Category Archives: Gospel/hymnal

TreeMendous Holiday Fun: Cross Cutting

Tree is symbol. What else around Xmas is symbol?

Jimmy Dooley spells it out with electric gospel in “The Cross is My Christmas Tree.” Spoiler alert, dude! This is only his day of birth!

Now with more soul, Byron Hill croons “The Cross is My Christmas Tree.” Different song, same guiltifying.

“God’s First Christmas Tree” from Primitive Quartet also nails a lamb up there for decoration is harmony. Guys!! The season!!

The Greenes drape “The First Christmas Tree” with blood as well. Beautiful singing, fellas.

Barbara Mandrell sings “He Grew the Trees” meaning god provided the means to his own demise. So, not so much with Christmas, but more explanation for those who haven’t been following.

Dennis Jernigan’s “The Very First Christmas Tree” more gently hoists up man-as-God onto the branches for your celebration. Tinkly piano show tune.

TreeMendous Holiday fun: I’m a Little Tree Potted

Part of Christmas growing up is wishing you could be the tree, just for a day. Oh, it’s not?

Great kids’ songs border on the creepy. “I Wanna be a Christmas Tree” from Vince Vance & the Valiants pounds out the fun of being adored with breathy hoarseness. Muck Sticky make this worse.

Jeff Sorg’s rockin’ kid song “I’m a Christmas Tree” isn’t especially creepy, how he wants kids to dress him up. Serviceable.

Kids’ assembly number time: “I’m Gonna Be Santa’s Tree” has some rousing jazz and teasing lyrics, but it’s all about how good a tree can be (i think).

In a case of mistaken identity, Little Rita Faye claims “I Fell Out of a Christmas Tree” ’cause she was born on Xmas Day. She’s not really a tree after all. Early (underage) rockabilly.

What’s that tree want? To go home with you! “The Christmas Tree That Ran Away” was a classic from The Peter Pan Caroleers, but check out the gospel take from John Baumgardner & The Paper Doll Baptists. Epic.

Snow Way: hate it

Tired of all the snow? Starting to hate it? Want to go after it with the curling iron? Then listen….

G. Salvia says it outright: “I Hate the Friggin’ Snow!” Home grown rock strumming, ahuh. Fishing God Productions has a better version.

Bill Morgan goes so far as to say “I Hate Snow” but he means Christmas snow. Showtune with Russian influences.

John Mitchell opens the door to parodies. His ‘Let It Snow’ take off “I Hate Snow” delivers what his funny uncle mustache promises.

Lorelei Savaryn continues the parody parade with “I Hate Snow” as a ‘Let It Go’ parody. Slightly more wit, certainly a longer song. Howard Teschner, too.

The “No Snow Song” posted by ronniebus is parody of Ringo’s ‘No No Song’ but i still think it’s good. Listen.

skwank has posted a charming Brit punk screamer “I Hate Snow.” Mildly jolly profanity.

John Wayne Donovan gooses his inner Elvis for “I Hate Snow.” Leans into that guitar good.

Canadian teen Austin Thomas confides “I Really Hate Snow.” Northern bluegrass fun.

Steven Lyons gargles his country singing for “Santa, I Hate the Snow.” Be a man.

Wendy Jans strings along the country sound to a soulful “Don’t Let it Snow.” Some range.

Tampa Stan tries to be funny with “I Hate Snow.” Oompah rock.

Reacting to a messed up year (tragedy?) alexxx sings “I Hate Snow” and everything that goes with it. So there.

Parodies’ Paradise: 2016 “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”

Although from Adele’s 2015 album 25, the single was released in 2016… peaked at number five in the UK, number eight in the US and number 10 in Canada… the video received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

The girl sings so lovely everyone wants to imitate it. Can they make jokes in her range?

Aubrey Howell and friends add spirit to the humor with “Can’t It Wait ’til December?”

Parodies’ Paradise: 1996 “No Diggity”

Blackstreet’s hot hit reached number one on the BillboardHot 100… also in New Zealand… number nine in the United Kingdom… ended ‘Macarena”s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100… ranked at number 91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs… ranked at #32 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s… sold 1.6 million copies in 1996… won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals… nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.

The positivism lifted up Axiom to one of these rare Christmas parodies that preaches gospel rather than sasses secular. “So Christmassy” is classy and talented. Testify to the ‘eve.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1988 “The Man in the Mirror”

Michael Jackson peaked at number 1 in the United States with the fourth single from his seventh solo album, Bad (1987)…  nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards… topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 2 weeks… peaked at number 21 in the UK Singles Charts (in 2009, following the news of Jackson’s death, the song peaked at number 2)… became the number 1 single in iTunes downloads in the US and the UK (over 1.3 million digital copies).

The Mistletones worry about your celebrational culinary decisions around this time of the year with “Fat in the Mirror.” Quit eating out of the bottom of the barrel.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1973 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”

This Bob Dylan reinvention for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart… one of Dylan’s most popular post-1960s compositions… the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

Buzhard Dakota leans into the grace and soul of it with “Knockin’ on Santa’s Door.” More pretty than funny.

Off the Wagon for the High Holidays

That unhappy refractory period after Christmas drinking is a badge of honor for the young. Jack hurt me, they boast. I can’t function as a human being since I awoke, they quip.

John French Bray soft rocks his “Christmas Hangover” every year to new video making sfx, though he can’t quite figure the lip syncing–which makes me nauseated and headachy. It’s just another season, he seems to say. Routine.

Sounding like the ’60s Gentlemen Jesse and His Men also pledge their morning after pain to the Christ birth in “Christmas Hangover.” It was an honor to be over served.

Announcing that they have the inside of their mouths like an Arab’s underpants (as one might say), Arrogant Worms delivers us unto “Christmas Hangover,” a show tune worthy of church choir-ing. The scenario is horrifying, but the musification merry. It’s irony for the kids ‘cuz–see–they think hangovers are funny.

Drink N.B. Merry: cider

Not much lyricism over pressed old apples, hardly fermented by late December. We’ll settle over up with a bouncy, jazzy gospel piece from Carmela Estella Ross. Her “Apple Cider and Fruit Cake” is one of those token spreads to entice you to her hard driving sermon about Our Lord. You know like stale cookies and burnt coffee at AA meetings.

Jesus Christ! placement

Before we fade out on the Galilean, the Nazarene’s big day, let’s consider the nativity as a place in time. The setting is so much a part of the story, we’ll thumb through a couple Bethlehem songs.

There are so many in the hymn book….

Making a pop album out of world weary traditionals may tax an artist. So palm branches to Chicago for an original song “Bethlehem” that beat boxes the limited band instruments into a holy moly melee.

Third Day pokes the folk bear with strumming and humming throughout “Born in Bethlehem.” This monotonous metronome of music rocks just a wee bit.

But if you’re holding out for a foreign language travelogue, this Hungarian version of “Betlehem, Betlehem” haunts and daunts the human spirit. Eerie. [Although i prefer the studio version from the album Xmas Marks the Spot. Cool kick beat.]