Dependent Claus: if that mockery won’t sing

You know you’ve made it when they parody you. Mrs. Claus has a couple song spoofs in her honor.

‘Greensleeves’ is sorta kinda Christmas, and it’s the lead-in for “Playing Mrs. Claus.” This showtune is about the out-of-work actress gig no one wants as portrayed by Natasha Barnes. If you’ve seen ‘A Christmas Story’ you know the tone.

Obvi, “Me and Mrs. Claus” the take on Billy Paul’s ‘Me and Mrs. Jones’ redoubles the hat mama-ness of that granny. I know this from Bob Rivers and have used it before. But Mmm did it a few years earlier than him.

Third Bass does an unrecognizable parang wild run at the whole thing.

‘Stacy’s Mom’ by Fountains of Wayne gets a loop de loop with Bob Ricci’s “Mrs. Claus.” This is a dead ringer for a ‘Weird’ Al bit, albeit deadpan adultery.

ReduXmas: Parodies’ Paradise

Man i love me some spot on hit song parodies that feature Christmas. So how could i have missed out on The Withers?! Time to rectify. (And sprinkle in a few other finds.)

1966: Buffalo Springfield releases ‘For What It’s Worth’ just before Christmas and it peaks on no. 7 of the Billboard charts, also becoming a big deal in the anti-Vietnam War movement. The Withers get hip with “What the Present’s Worth.”

1966: Hey, there are other parodiers! DeathTongue hits up the Johnny Rivers hit ‘Secret Agent Man’ from the TV deal with “Elf on the Shelf.” I spy with my little eye that that no.3 rocker is well served.</p>

1968: The Beatles rock softly with the Paul McCartney ‘Blackbird.’ The Withers play nice with their “Reindeer.”

1972: all-Rush mixtape has an adorable take on Bread’s ‘Guitar Man’ with an unapproachable “Santa Man.” The original hit number 11 on Billboard, but was no ‘Baby, I’ma Want You.’ And yet the parody is groovy gravy.

1974 Carl Douglas sold 11 million ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ singles and became one of the greatest one-hit wonders of all time. The Withers get kazoo crazy with “Christmas Lighting.”

1975: ‘Low Rider’ from War hit 7 on the Hot Singles chart, 1 on the R+B chart. Santa’s Elves fa la la it up with “Sleigh Rider.” Mr. Red’s got street cred.

1976: Blue Oyster Cult’s ‘(Don’t Fear) the Reaper’ barely broke the top ten, but had legs and was included in Rolling Stone‘s Top 500 Songs of all time. Dr. BLT’s “Don’t Fear the New Year” is not karaoke slavish to the original, it just putzes around having fun. (The Withers, natch, mock it up with “Don’t Feed the Reindeer.”)

1976: Starland Vocal Band adds to our slanglish with ‘Afternoon Delight.’ The Withers honor thy pop with “Christmas Delight.”

1978: Number 20 on Billboard’s Greatest Girl Groups Songs of all time, Sister Sledge takes ‘We Are Family’ to club levels. “We Got a Christmas Tree” by Santa’s Elves goes back to the musical roots.

2017: New contenders The Skorys take on mod pop tunes with Xmas twists. Love ’em, but they yet have room to grow. Portugal. The Man’s ‘Feel It Still’ charted strong and got swooped up for commercial and movie trailer backgrounds. Even better as the parody “Naughty List.”

2017: Selena Gomez’s ‘Wolves’ charted much better in Poland than here, but The Skorys have many funninesses with their parody “Christmas Time.”

1992: Better reviewed than bought, REM’s ‘Man on the Moon’ sparked the in-the-know party convo that alt snobs loved. The Withers get complicated with “Reindeer on the Moon.” C’mon, Rudolph.

Sick of Christmas: pyrexia

Not well around Christmas? Let me feel your forehead with a nog-crusted back of my hand! You’re hot! (Not in the good way.)

Charlelie Couture funks up the American rock with a pop “Christmas Fever.” You listen, you catch it.

Nicovia and Larix actually name “Christmas Fever” with their list of Kringley symptoms. Soul pop.

Rob Vallier goes a bit jazz-easy listening with his “Christmas Fever” about his lovey dovey.

Carneta Geiss and Anita Sablik are simply pop with their “Christmas Fever.” It’s on the radio, every TV show. Find a cure!

Paul and Richard Freitas sang the parody “Christmas Fever” back in 1957, but got made into a Timmy Christmas doll for a 1981 rerelease.


Sing a Song of Singing Songs: again?!

Mopping up the repetition, we reach the bottom of the barrel–dense, rich muck. These songs all bear a re-listen. (It’s what you do with Christmas music.)

Erin Oeschel parodies Lourdes with “Carols.” Snarky kid hates it all.

Youth groups of the three Amish-Mennonite sister churches in the Huchinson, KS area, Center, Cedar Crest, and Arlington gether in the form of four young men who parody ‘O Christmas Tree’ with “Oh Christmas Tree Parody.” It’s apostrophe, but funny, ‘cuz they’re SINGING to a TREE.

98.7 KLUV’s Jody Dean Singers knock me out with “Play that Christmas Music White Boy.” Parody supreme.

Presents of Mine: rewrap

Previously posted songs must be rementioned during this time of wrapping the presents.

Certainly the charmless Aquayemi-Claude Garnett Two Thousand Akinsanya’s “Wrapping Up Presents by the Christmas Tree” needed be repeated. But this party remix tries so much harder. Not sure anything got wrapped here….

Brilliant parodies from The Mistletones and an uncredited post by Leight Press mock M.C. Hammer with “Can’t Wrap This.” Now that’s funny.

Duncan G also retros the pop with a Devo spin on “Wrap It.” Har har har har.

First and second place, however, go to genius Joel Kopischke for “Hopeless Wrapper” (Mumford and Sons), and (drumroll, please) a parody of George Michaels that has to be heard to be believed.

Presents of Mine: poor parodies

Since we cry with a smile in our tragi-country, some flat out parodies of songs mock the paupers.

The obvious choice here is ‘I’ll be Home’ shortchanged into “I’ll be Broke for Christmas.” The best of these burdensome bits is from Robert Lund. Best here means well done, not good.

I do love the ‘Summertime’ takeoff from A Stone, “I’ll Be Broke for Christmas.” This is cool, fool, and you’ll rule the yule with just a molecule of this school.

Presents of Mine: shopping mockery.99

Previously on noveltychristmasmusic.com…

Chris Townsend demands we “Keep on Shopping in a Free World.” Take that, Neil Young!

Bob Rivers jokes on Purple Haze to give us “‘Scuse Me, I’ve Got Gifts to Buy.”

My favorite already posted shopping parody is genius Joel Kopischke’s “Shopping Mall of Broken Dreams.”

Can Christmas shopping be super cool? Check out Benny Grunch and the Bunch nasally laying out the blues with the relaxed acceptance of professionals. “I Bought Presents” includes a bottle, baby.

Presents of Mine: shopping mockery.01

Deja views–

Black Friday has been subsumed into the digital world and we can barely remember the frenzied line-standing anymore. Like who remembers Rebecca Black’s only hit from 2011? Ally Hills takes us back with “Black Friday.” Shopping as warfare.

Shop Around” means something different to The Mistletones than it does to The Miracles. Go go go!

Dan and son team Meet the Bullens trick up Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s hit to reach “Christmas Thrift Shop.” Goodwill to men.

Anthropomorphic Snow Sculpture: funny 5

Is a magical snowman a manifesttion of insanity?

The analogy of troubled waters is “Like a Snowman with Arthritis.” No snowmen are considered, only literary figures. Suffer along with Joe Soko’s folk lament (and his bird’s huge afro).

It probably didn’t happen. You just imagine it. You were drunk. “Man V. Snowman” is the country ballad of Marc Schaefgen snowball fighting an imaginary enemy. He loses.

Time to get down and get frosty. Plastic Snow imagines a whole band fronted by “Rock ‘n’ Rolling Snowman.” Rock, yes… but pretty pedestrian.

Alt rock worries Ratboy Jr. who can’t get rid of their “Never Melting Snowman.” Is there juicing? (Be advised of funny voices [incl. Bob Dylan bit].)

Me & The Snowman” may be another imaginary friend (with John Wilkes Boothe), but this pop jingle from Logan Whitehurst & The Junior Science Club rocks the family folk ’70s demographic.

Unfortunate humor from Rankin/Bass. Their 1979 ‘Jack Frost’ stop motion Xmas special didn’t recapture lightning in a bottle (again)–even with the intro song from Buddy Hackett.

I’m Your Baby (You’re a Snowman)” by Sequelcast parodies ‘Call Me Maybe’ and all other taste in the world by making the execrable Michael Keaton ‘Jack Frost’ horror/family/comedy into a musical. You’ll never be ready for this non-professional entry, so here goes

Shark Uppercut has an even better tale of the man into snow with “Alan Alda the Snowman.” This electronic soft pop even refers to itself as a novelty song. Love that meta!

Anthropomorphic Snow Sculpture: funny 4

Not all Xmas parodies hit the mark.

Norman Grey and Heidi Davis take on Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ with “Enter Snowman.” All the ingredients, but the cake didn’t rise.

Chris Everett has more fun if not more success with “Livin’ la Vida Snowman” for Seattle’s KUBE comedy Christmas song contest.

Unfortunate is what we call the Beach Boys take for Mariah Carey’s “Lil Snowman.” Shiboobee, indeed.

The talented Joel Koptische hits ’90s nascent rap slightly more funnily with his parodic “I’m Your Snowman, Baby.” Ice ice.