Category: folk

Christmas Countdown: 10,000

“When U C Me” from K-Drama culture rap-ferences Christ and his Xmas with the wish list of ten thousand souls he’s putting on his hit list. City life is tough.

Ten thousand miles apart was the cruelest winter in Heaven, according to Gareth Moulton’s “Cloud Cover (The Boys).” Poetic misery by means of unplugged light rock.

A fascination with the “Fairy Lights” makes _Patrickconnor smile. Folk psychedelia touches upon ten thousand smiles on Christmas Eve, otherwise–huh?

“Christmas Eve” by Nickel Creek is a sad alt-rock breakup song for Xmas. He’s got ten thousand words to say–and hope–but they don’t help.

The Caroleers bring down the countdown with the observation of “Ten Thousand Santa Clauses (But Not One Gift for Me).” Kidsong with a caution: careful what you grasp for.

Hey Kye is eco-shocked to see so many Christmas trees mown down after procuring their own up high like “The Mountain Goats.” Folk guilt-inducement.

Christmas Countdown: 1,000,000s

Greater than one million.

Eli Caravajal has a crisis of faith with “Can’t Believe,” a folk sojourn about a breakup. But after millions and millions of sickening Christmas movies, only connects to drug references. A Covid-19 colored anti-romance.

“The Most Wonderful Day of the Year” connects millions of girls and boys to toys via ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.’

The million dollar houses prolly cost more than one million, as seen in the distance during “Jullåten 2004” by Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. Wild guitar rocking soft pop.

Caroline Chan revs up the agenda for the wee ones with “Millions of Trees.” A deforestation folk bummer. (‘Tho it begins a solution dialogue….)

Felice Avian: determination

The magic of Xmas reindeer flight is a matter of faith. You believe in it. (Or not, but who needs that? That was yesterday.)

Cosy Sheridan has some light folk rock proselytization “The Night the Reindeer Fly.” Those aeronauts are matter of fact background for the amazing night of holiday celebration.

Sharon Gudereit teases the imagination of you old realists in “Where the Reindeer Fly,” a new age symphonic examination of childlike conviction. A bit ponderous for a flight of fancy, but pretty pipes.

Domain and Rangifer: rest in oven

Whaddya do with a dead reindeer? (Many of our blogged songs have covered this territory afore, we’ll focus on some new juicy cuts.)

Other reindeer don’t seem to take it well when Santa snacks on “Rundown Reindeer.” Mark Cummings infuses his band number with some fiery honky tonk piano.

Justifiable hoof-icide from Arthur Kill and The Pollutants, “All of Santa’s Reindeer” is a jolly pop punk salute to disappointment. It didn’t solve the problem, just made them feel angry.

Well, let’s eat (more sugar!)–

Chuck Picklesimer returns as is right with “Reindeer for Breakfast on Christmas.” Traveling weird country music.

Gregorian chanting from The Withers wonders “Flank, Hock, or Hoof“? Pass the salt.

Back Pocket take some roadside Blitzen for their roast beast feast in “Reindeer & Gravy.” They were driven to it! Boisterous folk rock fun.

Domain and Rangifer: bad

How bad can those wily rascals pulling Santa’s sled get?

The Sh​*​t​-​Faced Santa Claus Band American-rock out “One Of The Reindeer Blew A Hoof Out” as an elegy to bad luck. No evil intentions, yet.

Eddie Floriano croons the charming children’s psychedelic “The Lost Reindeer.” Seems Otto’s best friend needs help… or something. What?! The song harms me!

Don McKinnon’s “Reindeers on the Rooftop” is the sassy old fashioned country kidsong that dares to wonder what happens when the beasts get into the root beer–! Tomfoolery! I do declare!

The Yev take “Reindeer” to take for being so standoffish and not noisy like they want them to be. Grrr.

Big Werl tricks me into mentioned the Elmo and Patsy novelty Christmas classic that bores to to rendition… “The Story of the Reindeer that Killed Grandma” is a folk legend worthy of Guthrie. The criminal is psychoanalyzed, and it seems the hard life doesn’t agree with this unnamed con. –Or does it?

Ringers: Babes

Redrick, and the Rick-Rack Reindeer; The North Pole Report is some concept holiday journey (we’ll visit Redrick later). Not sure who, when, or why, but it’s much better than most kidsong twaddle. For now we’ll visit the folky pop “Babes the Baby Reindeer.” Paul Bunyan’s Babe may be a close relative, ‘cuz this li’l ol’ thing does turn blue on occasion. But he’s so cute and tiny!

The Rude Off: immodest

A 1939 Montgomery Wards holiday booklet retold the ugly duckling story one more time, with a weird-o ousted hoofer having the one mutation to save the day. Whether handicapped, non-white, non-binary children took ‘Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ to heart way back then–the songs and shows co-opted this outlier concept so all mainstreamers can see themselves as special. Hooray.

If you began listening to every cover of the Johnny Marks song (over 420 on Secondhandsongs.com–so i figure over a thousand, easy) you might be done by Christmas. So, don’t do that. And IDONOTCARE if it was sung better by Burl or Gene or Ella or Dean….

However, some songs reference Rudy in novel ways–including several we’ve sampled on the blog before.

One of my favorite parodies is Jars of Clay’s Nirvana’s “Smells Like Rudolph.” Swell smell!

Also prized parody, “Here Comes Rudolph” is The ’60s Invasion’s Rolling Stones’ take on the 1967 stop-motion special.

NOT a parody of The Crystals nor Chuck Berry, “Da Doo Run Run Rudolph” is a gentle folk rock froth from The Not Fur Longs. Love song stickiness. (Title’s just a hook, no actual Rudolph here, for those who care.)