Year-round Yuletide oddities
This Italian skinny girl magic show has been on Fox, Cartoon Network, the CW, and Nickelodeon, dubbed into girly English.
It’s become an industry in itself, so a bit of pop music for you to buy to go along with the action figures. “Christmas Magic” appears in an episode of helping a deserving family, although the cry of ‘Merry Christmas’ from a pagan figure sounds odd at best. The whole song as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klhSdO9eqJE
Teen soaps on cable trend in the early 00s, and they are dopey lowbrow sitcoms. Their music is teenybop gum fit only for wanna-tweens.
At Hollywood Arts High (hah!) Tori and her friends make songs fun. “It’s Not Christmas Without You” is exhibit A. If you slowed down the beat, you might have a nice torchy jazz number.
But that’s Nickelodeon. The Disney Channel goes full corporate formula with the odd couple aspiring musician duo who [RERUN] sing “I Love Christmas” and “A Perfect Christmas.” So peppy i think totalitarians should use them for propaganda. Oh, wait….
This Rocko’s Modern Life descendant is a musical cartoon about adventurous step-brothers, but as a Disney channel kidstoon the songs are a given. Since the songs have been nommed for awards, we’ll give some of the 2010 album a listen.
“Winter Vacation” is a good place to start. for to look over the setting, meet the characters, and glimpse their unlikely adventures. Disneyfied rock, but Bowling for Soup thank you very much. The inevitably drippy pop song “That Christmas Feeling” comes from Olivia Olsen, the daughter of the evil mad scientist.
The signature childhood angst of the show finds form in older sister Candace’s ’50s pop lament “What Does He Want?” and the entire cast’s showtune anthem “Where Did We Go Wrong?” (Don’t fret, those are answered in “Danville for Niceness” and “Thank You Santa.” Happy endings, all!)
Most kids’ favorites for the show are the hero-nemesis duo of the pet platypus Agent P (featured in a commercial promo for the show, as he doesn’t get a whole lot of song or vocals, “We Wish You a Perry Christmas“) and Dr. Doofenshmirtz the not-so-confident mastermind, whose conflicted song “I Really don’t Hate Christmas” is a virtuoso of character constricted vocal chords (think Daffy Duck a la Gilbert and Sullivan).
The WB has rejuvenated superhero TV into a hip gorgeous young party with the dark (Arrow), scowling (Black Lightning), light (Legends of Tomorrow), and silly (Supergirl). But this journey quest for destiny out-Joseph Campbells the other beat-’em-ups.
The music is pretty cool too.
Hayley Sales sings “Christmas is Leading Me Home” in the sweet whispery love of hearth and family that this show has trademarked. Snuggle-licious.
The Rosebuds’ pop “I Hear Click, Click, Click” with just a tiny edge, befitting the faux suspense of the series. Uh oh, is he really dead? [This song also backgrounds on Supergirl, which has one other half listenable song “Gonna Be Christmas” by Bob Burger: a middle school dance anthem.]
Jules Larson sings “Honey I’m Home for Christmas” slapping on the saccharine sweetness. Uh oh, are they really in love?
And then, the heartbreak. Ponyboy sings “(Please Don’t Leave Me on) Christmas Eve.” Bluesy.
Andrew Kingslow and Laura Dowling sing “Christmas is That Time of Year” merely celebrating the celebration. Ah, millennials.
Amping up the irreverence, “Christmas Dan” by The Rosebuds reveal the new route the show takes in season 2. Grooviness ensues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEek2nm63kQ
Of the nearly 1000 songs over six seasons (1/10 of those were ‘Don’t Stop Believin”), this show covered most standard top 40 carols. Not too much novelty for me.
But i will include “Extraordinary Merry Christmas” despite its pop uptempo unrelenting froth. I’m going to need some insulin.
Rick and Morty‘s creator’s earlier brilliant-but-what’s-the-demographic? sitcom was not known for breakout songs, but attention must be paid to these study group misfits during the holidays.
The 2010 stop motion episode ‘Abed’s Uncontollable Christmas’ brings it.
The “Intro Song” is a takeoff of The 88’s series opening music this time with Xmas.
The characters turn into Christmas claymation tropes and have a couple memorable 3-line songs for characterization, including “Brittabot” and “Christmas Douche.”
The meaning of Christmas is put together in the show stopper “That’s What Christmas is For.” John Oliver! Christmas pterodactyl!
The next year is about singing Xmas for Glee club. To win over the surly main character, the Jewish nerd girl sings “Annie’s Christmas Song.” Brother, that’s jazz striptease junk with Betty Boop botheration.
The overlooked housewife gets a big gospel (half) number with “Happy B-Day, Jesus.” Go tell it on the lafftrack.
The actual “Community Glee Club” performance is a sad throwaway about how the hot blonde is tone deaf.
“Troy & Abed’s Christmas Rap Battle,” however, convinces the Asperger’s kid and the conflicted cool athlete to celebrate a holiday they would otherwise disdain. Much prettier, or at least much faster.
Comedy gold from those boys finally in order to convince the geriatric in “Baby Boomer Santa,” an addictive song about the evolution of St. Nick through musical genres. An American Pearl.
The anti-Simpsons barfed and farted briefly, before it was taken up as a cause célèbre by the slacker generation and became to big to fail, despite the best efforts of boy-men writers.
Comedy Christmas bits include the “Peter Griffin Christmas Album” full of mumbly, nonsensible parodies. Hee hee. Oh, and an ironic take on “Jesus Child” as brainwashed braying of the brethren. Bazinga!
Rerun: the best are the big musical numbers like “Christmas Time is Killing Us” (black humor), and “All I Really Want for Christmas” (naughty).
The later series leans on more groovy music. “The Steve and Krampus Duet” is an R+B jewel in a sad ‘Beauty and Beast’ takeoff. Not much Christmas here, but it’s got Slavic tradition.
Although cancelled by Nickelodeon, this popular toon was resuscitated and is now the 2nd longest running cartoon series on that network (behind SpongeBob).
Musical numbers tend to be classy, rather than silly (perhaps due to the aged magical helpers).
Timmy apparently never watched that Elmo special and wishes for “Christmas Everyday” in an early episode, much to all’s dismay. Jazzy.
More comical, “Not on the List” is a symphonic tribute to all the kids’ regrets the day after. Frantic.
This Icelanidic people-wearing-puppet-outfits oddity made its way to Nick Toons for a while, but creeped out kids with a hero who looks like the Captain America villain Batroc, and a bad guy handsome as Bruce Campbell.
Stephanie, the irrepressible eight-year-old never seen without a smile, sings “Jolly Holidays” and “I Love Christmas.” Believe (in exercise)!
Slushy, sudsy, and saccharine, this replacement for human life weathers on yet today. The background music is brilliant at telegraphing the ‘complex’ emotions the scenes wreak within you. Some of it is well worth sharing, i will admit. Music from Grey’s Anatomy is nearly an industry in itself, despite the season often breaks around Xmas without addressing the holidays much.
SEASON 2: “This Christmastime” by Mascott is charming folk pop.
Any excuse for The LeeVees, please! “Latke Clan” bounces in that same realm.
“Christmas After All” by Maria Taylor is that self indulgent grown up pop that sounds better than it is.
SEASON 6: “A Magical Season” by Tim Myers is also adult bubblegum. YAWN.
“All I Want for Christmas (Is to Give My Love Away)” by The Rescues is late nite FM porn. So sweet.
Ingrid Michaelson restores a tiny bit of integrity with authentic folk in “Snowfall.” Still too weepy by half.
SEASON 7: “It’s Christmastime” by Jules Larson is upbeat altpop. Something danceable at last.
Back to melancholia from Boy Least Likely To with “First Snowflake.” So thoughtful… snore.
“Nun Gimmel Heh Shin” by The LeeVees recites the dreidel faces with much ponderous portent.