Over the years many a composer has made a bundle off of royalties for their seasonal music surrounding the Christmas season. Many of us remember "Here Comes Santa Claus", written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldman or "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus", sung by a thirteen year old Jimmy Boyd back in 1952, as staples of our childhood Christmas musical canon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76K5UU0ihow
In our parents' day, during and after the Second World War, many held memories of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby. The song, written and composed by the lyricists Kim Gannon, Buck Ram and composer Walter Kent, is told from the point of view of a soldier away from home and thinking of those at home. Bing later had another hit with "White Christmas" which was written by Irving Berlin in 1940. It was featured in two films: "Holiday Inn" and later in the Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney musical of the same name,"White Christmas". My favorite rendition is from "Holiday Inn" which starred Bing along with Margorie Reynolds and Fred Astaire. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHu6rlK953gOver the years I have collected my own canon of favorite secular and not so secular Christmas music...not carols...those may be addressed in another posting later this week. Here is my list and some sort of explanation:
1. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney...this is just so much fun to listen to and to watch on You tube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9BZDpni56Y
2. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey. It makes me smile. And she looks happy doing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQViqx6GMY3. "Santa Baby", and not the Madonna version, got to go for the classic here: Earth Kitt's rendition is just the BEST...she made two versions..the early one is the better one. No one could do this like Eartha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFMyF9fDKzE
4. "Last Christmas" by George Michael and WHAM! Got to love the scenery and that 80"s hair!!!! What where we thinking?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI
5. "The Rebel Jesus" by Jackson Brown is a contemporary piece that should be included in every Advent program...at least I think so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEC7d5jbAbo
6. "Happy Christmas: War is Over" by John Lennon...'nuf said...what have we learned?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xw4suq_happy-xmas-happy-christmas-war-is-over-john-lennon-original-video-clip-1970_music
For those of us whose families put the "fun" is dysfunctional here is:
7. "St Stephen's Day Murders" by Elvis Costello and The Chieftains...got to love the cynicism of the Irish...hey..I am half Irish, so I can comment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8fPvODASoI
And this has to be the weirdest combination I have seen: Bing and David:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiXjbI3kRus
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