I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 3

We've been looking at the tracks on my latest holiday mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today," and today I have a little background on the next three selections.

Track 7
Silent Night, He-5 (1969)

Quick:  What's the most widely recorded Christmas song of all time?

Off the top of my head I probably would have guessed "Jingle Bells," but that's wrong. It's "Silent Night," which I understand has been recorded more than 130,000 times since it was first written in 1818. 

I've featured seven different versions of the song myself on my previous holiday mixes. And of the seven, this version by the Korean psychedelic rock band He-5 may just be my new favorite.

I don't suppose many people know this right off, but psychedelic rock was all the rage in South Korea in the late '60s and early '70s, and the band He-5 was in the forefront of the craze. Led by rock guitarist Kim Hong Tak, He-5 enjoyed an impressive run and was best known for their energetic live performances. Sadly, this energy was missing from many of the band's studio records as their record company insisted they tone things down on their formal releases. The one exception was probably their 1969 album "Merry Christmas," which you can listen to below. "Silent Night" is the first track on the record. 

Learn More About He-5 on the "I'm in Love with That Song" Podcast

Track 8
Christmas in Haight Ashbury, Dave Madden from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1968)

Few television programs captured the freewheeling spirit of the late 1960s quite as well as Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, a lively and irreverent sketch comedy show that aired on NBC for six seasons beginning in January 1968. Hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, the show starred such comedy stars as Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson and JoAnn Worley. During its first several seasons, Laugh-In was one of the most popular shows on TV. 

This short clip features Dave Madden, best known for portraying band manager Reuben Kincaid on the ABC series "The Partridge Family," offering a quip about San Francisco's Haight Asbury neighborhood.   

Track 9
Sleigh Full of Toys, The '60s Invasion (2015)

"Sleigh Full of Toys" is the fourth song I've featured by The '60s Invasion on my holiday mixes, following "Come on People (Have a Merry Christmas)," on my 2018 mix and "Christmas in New England" and "My Green Christmas Tree" from 2022. I posted some background on the band in 2022 (see HERE), so please check that out. 

Here's the song I included on this year's mix:

Well, that was easy! Back again soon with background on the next several tracks.