Guiding Lights

Sometimes the light of Xmas isn’t JC born precisely, it’s something more nebulous. Believer’s choice.

Gordon Dills says it is GOD when grassroots tinkering over the tune “Christmas Candle (God’s Gift of Light).” But he is so slyly faith-based without name-dropping any saviors that i’ll include him here.

Laurie Berkner also bypasses that church/state line, so her kidsong “Christmas Lights” can be sung in schools without the kids legally praying. (Watch out for the fun-ness of her behind-the-scenes epilogue.)

“Light a Candle” is a song of giving and brotherhood and metaphor. Avalon does this pop with heavy gospel overtones.

“Light a Light” from Melissa Etheridge sings about a season of change. This secularism with holy symbolism has got my head on a swivel. But it’s potent and pretty folk pop.

Prayer Lights

We like to aim our prayers upward, but God’s everywhere right? Must be that glowing gaseous center of the solar system that acts as a relay station or sumpin.

“Every Light that Shines at Christmas” is the shouty gospel rafter raiser we’ve been expecting. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound add country rock rhythms to keep us salivatin’. Praise wattage!

Truth wants you to “Light a Christmas Candle” with their sax-driven country pop in order to honor, you know, everything.

The Robert Shaw Chorale ups the church factor with “Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light.” This is probably just that star we discussed last month, but I dig the part about putting Satan in his place with the light. Bazinga!

Kathleen Mikkelson alt-sermonizes with “Light Broke Through,” a strangely cynical take on doubters when the lights came on Christmas morning. Just look, everyone!

Manger Lights

Some awful Purdy music sees God-as-Man as light, especially around the holidays. We won’t sample every song which praises the big luminescence (which is a whole lotta the hymnal), but let’s tip that bushel and see a bit.

Point of Grace (feat. John David Webster) replaces Jesus with illumination in “Let There be Light” a showstopper of pop gospel.

“Candlelight Carol” mentions fires and stars and candles, so it’s taking the light of the Lord variously seriously. Mary Chapin Carpenter does this best with gentle folk observations.

Of the many, many “Light of the Stable” renditions I prefer the mighty grace of Emmy Lou Harris. That’s power folk music.

First Lights

Fiat Lux may be confused for God himself. Among first lines of books, it’s a lovely enigma and can be taken many ways. But Christmas is so dark, lights are called for. The birth of Mr. Christ might call for the lights.

One of the well known lights are carried by a couple French girls to announce the Nativity to the town (don’t tell Herod!). “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella” is a fair tune of some centuries’ standing, and probably does better in the French with lyrics. I enjoy Sufjan Stevens‘s whispered telephone call, as well as LA’s Carnival Art’s early ’90s rollicking populist near-punk (which seems about right, even with the Whoville bit at the end).

“The Four Lights of Advent” is a light, airy kids’ instructional tune from Mary Thienes Schunemann about the ancient Xmas celebration of flaming on the Sundays leading up to 12/25. Candles are fun!

Does It Have to Be a Star?

When you say a word too many times (‘western, western, western, western….’) it finally loses its meaning and becomes just noise. Overthinking disconnects the sign with the semantic. So, what’s the deal with Christmas and… a star?

Watkins and The Rapiers pick over symbols as meaningless in a heartbroken world with “All the Stars at Christmas” a bluesy folk ballad of bitter disappointment. (If you wait, hope may be at the bottom of the box.)

Dr. BLT takes the “Star of Bethlehem” to task for symbolizing perhaps too many ideas. Let’s count all the connotations. I’m not sure he’s trying to be the best star he could be, but kudos to the smoky western ska.

Bad Star

Symbols become icons. Then come the iconoclasts. What bad can they say about the Xmas star??

Soledad Brothers get naughty with “Hang My Star” way up high on your tree. You’re gonna need a drycleaner for that.

Merrill Leffmann’s Xmas burlesque routine includes “The Star that Came,” which sounds carol-esque. But this lounge tune is about flirting and connecting.

“Star of Blight” is the anti-Christmas satanic observation from Kruxy. ‘We Three Kings’ plays in the background. Ew.

Overindulging results in “North Star (Bloody Christmas)” which Elliphant blues-pops about something not so traditional. Regrets hangovers.

When Michael J Handley recounts how you had to be the “Star on the Tree” his ragtime pop rakes you over the too-drunk-to-remember coals. How embarrassing.

Treetopping Star

Let’s decorate our majestic tree with a blazing star and hope all is tranquil. It’s Christmas! Let’s get silly!

“There’s a Star” is an experimental exploration of folk-jazz from the ever-mindful Bah & the Humbugs. It’s a trip–to the treetop.

Ostensibly a kidsong, Todd McHatton’s Tony the bunny (kin to Kermit in accent) wants to “Put the Star on Top.” It’s also oddly playful and weird.

And now a word from the star itself: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” from Stevie Wonder tells the tale of the heavenly body that alit on your conifer. (The Supremes make this song too scary for me.)

And wishing to be the “Star on the Xmas Tree” from pkruse 1234. Oompah retaliation about a crappy world.

Mighty Magical Pants also personifies the decoration with “I’m Gonna Be the Star.” This showtune flips out about the li’l twinkler that could.

Tree Star

Get the Christmas star out of the sky, capture it! Bring it into the house. Put it on top of the tree (Christ symbol) so we can find that big honkin’ thing.

Michael Warner’s “A Star on Top of the Christmas Tree” is a middle-of-the-road near-country strangulation of love and hope and all that’s bourgeoisie.

RuPaul fizzies the pop with “You’re the Star (On My Christmas Tree).” It’s a love fest of identities for the geometric design.

Deconstructed Brazilian jazz wanders around Aja Wintermantel’s singing range for “Star on the Christmas Tree.” The laundry list of Jesus, angels, and Nativity takes second place to her missing you, you star you.

The Russian-French tradition, according to Feddy, is to pop sing “The Red Star on Top of the Christmas Tree” (altho, with his accent, i think it’s Kreemuss trail). Some party anthem so let’s go.

Celebrity Star

Now for another entry in the dictionary. Who else is the star at Christmastime?!

Not much higher praise than you are “My Christmas Star.” Cheesy corrido (with flaming Spanish guitar) sets up Claire Knox’s song about her dead dog Holly. You heard me.

Nu Revelation (feat. T. Conway) funks us a reminder that the King of Kings gets top billing tonight. “Christmas Superstar” lays down a righteous beat.

“Santa Claus *Superstar*” follows the generous downfall of our icon to the rock arena. Daniel Chorr appropriately rocks this ballad. Fear not, little ones. Lessons will be learned.

Similarly Dr. BLT recounts how “Santa Claus Wants to be a Rock Star.” Same story, now with American South sauce.

I try to avoid lyrics i can’t translate, but Gabriela Guncikova, Marta Jandova showstopping the rock with “Santa Superstar” needs notice. Woo hoo!

Star Love

Somehow that Star of Bethlehem became a wingman to help you fall in love. Hallmark will make a Christmas movie about anything! (Mostly we mean the Love of God.)

Beat Digger (feat. Richard Schletty) belly dances a portentous “O Star of Mystery” which may not be real romance, but it fills his heart. So there.

You are “My Christmas Star” gets a DJ mushing when Ariose (feat. Definition). It’s love, just not eternal. Pop.

The Supremes feel His love from that “Little Bright Star.” Motown agape, hunh!