Kids like to stare at fireplaces (don’t we all?) in order to see the wonders of physics, the source of hearth and home, and the magic of Christmas.
I don’t enjoy posting songs that i can’t credit, but this antique tale of Santa setting the house and himself on fire with an electric train set as sang by an adorable tike sells itself. Pete the Elf shared this number, i’ll refer to as “Flew Right Up the Chimbley.” Thanks, Pete. Now, who is this?
“There’s Someone in the Chimney” is more Plank Road Publishing from the prodigious Terese Jennings. This is elementary school assembly stuff, with a nice slice of humor (Land shark!).
“The Chimney Sweep X-Mas Song” from Daniel Abendstern is cockeyed enough to need subtitles. Neither is it joyous even for kidsong; working man’s seen it all, yaknow.
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians (feat. Kenny Gardner and the Lombardo Trio) take us to a 1951 kiddie wonderland of orchestration with “He’ll be Coming Down the Chimney.” A bit cha cha, a bit frightening.
Insistent backbeat informs the rock of the kidsong “Down My Chimney” from Alder H. Linden. Santa’s got some trouble and needs to show ID. Sporty as well as amusing. And it’s an encore.
Why a fire duct? Well, Clement Clarke Moore’s famous 1822 poem ‘An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas’ goes into some detail about Santa’s chimney travel and sooty clothes and this has informed our lore for almost 200 Xmases. That first Saint Nicholas from Turkey probably dropped coins down the flue back in the 300s as acts of Xian charity. The Christmas witch from Italy certainly did some smokehole commuting; in fact medieval, mischief-making myth-types came and went that way for some centuries–for good and for ill. All of which inspired Washington Irving, in his A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty by Diedrich Knickerbocker, to describe Santa dropping goodies down the fireplace chute (but making his way through there personally for the particularly good boys’n’girls) a decade or two BEFORE ‘Twas the Night Before.
Anyways–
Encore time! Joel Kopischke’s been gone too long from here so lets him back his his titular entry from his second great Xmas parody album “Ground Control to Santa Claus.” The spooky ending is the chimney part.
Let’s try something new. Nicholas Markos folk rocks “Chimney Sneak” to the tune of outing that jack-in-the-box joker. Catchy stuff.
Matt Farley is most welcome back to the blog as The Very Nice Interesting Singer Man with “The Chimney Song.” He’ll explain what chimneys are for if you’re still not sure. Jazzy with scat.
Santa’s not the only member of the Christmas cast to need love!
Again! One of my favorite unrequited ballads is from The Rocket Summer about a delivery helper elf who sees HER one year Xmas eve, then returns again and again for an “Elf Creep.” It doesn’t end well.
Squeaky Z amateurs “Little Elf Dude” about some love that MIGHT withstand bad folk ballideering. Watch out for that BLUE ALERT slip at the beginning.
John Gannon’s “Elf in Love” is a tidy showtune of not-quite-successful trusting for subordinates.
Jackie West (with Billy West) interrupts a wife-stealing “Santa Santa.” Knives are drawn, windows are violated, shotguns appear… the usual. Folk by way of Jamaica.
George Jones saw “Mom and Santa Claus” twisting that night. He had a look in his eye. Pop country from ’62, so it’s all innocent i’m sure.
At the bar Bill Mader’s old lady ran off with That Guy, so–in appropriate country fashion–he sings “Beer Humbug.” Catchy.
“Santa’s Misbehavin’” when faced with a scantily clad recipient in Kelly Nolf & Wyndi Harp’s country howler. … and Mrs. C found out!
Santa got caught smoochin’ around and got smacked a bit. “Santa’s Movin’ On” ‘cuz of it (and for other reasons) according to Homer and Jethro. Folksy country.
“Santa’s Got a Wish List” is classy R+B euphemism from J. Anthony Brown. It’s food oriented, so, you know.
Jimmie’s in the Basement gets stuck in a loop when “Santa Stole My Girlfriend.” Santa seems to respond to this folk country accusation, but expect no resolution.
Ryan Shields adds to the oeuvre with another “Santa Stole My Girlfriend.” And now SHE’s Mrs. Claus. Country for better or worse.
