Also known as “Copacabana (At the Copa),” Barry Manilow’s familiar tune was released as the third and final single from his fifth studio album, Even Now… peaked at number 8 on the Billboard chart… peaked at number 22 in the United Kingdom in 1993 in a remixed version… is considered Manilow’s third-greatest hit… his first gold single for a song he recorded and released… the lyrics earned Manilow his first and only Grammy Award for Pop Male Vocalist in 1979.
Joel Kopischke plays it cool with “North Pole Cabana”–who gored who??
The Eagles’ the most famous recording by the band has a famously long guitar coda… voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist in 1998… awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year… topped the Hot 100 singles chart for one week in May 1977… the band’s fourth song to reach No. 1 on that chart… peaked at number 10 on the Easy Listening chart… Billboard ranked it number 19 on its 1977 Pop Singles year-end chart… three months after its first release, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),… 2009, the song was further certified Platinum (Digital Sales Award) by the RIAA for sales of one million digital downloads… has since sold over 3 million downloads.
“Hotel Can’t Afford Ya” by ApologetiX seems to be an excuse to hit that guitar solo. Fun.
Queen’s album News of the World yielded this cliche at sports events around the world as a stadium anthem hitting #1 in France, #9 in the Netherlands, and eventually #36 in US Billboard‘s Hot Digital Songs… Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004… it placed number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001… 2009 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame…. it has been covered, remixed, sampled, parodied, referenced and used by multiple recording artists, TV shows, films and other media worldwide.
The Mistletones get slyly hilarious with their down in the lot sales number “We Will Flock You.” Now that’s a hot one.
Styx’s progrock culminated in this tune which as a single charted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100… helped The Grand Illusion achieve multi-platinum sales in 1978.
Soaring to higher and higher notes The Mistletones go nearly a cappella with their “Come Fly Away” about Rudolf’s reindeer magic. Watch out for your dogs’ sensitive hearing.
The original was delivered on John Denver’s 1974 album Back Home Again… the live version on his 1975 album An Evening with John Denver–released as a single and went to No. 1 on both the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles and Billboard Hot 100 charts… topped both charts for one week each, first the country chart (on May 31), and the Hot 100 chart a week later… one of six songs released in 1975 that topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.
[digressive shout out to hardcore parodist and Italian guitar banger Il Magico Mitico Ale who churned out a couple dozen parodeus-es to–mostly Italian aria–songs in ’16. Many are unintelligible and forced, but his whimsical take on “Take Me Home, Country Roads” the ’71 Denver #2 hit stands out.]
Now make room for Jolly Joel Kopishke to show you a true Santa believer in “Thank God I’m a Santa Boy.”
Storyteller Harry Chapin’s enduring hit topped the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1974… his only No. 1 hit song… nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance… inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.
Saturated with symphonic folk ApologetiX nails it with “Christ in the Stable.” Appreciate me now, Dad?!
Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s anthem reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100… number 6 on the Cash Box Top 100… number 3 on the Canadian RPM charts… spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other BTO single.
Here comes the original singer Randy Bachman with his seasonal cash-in “Takin’ Care of Christmas.”
Led Zeppelin played with reggae in Houses of the Holy to mixed results. Their number (i guess you pronounce it ‘Jamaica’) hit #16 for US Cashbox… #15 for US Record World… and #20 US Billboard Hot 100.
Bob Rivers cleans it up for a sleigh ride in a “Sled Zeppelin.” Hold on, it sways.
Pink Floyd’s single became the band’s first hit in the United States… reached No. 10 in Cash Box magazine… No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100… noted for its unusual 7/4–4/4 time signature, and the tape loop of money-related sound effects.
Despite the obvious tie in to Xmas shopping, Mike Wallace makes a merry masterpiece with “Christmas Money.” He’s gifted.