Category Archives: reggae

Does It Have to Be a Star?

When you say a word too many times (‘western, western, western, western….’) it finally loses its meaning and becomes just noise. Overthinking disconnects the sign with the semantic. So, what’s the deal with Christmas and… a star?

Watkins and The Rapiers pick over symbols as meaningless in a heartbroken world with “All the Stars at Christmas” a bluesy folk ballad of bitter disappointment. (If you wait, hope may be at the bottom of the box.)

Dr. BLT takes the “Star of Bethlehem” to task for symbolizing perhaps too many ideas. Let’s count all the connotations. I’m not sure he’s trying to be the best star he could be, but kudos to the smoky western ska.

WHAT ELSE? Chaka Kwan

There are enough black in the USA that it’s not all straight-up straight laced. Black culture includes Republicans, thugs, choirboys, and brain surgeons. So. Are there outlier Kwanzaa songs? How weird does it get?

Kev Choice tries cacaphonous rap with his “Kwanzaa Song.” Sounds like anyone who could pick up an instrument did. But it’s upfront.

Deuce the Emcee samples out trad R+B Xmas music to back his mad rap “Harambee It’s Kwanzaa.” Seizure inducing.

Pop tribal from Steve Cobb & Chavunduka, “It’s Kwanzaa Time” starts out sweetly, then comes the frogmouth (is that s’pose pass for Louis Armstrong?), then the motor-rap (Bobby McFerrin?). Cartoon values for the season. Drum solo for an anticlimactic finish.

Georgia Anne Muldrow gets experimental pop with layered vocals and bells, bells, bells in “The Kwanzaa Song.” (I wish creative oddness extended into title making.)

Experimental reggae from Luqmann Ruth, “Kwanzaa Song” is inspirational, recreational, and crazy weird.

Don We Now: Santa suit

Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of Xmas couture: the red suit. You know. You know.

Plank Road Publishing (i think) brings us “The Man in the Bright Red Suit,” hyperactive kidsong.

Centennial Elementary in WA state relays the cute kid parody of ‘Run Around Sue’: “The Jolly Man in a Big Red Suit.” Teen despair over heartache begone!

Takes a minute, but the Peter Pan Singers (here redubbed Peppermint Kandy Kids) noodle through their orchestral “The Man in the Red Suit.” You know who they mean (not a doctor… not a cowboy…).

Time for parody? The ’60s Invasion send up ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’ with “Santa in a Red Suit.” Good golly, Miss Frosty.

Who was that red-suited man? ask the shaken survivors. Tyler Bernhardt wonders about”A Man in a Red Suit” with funky jazz pop. Our only clue is that he came in through the fireplace.

You’re too young to know about the “Fat Man in a Red Suit,” according to Tesse with lovely psychedelic garage mood.

Skaramanga are much more mysterious with their “Man with the Red Suit.” He’ll solve your probs. But–who is he?! Carib-beat-pop.

Parodies’ Paradise: 2015 “Slumber Party”

Britney Spears’s second single from her ninth studio album featured brass, marimba, “syncopated synths”, percussion and a horn section… an ode to fornication and making sex tapes… appeared on the national charts in countries including Canada, Spain, Scotland and the United States, where it debuted and peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100… topped the Dance Club Songs chart after several weeks.

Derrick Barry (w/Nebraska Thunderfuck and Adam Ramzi) stars in Adrian Anchondo’s slavish tribute “Christmas Party.” It’s about office party shenanigans with sexy backup dancers in the elevator hall.

Parodies’ Paradise: 2012 “Locked Out of Heaven”

Bruno Mar’s first single off his second album charted inside the top ten in over twenty countries, including the United States… fourth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, holding the spot for six consecutive weeks… topping the Canadian Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks… certified six-tuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)… used at his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show set list… won several awards and received three Grammy nominations.

Brian Fitzy plays on the pain with his “Left Out at Christmas.”

Parodies’ Paradise: 2001 “Angel”

Shaggy heavily samples “Angel of the Morning,” using the melody, but with different words, for the sung refrain. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Is it too obvious for Biblical parodists to transform this into “Manger”? I didn’t think so. Clever clever Christians.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1994 “The Sign”

The Swedish Ace of Base’s international hit… reached number two in the United Kingdom… and six non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States… became the top song on Billboard’s 1994 Year End Chart… the No. 1 song of 1994 according to Billboard magazine’s year-end charts… ranked at number 60 on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs for the first 50 years of the Hot 100 chart… received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance By a Group or Duo at the 1995 Grammy Awards.

N. Fla. comedy sketch troupe Awkward Silence Jax fill the void of the necessary Christmas parody with a smidge of ability in their “Spend.” This is all about the epiphany of angry holiday shopping–it gets pushy.

Tripping Bells: Tetrahydrocannabinol

Our last offering, you may have noted, featured a jolly fella. Since Clement Clarke Moore happened to mention that Santa was a smoker, plenty have sung about what was in that bowl he was bogarting.

Neon has more international frivolity with “Santa was a Rasta.” This is slightly more psychedelic than Reggae, and the MJ references are neatly tucked around the corners. But, mmm–boy, it is fun.

For the full flavor of Rasta hold in “Rasta Santa” by Jah Small as long as your lungs can take it. The effects are immediate.

If you care to overdose, from about the same time as Jimmy Cliff was Harder Coming Jacob Miller and Ray I were losing themselves in “All I Want for Ismus.” Someone open a window.

Tripping Bells: Ganja

Does the THC make you think Rastafarian?

Wafande plays it Jamaica cool with “The Only Thing I Want for Christmas is Ganja.” Reggae can be a political force, or it can as here be laid back and give thanks–irie, mon.

Perhaps a bit more needy, Major Lazer wishes up ganja stalks for “Christmas Trees.” This Reggae has been cut with pop music.

Nellie McKay blends the Reggae with Dixieland, soul, and the blues to twist up “Weed (All I Want for Christmas).” It’s a sweet if slightly blue homage to the flammable fun of the holidays.

Sweet Christmas! mince pie 2

Some of the mince pie Christmas songs are a bit of all right, as the Anglos say.

Alan and Brian take up the bet of musicalizing the top of mince pies and trundle out “Mince Pies.” Light pop music, but clever just a hair, and musical more than it needs to be. Epic even. Cheers.

A sort of sequel “Mince Pies, Gas Mark III” features Brian and other churchgoers staccato-splaining the makings and shakings of pandowdy in question. this time we go beyond epic to mini-musical leading us from auntie’s ovens to the Nativity. Mercy!

Trevor Storey shows you what metal music, 64 bits, and a love of mince pie can do for songs in “Mince Pie.” Hang thy sock; bang thy head.

Best in show is the Blackpool reggae stylings of Wozza and “Mince Pies.” It’s a party is a pastie! (Warren Jackson’s video is sum fun as well.)