Year-round Yuletide oddities
Check that return address, wouldja?
Pat Boone pokes fuddy-duddy fun at the cold with his “California Christmas Card.” It’s like Parkinsons and schmaltz had a grandbaby!
Diedre Jenkins gets bluesy country in a lower register for her “Missouri Christmas Card.” This time the sentiment’s serioius (‘tho i wish she didn’t pronounce it ‘misery’).
Straw gets us out of this world with “Christmas Card from Vietnam.” Light blues mashed up with someone zipping up a coat, i think.
What’s a holiday season without regret? Let those blues come out to play!
Jimmy Reed from 1971 adds some funk to the blues and gets mushmouthed for “Christmas Present Blues.” He’s upset about you, baby. Show some ‘preciation, honey.
In the 1920s rap sounded different. The Rev. A.W. Nix represents how “Death May be Your Christmas Present.” I mention it, ‘cuz it’s on quite the original blues collection album.
Screwing with the genre, Wheels Fargo & The Nightengale get Cajun honkytonk swing for their “Christmas Present Blues.” Infidelity!
How’d those Christmas presents become yours? Santa, take a bow!
Walter Schumann and Jester Hairston credit Santa (briefly) while extolling those wonderful “Christmas Gifts.” A repost, but so worth the gospel jubilation.
Pamela Hines cruises the octaves for her “Gift of Giving.” Santa is nearly as amazing as her jazz vocals.
Mostly we LOVE Santa for all that he does. The Flashcats rock in the poppiest way with “I Wanna be Santa’s Present.” She wants to ride on his big sleigh–snicker! Wait, she marries him!?
Noelle Bangert salutes the season with an uptempo pop blues number, “Leave a Present for Me.” She’s bending over backwards for Santa. Fun song.
How bad does Christmas shopping credit card debt become?
Austin Lounge Lizards have an instructional doom-tune for you: “Credit Card Xmas.” Fun country rock that teaches you like a club to the head.
Morose folk from Rich Cashman. The sorrowfulness of “Credit Card Christmas” makes you want to be under the tree.
Asa and Christy Lennon busted up their car running over deer and with sudden new bills suffer a “Credit Card Christmas” this year. Their country pop makes the best of it. But you know this is a difficult time.
Tony Coleman sings gorgeous blues for his “Credit Card Christmas.” The man is hurting from his lack of financial foresight.
pee ess, the 1000th posting! yay!
Has the spending and crowding and futility of it all got you down, bucko? Time to wail the blues.
Along the Road make the blues pretty with “Christmas Shopping Mall Blues.” Shiny big band finishing, melodic, yeah even a bit whiney. Next.
Fat, Happy and Blue jazz up the blues to the level of gin bar with “Christmas Shopping Blues.” Still flashy, sexy, and stand-uppity. What else?
Raw, ragged, and joyously hopeless, The Christmas Jug Band gallop around “X-Mas Shopping Blues.” Roaring fun. (Still wish i had some Memphis growlin’.)
I keep looking at that Christmas tree, and i keep thinking… she’s gone.
King’s to open. Elvis has no feeling of home without her. “Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees” are just dead stuff in a room. Boo hoo.
Chelsea Reed seems to be holding on through the whole thing, but her tone is torch song. “Last Year’s Christmas Tree” is a symbol for dried out trash. She claims that’s not her and you, but i find myself getting sobby.
More obfuscation from Judd Grossman, which does make for a pretty alt-grass song: “Christmas Tree” is about the brevity of love and the harshness of its mortality. Dance! Cry! Get over it!
“Christmas Tree” from Tiasa Ray is crooning, crying folk (raga?) about missing him like crazy.
The Temptations set the standard with “My Christmas Tree,” a soulful R+B flier about how she’s gone away and he’s lonely and what he wants for Christmas. The Supremes flip the gender.
Where oh where is she? “Christmas Tree” is here, but she’s not. Is she looking at her tree just like I am mine?! Slow country slop from Dave Jackson.
You’re not there “Upon My Christmas Tree” blubbers Stan with syncopated R+B. A retro 1970s spoken plea narrates the pathos near the end.
Alt soul from Sistiana’s “Christmas Tree” all about what she’s waiting for. Well, there’s Christmas, and you, and i suppose the tree.
Kolya Puga wonders where she is, but jazzes his pop vocals about that “Christmas Tree” as if it’s a trigger for his high flown wretchedness.
They’re so lonely around this time of year! Santa might visit, but he could bring a certain someone… couldn’t he? “Christmas Tree Blues” from Charley Jordan and Verdi Lee make their pain known in authentic 1935 blues. Painful (and maybe a bit naughty).
Trysts happen when Christmas trees set the mood. But –where?!
Only a million kisses are what Chris Thompson needs R+B style for “Under Our Christmas Tree.” And your heart, too.
Better rockabilly, if a touch much distortion, from Woodsy Pride finding what you want “Beneath the Christmas Tree.” Bring your little sleigh bells over here and you’ll get sumfin.
Billy Fairfield rolls the Louisiana blues all over you “Kissin’ and Huggin’ (Underneath the Christmas Tree).” He digs your lips, baby.
Kelly Clarkson is going to hold you “Underneath the Christmas Tree.” But she might pop you out of her arms, or your eardrums out of your head.
Conky pop from Iza who wants YOU “Under My Christmas Tree.” She wants you to be by her side… wait, where’s the tree in all this?
The Lilac Leaf has no place to rather be than “Under a Christmas Tree with You.” Orchestrated pop.
The Braxtons (incl. Michael) seem to rephrase hip hop to smooth jazz wanting her to be “Under My Christmas Tree.” Hunh, that’s so stodgy.
Take a breath. Bruce Bell-Myers sings about “Gifts (Underneath the Christmas Tree)” as a folk pro forma. But, as his wife is a recent cancer survivor, he only wants you. Harshed the buzz, but won the heart.
Bob Gulley serenades you to put/find love “Under the Christmas Tree.” That’s right, it’s from the 1991 TV movie ‘all i want for Christmas.’ Time flies when you’re listening to chimey pop with children choruses.
Don’t forget the Motown R+B! Curtis Turrentine Jr and Marvin Reed may get gifts for the unfortunate, but–for you, dear–“I’ll be Under the Tree Tonight.” No returns, baby.
Down and dirty folk from Dr. BLT finds “Love Underneath My Christmas Tree.” Chicka bowwow.
Sonny Landrth (feat. The DixieCups) swamp the blues with “Got to Get You Under My Tree.” Get the picture?
It took over a month to get the whole thing going. Now it’s time to celebrate the fronds out of it.
Perhaps the official song to kick off the official Christmas party with the official Christmas symbol is “Yah Dis Ist Ein Christmas Tree” from Mel Blanc a la 1953. He did it all in the studio in one take, gang. Unlike our friends in the video from a Catholic school who do have fun.
Smoove operator Clay Crosse gentles your jazz “When I See a Christmas Tree” because he feels the spirit of Christmas infuse his mellow self. Now he is complete.
French punksters Shut Up!Twist Again! may not be relaxing when they pump up the volume for “White Russians Under the Christmas Tree.” They are, however, working hard as hell to dull the horrors of living.
“Christmas Tree Wassail” is a short medieval rond for the Colorado Children’s Chorale to celebrate getting away with that tree.
I’m all over the party music from Ocobar. “Love from a Christmas Tree” is one of those oddities that doesn’t have much story/theme, but uses the tree as an excuse to ragtime the house. Woohoo!
We get so excited trimming the tree that we remember trim means something naughty….
Gentle jazz launches John Brown into the mood to “Decorate Your Christmas Tree.” With naughty lines like ‘make love to you’… you have to wonder what he wants with a tree.
Twiztid hollas to all the Juggalos and Juggalettes “Decorate Your Christmas Tree.” The tree here is female pubic hair. The decoration is the male sex act. You got it? BLUE BLUE and more BLUE
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings sing a song of soul. “Big Bulbs” is all about the party, baby.
Also ’50s, Jimmy Butler jelly rolls the blues with “Trim Your Tree.” Is this music as much fun a s sex? Someone tell Mojo Nixon who just drunkenfies this tune.
Let’s not leaf off the religion. We sing about trees because we need to get us closer to God.
Bing Crosby leads the congregation with “O Fir Tree Dark.” It’s a symphonic sermon to put us on the straight and sylvan. Not so much about Christmas, though. Double your Bing, double your troubadoring: “Is Christmas Only a Tree?” searches through the trees for more Xmas meaning. (I’m gonna say Mr. Crosby’s a hater of trees.)
“There’s a Christmas Tree in Heaven” may have been a minor hit for The Four Aces, mixing prayer with doowop. It may have originated with Eddy Howard and His Orchestra–they wah-wah out a nice little mixed beat to their big band rhythms. But they both came out the same year. Johnny Collins & The Caravans countrify the rock (with mocking horn–!?) to appeal to the youngset, but this time it’s a real country howler about Mommy and Daddy up there.
When Jane Irene Farley asks us “Let’s Dance Around the Christmas Tree” she is, in a stentorian (and off key) fashion, instructing us in all the Biblical connections. It’s a spelling lesson full of pop timpani, and whiff of Island sauciness.
Shortly and sweetly Al Jarreau sings a rond “By My Christmas Tree” which puts me a spiritual way, more than reminds me directly about only God can make a tree.
Marvelous Marvah asks for a whole Nativity scene and a “Golden Christmas Tree” to help with this holiest of nights. Parang time!
Rollicking disco electric blues from Inquisitor Betrayer claims that “The Christmas Tree Blues” are about the confusion between the secular spruce and the reason for the ball-hanging.