Jim Beloff is the entrepreneur of Flea Market Music a movement to put a ukulele in every pot by Christmas. His own music, in the case of “When You’re Born on Christmas Day,” is a smash-up of folk, blues, pop, and something that always feels Hawaiian to me. Nice noodling on the little box, but also nice imagining about the other holiday-birthday coincidences. Just celebrate, mate!
Category: folk
Xmas Tech Support: skype
This Dick Tracy telecommunications video chat popped up early ’00s, but picked up an audience by 2010. Millions do it.
Joe Bello wants to know “Why Don’t We Skype for Christmas?” Grandpa folk on the uke doesn’t sound like trying to hard or weird aged cool, but an earnest plea to connect with you, loved one. Yodeling.
Xmas Tech Support: Google
The nights are long, the computer is bright. What will you look up to pass the time around Xmas?
“The Ballad of Michael Caine” is barely a Christmas song, but it’s on a lovely Christmas album from Tony Thaxton. And it’s what we all do, but now it’s to pop folk.
Xmas Tech Support: computers
Computing devices have been around since the Bible (when was that?!), but the electro-version that has become our beneficent overlord kicks out in the 1930s (thanks, WWII). Most every bit of tech we will concern ourselves with in our little timeline hereafter is some weird descendant of this mechanical thinking apparatus. So let’s sing!
Brian Gari admits “I Want a Computer for Christmas” with retro shu-bop rock naming all the components, cuz it’s funnier that way.
Joe Algeri has a precious folk/pop ode to “Computer Xmas.” I dig the dial-up intro, psychedelic outro, and can’t-turn-off-the-drum-machine interlude. Dynamite stuff.
Xmas Tech Support: television
Where would Christmas be without television? In the home, individual, special. Instead, we have the homogenized milky white dreams that all see when we close our eyes. Ahh, America.
Oh, i’ve supplied you with Xmas on TV type songs before. There’s always a couple more….
The Skootles point out (with alt-jingle bell) that “Christmas on TV” is not the same as reality. It’s rather soothing, think i’ll just turn my mind off for a minute–
Justin Lacy serenades us in that’s-not-quite-english folk with a hope for better. He wants a “Christmas on TV” then it’ll all be better. Then he woke up.
Xmas Tech Support: technicolor
The Twentieth Century begins with tweaking and developing the great inventions of the last century. Hence we jump ahead a few years. Adding color to motion pictures begins in the 1910s, but Technicolor (as a trademark) takes another decade.
Tommy & The Greyhounds are actually emphasizing something culturally significant in “It’s a Technicolor Christmas When You’re Jewish.” See, the cinemas are more empty on the 25th of December and some (chosen) people get them all to themselves. Ragtime folk fun.
Xmas Tech Support: radio
Wireless is magic! Like Santa! Radio connections are made well before 1900, so maybe the songs here might sound a wee bit old fashioned.
Pop music sounds way been-there done-that to me. Olivia Newton John loves “Christmas on the Radio.” She’ll even throw in a doowop or two. But it’s modulated mainstream.
Finding Favour instills more funky soul (and God) into the bluegrassy folk of their “Christmas on the Radio.” It’s third degree nostalgia.
WAR! what does Fox say?
If The ‘War on Christmas’ began on Fox News, what songs can we find about the talent therein?
Back in July ’16 we went white with Megyn Kelly’s proclamation that ‘Santa is just white, kids’ and the fun novelty song reactions. Thus were The Kinsey Sicks, Lauren Mayer, and Tom Latourette shrill, ill, and lounge. Still fun today.
Roy Zimmerman special delivers with “Bill O’Reilly’s Christmas” Special: Merry Christmas: Shut Up! A lovely folksy showtune to put us in a mood.
WAR! an introduction….
Although the religious gravitas on Christmas took hits from the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany last Century, certainly capitalism has diminished the faith-basing in honor of the cash-generating. Yet, Peter Brimelaw and Bill O’Reilly have cranked up a rallying cry on ‘The War on Christmas’ for a dozen years or more, evidencing the public schools and other small gov’t civic institutions secularizing public December observations after being called to task in the ’90s over the whitewashing of America, which is not only WASP but full of lots of all kinds of peoples non-aboriginal. If you say the code words Merry Christmas you can disguise many sweatshop/uncharitable evils from those with privilege panic. But if you intone Happy Holiday as an inclusive, welcoming allowance (even in an Irving Berlin way), you have once again killed the King of the Jews.
Sounds like we’re taking sides, but it’s ALL about Christmas, so it’s all included this month. Angry us vs. them bashing, ironic jollity, ambiguity, and celebration–any song that circles the controversy will be allowed to wage war from any angle. A few may be good. Let’s see….
Honestly too few songs make the fuss about how we should be less Christian for this party. I certainly played my share couple months ago when we celebrated Festivus, Kwanzaa, and Solstice Night.
Kari Maaren has a bit of fun with C.S. Lewis’s Narnia lore in her folksy “I Won’t Say Merry Christmas to You.” This White Witch monologue to music seems to be part of some Off-Off-Off-Broadway attempt. Smart, and with Turkish delight.
Kara Square also relies on the ukulele with her atheist’s appeal: “Please Don’t Wish Me a Merry Christmas.” Her sensitivity comes with instructions. Everyone get along, now!
Dependent Claus: final solution
Can Mrs. Claus really leave Santa? She’s too famous to get away. She’ll always be tarred with that epithet. Perhaps there’s another way to start over.
“Santa Claus is Dead” is a bit extreme, but the chuckley folk of Jeremy Secrest makes risible of what a dame who’s had enough is to do. Take it with a grain of mistletoe.