Year-round Yuletide oddities
While we’re upping with people, Harry Potter! That cheers everyone up, right?
Pennsylvanian besties formed a band (The Moaning Myrtles) out of high school finding they were just wild about Harry. Here’s their take on those imaginary critters infesting the mistletoe Luna claims she can see (and ruining moments between Harry and Cho). So, obvi: “Nargles in the Mistletoe.” Is it love yet?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c00zN55N-wM
We’ve been riding the bummer bus to down town the past few postings. Let’s jolly it up with cute kids singing what adults told them to sing– adorable!
Some conglomerate of a couple under-appreciated band-moms called Children Love to Sing put together “I’m Standing Under the Mistletoe.” Get ready to Awww!
(By my account this is blog post #500)
Again, mistletoe as symbol. This time it’s me and you, angry lover, just like “Mistletoe on Death Row.” Dale Watson johnny cashes this mood piece from an actual movie ‘Angels Sing.’ I say actual movie cause it stars Harry Connick Jr and Connie Britton. But I ain’t never heared of it.
El Paso’s KLAQ morning show with Somebody and Whasisname have their share of holiday ha-has, including a more appropriate: “Christmas on Death Row” sung by The Uninvited (?) which also mentions mistletoe. Strap in, offenders, it’s naughty.
A song about loneliness and existential angst, :Murder by Mistletoe” only uses symbolic homicide to sum up our Advent despair. The Felice Brothers are cool folk rock conjurers, atonal and word-jazz poetical. Keep a security blanket nearby.
While botanically speaking, take a minute for a cut from an album about flowers. Let me say that again: every song is about a flower! Tulips! Orchids! Mulberries! Rhodo-frickin-dendrons! Self publishing never smelled so good! The Farley Flower Band need a bouquet! But hearken to “The Best Mistletoe Song Ever Made” first. Beware–these guys tell it like it is!
“Mistletoe is Poison.” There i said it. Noella McCoy sings it. Bah and the Humbugs created it. You listen to it. Then feel soulfully sad. ‘Kay?
Byron Gore (w/Kristen Castro making plaintive noises) feel terrible looking at that empty spot in the corner. “Crying Under the Mistletoe” moans about those footprints you left me for Christmas… you get the picture.
Let’s bring it down a pinch.
Mistletoe, like all the trimmings, symbolize all the glory and gaiety we can’t possibly live up to for that special time of the year. So it can bum ya out. Bad.
Forever the Sickest Kids (and you thought those bits on sitcoms about picking the band’s name were exaggerated) go alt-emo with “Mistletoe is for Quitters.” They’re trying to get in the mood, but are unequipped to do so. Still, melodic.
Cliff Richard has an uplifting holiday paean full of children’s chorus and sentiment. It’s gooey fun and may cause joyous swaying.
I guess the Deutshc and Ukrainians love this.
But ‘tube site The Poke has put together concert footage of heavy metal shockers Slipknot syncing to “Mistletoe and Wine.” Not to be missed.
Another overplayed contender is “It Must have been the Mistletoe” proving once again that laundry lists of Xmas imagery make a song. This ’80s easy listening lump of coal hit big with Barbara Mandrell in ’84, but got most of its attention from the movie ‘Love Actually,’ which’s soundtrack slipped in a Barbra Streisand take.
Vicki Carr, Thomas Anders, and Jana Peterson also sing basically the same thing. It’s like all the siblings brought the same marshmallow salad to the big family dinner. Even the Northwest Girlchoir Ensemble out of Seattle plugs it as a dull-witted waltz. (Okay–there are some obvi misfires: Heather Poduska Florence Foster Jenkins the song into torture.)
For a hot DJ mix to jazz up this old thing, fire up Nicole Henry on Billy Paul Williams’ fusion. I give that an A+. (Big fan of his Reindeer Room album work–check it out.)
So how ’bout we settle on the smarm: a canned TV Christmas special from 1980 wherein Tanya Tucker and Glen Campbell heft big hollow presents up the snowy walk to see Minnie Pearl? Some chemistry at least.