Sing a Song of Singing Songs: cowboy style

‘They’ll be singing… Gonna be singing…” begins the song. We feel like we’re IN THE MUSIC. Whoa, Nelly.

“Christmas Carols by the Old Corral” was minor hit for Tex Ritter in 1945. Former Ritter back up Wesley Tuttle adds some aw-shucks yodeling to his concurrent version. Gene Autry flattened it for his Melodie Ranch broadcast of the same year. Nine years later Luke Simmons and His Blue Mountain Boys add some rock guitar but subtract with gramma’s electric organ.

Sing a Song of Singing Songs: awww

What do you do when the deserving go cold, the lambs are lost, the Christmas spirit doesn’t perform miracles? Well, you could sing. It might make you feel better.

The Dean Martin Show’s Las Vegas showgirls back-up formed a group called The Goldiggers (it was a sad time) and hit the racks with a ’69 Xmas album offering a version of giving: “I Sing Noel.” Man, those high notes.

Sandler and Young combine for their “I Sing Noel.” Hokey country gospel that invites you to come in out of the cold.

Sing a Song of Singing Songs: maybe

The classic 2003 Will Ferrell film “Elf” got crammed into a B’way musical 2010. It didn’t get better. But it gave us an okay song about Christmas singing “A Christmas Song” here star-powered by Jim Parsons and Kate Micucci from the 2014 TV special (quaintsy and quirky) as opposed to Sebastian Arcelus and Amy Spanger from the original cast recording below (more chorus, more from the diaphragm).

Sing a Song of Singing Songs: DON’T

Mob, the hard rocking band, protests with taste in “I Hate Christmas Songs.” I think it’s about you.

Touch My Rash get less specific and much more punk with “I Hate Christmas Songs and I Hate Everyone.” I got you some anger management for Christmas.

Todd Steed and the Christmas Suns sing (over the girls playing in front of the camera) a stern folk lesson “I Hate Christmas (Songs)!” Wait, there’s a happy ending (i guess).

My favorite Greensboro pranksters Piedmont Songbag have the bitching in the bag with “Stupid Christmas Songs,” a rambling country pop pisser about the futility of carols. (Love that Bing Crosby imprssion!)

Teresa Fischer belabors the burden of the professional singer told which tune to croon. “Please Don’t Make Me Sing a Christmas Ballad” is a roller coaster of a story with piano pounding, range stretching, and lyrical loopiness luring you to sing-along: don’t!

Sing a Song of Singing Songs: b’way

The 1992 musical ‘Scrooge’ (Anthony Newly in London) (2004 had Richard Chamberlin on Broadway) opens with the ensemble “Sing a Christmas Carol.” Gee, that’s loud.

Radio City Music Hall pulls out all the stops (stop being original, stop being clever, stop making sense) with “Sing a Little Song of Christmas.” It’s not little, and it’s much more about The Great White Way than the one true way. Bleh.

Sing a Song of Singing Songs: on purpose

Is it weird to sing about singing? Is it funny?

Amusedly angry, The Fallen Trees calls out the music industry to get with the program and EVERYONE sing some “Same Old Holiday Song.” Kidding?

Paul and Storm try hard to be funny. They’re comic musicians, you see (not musical comics). For Cards Against Humanity (the game) they wrote “Christmas Christmas Song” as a self referential ear jerker, trying to be so bad they’re good. I’ll leave it to you.

Singing Songs About Singing Songs: it’s what’s for present

Fussing about creating a song sometimes is a measure of how blessed you are to be hearing this gift. Zinovy Shersher challenges that value with his not-quite-English “Merry Christmas, I Wrote This Song for You.” Do you have the receipt?

Silence the Cynic got you what they could afford, “Another Christmas Song.” It’s not a new car, but it is vibrant Brit rock. They did not scrimp on the high notes.