Category: folk

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.)

X-claim: god damn

A brief detour to the dark side…

Hungry Jack takes its metal time traipsing through the complaints and sarcastic HoHoHos, but eventually we get to “God Damn It’s Christmas.”

Never speaking the title, George Lewis Todd nevertheless makes anger more cogent with his quietly folk pop “God Damn It’s Christmas.” I always fall for the troubadour balladeering.

X-claim: hooray (pt. 2)

Hurray for the holly and the ivy. Cue the music.

Hidee ho and a diggidee doo seems to stand in for Hooray in “Hooray Hooray It’s a Holiday” from the so-called Mistletoe Singers. This kidsong smacks of Aussie-ness, but it’s fervent. Kids like that. Apologies to Boney M. who started this so-called song.

Then Mishelle Bradford-Jones twists it up with “Hooray Christmas Holiday” in which the poppy kidsong celebrates the school break. Hey! Hey!

What the hell might be the chorus for “Hooray for Christmas” from the Red Army Choir. Of the recordings I’ve uncovered, 3.5 minutes seems to be silence (encoded???).

Philip Gallen takes his rockin’ time developing “Hurray! For Christmas Day!” an earnest progressive piece of emotionality.

Derek Griffiths, Carole Boyd, Denise Bryer, Nigel Lambert, Steven Pacey, Claire Hamill, and Tom Newman are all credited for bringing “Hurray for Christmas” to life. The finale to the third Christmas Story Teller book from The Little Storyteller series it goes on and on in a rousing fashion.

The Irish Rovers raise the rafters (and their voices) with the antic “Hurray for Christmas Day.” Celtic reel. Woo hee.

X-claim: hey (pt. 1)

One of our older interjections is the simple hey. Which means it no longer represents mere attention getting, but can be greeting, challenge, orgasmic outcry, or–whatever. The trough of novelty songs that hey Xmas will take us a week, kay?

Kids need more interjections to get their attention, so let’s start with swishy kidsong. John Oates (is it Daryl’s ex???) monotones “Hey! Happy Christmas to Ya!” in appropriately singsong playfulness. Yawn.

Seia Yano does the pre-teen bedroom band routine with “Hey! It’s Christmas.” Nasal, youthful, but uninhibited talent shines through with superior piano pop.

The Go Go Cult beat the drum slowly to punctuate “Hey Hey It’s Christmas.” This drug-dreamy doozy of alt-garage should alter your attention toward the holidays (not sure which ones).

Jody Whitesides slow it down even more with “Hey Today is Christmas Day.” This pokey folk pop love ballad declares kindly, but with commanding assurance. Do not deny it.

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A returning subject is the humor of low places. Let’s mock the slovenly, quick before they eat us.

Sean Cole (The Outlaw) attempts class with tinkly piano intro, then launches into rough rap as in “Another Broke Christmas.” Perhaps you should sing along.

Wendell Ferguson’s “Another White Trash Christmas” attempts dignity with a pretty folk ballad-y tune. Contrast that with ‘Spam,’ ‘swilling’ beer, and ‘her mustache’–comedy! Austin Church does this with more country. Lonnie Flemmer seems to have originated it.

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The idea of Christmas happening again, then again, repeating annually until the end of attention span fills us with hope and dread. So the next month of songs will just keep flipping out more of these echoic treats until we’re the merriest we can be. Ready? Who cares!

Amanda Jensen slowly, lowly misses you. Jazzy sweet pop outlines how it’s just “Another Christmas” without you.

Antithetically, The Forever Lasting hard rock their punk pissiness in “Another Christmas Song.” No hope for you! Next in line!

Stressing fuh real, Arrae stoops and soars with the electro-rap “Another Christmas Song.” It’s up-beat, it’s down-beat, it’s beat.

Give me a whispery troubadour any day. Frank Moyo gets WAY specific about love and politics with his commentation “Another Christmas.” Folk pop with a grudge.

Carol Told by an Idiot, 8

Sometimes, the entangling time loop is what it is. Prison.

Attempting a slow burn, Mariah Carey pitches the concept that “Christmas Time is in the Air Again.” It soars after dragging and struggling through murky lines of uncertain yearning, but it’s off-putting by half.

Johan Norberg lightly slights the holiday season in “Oh No, It’s Christmas Again.” Sprightly jazz (trumpet solo!) lightens the moodiness.

Jimi ‘the human’ Hocking takes Aussie issue with the comfort and joy in “Christmas Again.” Simple folk rock that punches hard.

Ryan Garrett hopes next year is better in “Merry Christmas Again.” He’s rocking but not too loud. And you need to get clean. Make a STARZ series about it already.

Matt Roach mourns the loss of friends when Xmas ends but then it’s “Christmas Again.” Followed by that recurring loss of friends. Chugalug folk rock.

Carol Told by an Idiot, 7

Sometimes we just notice on the calendar that Christmas is happening. Again. All matter of fact and what’s the big deal anyway.

Bethany Jung might be stalking you in “Christmas Again.” Percussive slow pop that keeps time to the year. That is that, as the kids say.

Tom Petty as well merely states that we are subject to “Christmas All Over Again.” A bit more perky, but he doesn’t really want to kiss those distant relatives.

D.D. and The Flakes seem to leave it more than take it with their Britfolk downer “Here It is, Christmas Again.” Some jollies, mostly melancholies.

Brian Hyland from 1967 troubadours “It’s Christmas Time Once Again.” But he’s a bit condescending about the finance companies and icy roads and carols. Social commentary rings out that time of year, heed the folk of it.