Year-round Yuletide oddities
Never a single, never a video, this Barenaked Ladies crowd pleaser has been included in several of their albums and ALL of their live shows. So no charting, but apparently this one has become a special memory for concert-goers worldwide.
Joel Kopischke does it again with “If I Had a Secret Santa.” Noel, Joel.
George Michael needed a hit after deserting Wham! and he got it. This signature number held the number one position on Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks… according to Billboard magazine, it was the number one single of the year in the United States in 1988.
Joel Kopischke (+ Kelli Cramer) (live) builds nicely with his “George Michael ‘Faith’ Christmas Parody.” A kinky title to say the least for a professional, but the fun of the comedy here is what the take off on the title leads to during this time of present wrapping strife.
Van Halen’s song about a car became their anthem…. #13 on the US Billboard Hot 100… #30 on the Irish Singles Chart… #64 UK Singles Chart.
ApologetiX weaves from Kringle to Christ with their “Santa Claus.” Poppin’ fresh.
From Murray Head’s Chess album came a single which topped the charts in many countries, including South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia… peaked at no. 3 in both Canada and the United States… no. 12 in Head’s native United Kingdom.
Look out public–here’s ApologetiX’s “One Night in Betlehem.”
The Police had their biggest US and UK hit with this… topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks… their only number-one hit on that chart… #1 UK Singles Chart for four weeks… also topped the Billboard Top Tracks chart for nine weeks… nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Record of the Year, winning in the first two categories… Sting received the 1983 British Academy’s Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically… Rolling Stone critics and readers voted it “Song of the Year”… in the US, it was the best-selling single of 1983 and fifth-best-selling single of the decade… Billboard ranked it as the number-one song for 1983… ranked number 84 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time… included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll… also ranked number 25 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.
The Mistletones play the music and make the funny with “Every Wish You Make,” but they don’t quite get the gravity of the song.
So let’s have Robert Lund unpack its mysticism with a paranoid screed about Santa watching “Every Toy You Break.”
Milwaukieans Violent Femmes’ album Violent Femmes became the band’s biggest-selling album and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA… themselves went on to become one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the 1980s, selling over 9 million albums by 2005. The original song here is one that helped make them famous, fight, and fall apart.
Joking ’round with it, jumpin’ Joel Kopischke needs a vacation from snow with “Christmas in the Sun.” Australia p’raps?
British heavy metal band Judas Priest released the inspiration here on their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance and made it a single later that year… May 2006, VH1 ranked it fifth on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs… became one of his signature songs, a staple of the band’s live performances… peaked at No. 66 in the UK Singles Chart and in the US it reached No. 4 on the Billboard rock chart.
The rock anthem is honored (mashed up with ‘Nat. Lamp’s Christmas Vacation’) via “You’ve Got Another String Comin'” courtesy of Les Gomez.
Foreigner’s song entered the U.S. pop charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, holding that spot for the entire month of September… hit #1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart also for four weeks… the most successful single from the 4 album on album-oriented rock radio… the album has since been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, for selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone… the song was Foreigner’s second-best-selling single… reached #1 in Canada… #20 in Sweden… in Australia #24… in the UK #54.
A nod to Jesus’ mama with ApologetiX’s “Virgin.” Mmm hmm.
This Queen hit was written and recorded in collaboration with the singer David Bowie… reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band’s second number-one hit in their home country… only peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but would re-chart for one week at No. 45 in the US following Bowie’s death in January 2016… also number 31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s… had been played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of Queen’s touring career in 1986.
Bad Santa and the Angry Elves party on top of this angsty anthem with “Christmas Pressure.” Clap along to, yuno, relieve some.
Tommy Tutone’s surprise hit peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart… #16 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart… mostly known for not being a 555 phone number (and causing nuisance for those with the number).
In a Christmas miracle, Tommy Tutone recorded his own holiday parody.