Be a Santa, Part 6

With only ten days left to go until Christmas, let's keep going with our summary review of the 37 tracks on my latest holiday mix, Be a Santa!

Track 19
I Feel It In My Bones, The Killers (2016)

Founded in Las Vegas in 2001, The Killers are among the most successful rock bands of the 21st century. Their latest album, Pressure Machine, released this past August, was their seventh consecutive Top 10 album in the United States, Comparisons to Bruce Springsteen have been common throughout the group's history and Springsteen's influence sounds especially strong throughout "Pressure Machine." Shortly before that album's release the group released a new version of their 2013 song "A Dustland Fairytale" featuring a guest appearance by the Boss.  

Readers of this blog should know that the band is widely recognized for their practice of releasing a new holiday-themed single each year since 2006 to benefit Product Red, a group that supports The Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "I Feel It In My Bones" was The Killers' holiday single for 2012 and I think it's one of their strongest Christmas offerings yet. In fact, it's probably my favorite track on my 2021 holiday mix. You can hear it in the clip below. What do you think?

Check Out the Official Music Video of "Dustland" by The Killers and Bruce Springsteen

Track 18

Beware All Ye Faithful, American Comedy Network (2002)

I'm honestly not sure where I found this clip, but I included it in this year's mix as a short bit of comic relief. As with most comedy, however, there's a kernel of truth in here. The holidays have always carried a certain amount of risk and danger. Be careful out there, friends!

Listen to "Beware All Ye Faithful"

Track 17

Jada's Christmas Song (Santa Claus' Helper), Jada with The Vise Squad (1975)

This little winner comes to us by way of WFMU's first 365Days Project in 2003. The project's chief aim was to collect and share a grab bag of offbeat aural experiences — one each day — reflecting the broad tapestry of the human experience. WFMU is a listener supported independent community radio station based in New York City, and for my money it offers the greatest collection of audio madness the world has ever known. The 365 Days Project is simply one particular slice of the madness. The daily offering throughout 2003 attracted enough attention to spur a second installment that featured daily selections throughout 2007.

Jada's Christmas Song was presented on March 31, 2003 along with the following explanation:

Johnny Mack Vise was an Anniston, Alabama radio hack and church choir director who inexplicably decided that his small children should be singers. This 45 RPM single to which this song provides the a-side is — to my knowledge — the only release by five-year old Jada Vinmarjay Vise (her middle name was a combination of the names of her three older Brothers — isn't that precious!). The contrast between the normal kid voices of the Vise Squad (the brothers) and Jada's otherworldly screech is sure to set any first-time listener's teeth on edge.

It's hard for me to take issue with any of that, but you can decide for yourself

Listen to "Jada's Christmas Song (Santa Claus' Helper)," by Jada with the Vise Squad

Track 16

Indian Santa Claus, Lorene Mann (1969)

The final of today's four tracks is something I remember hearing as a kid and knowing even that it was objectionable. I had to think really hard before including it on this year's mix due to its unfortunate descriptions of Native Americans. I ultimately decided stuff like this should probably be exposed rather than hidden, but I offer it with some misgivings and my apologies.

This track was written and performed by Lorene Mann, a Tennessee native who settled in Nashville at the age of 19 to pursue a career in music. Signed by RCA Records in 1964, she went on to write for singers such as Kitty Wells and Skeeter Davis before launching a singing career of her own. Mann also tried her hand at acting, appearing in the 1975 Burt Reynolds vehicle “W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings.” But songwriting was apparently her first love, and she both co-founded the Nashville Songwriters Association International and in 2011 won the Maggie Cavender Award, in recognition of her “extraordinary service to the songwriting community.” I'll let you decide if it's warranted after you listen to the following tracks, all of which carry a warning that these are not for the weak of heart or stomach.

Listen to Lorene Mann Singing "Please Don't Take the Children from Me"

Listen to Lorene Mann Singing "Hide My Sin"

Nation's First Family Celebrates the Holiday Season and Its Many Gifts from the Heart

Each year at Christmas, the nation's First Family traditionally kicks off the holiday season by decorating the White House, circulating their official holiday card and lighting the national Christmas tree. These ceremonial duties become even more important in difficult times, and President and Dr. Biden are giving this work the attention and sincerity it deserves.

The theme of this year's celebration is "Gifts from the Heart," which was "[i]nspired by the small acts of kindness and experiences that lifted our spirits this year and throughout the pandemic[.]" Different rooms at the White House have been decorated to highlight such gifts, including: faith, community, peace, the arts and gratitude. 

The White House website offers a wonderful look at this year's decorations, including a virtual walking tour of the public areas of the mansion. It's nice to see the holiday season celebrated in style at the White House this year!

Download a copy of this year's White House Holiday Guide

Review the White House Christmas Cards of the past 92 years — from Coolidge to Trump

Be a Santa, Part 5

We seem to have some momentum now, so allow me to share some quick comments on another trio of tracks from my latest mix, Be a Santa!

Track 15

Holiday Greetings from George Murphy and the Folks at MGM

George Murphy (2nd from left)

I was born and raised in Massachusetts, where politics and government attract lots of attention. I now live in California, where the entertainment industry is king. Lots of folks are wary of those two lines of work intersecting. Conservatives in particular complain that too many "Hollywood types" seem to be getting involved in politics. Historically, however, most of the actors who've sought and won political office has been Republicans, not Democrats. Remember Ronald Reagan? How about Arnold Schwarzenegger? Each of these actors was elected governor of California as a Republican with little or no prior government experience. They each did OK, too. Hell, they both rank up there with Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson compared to the TV star we elected president in 2016. But Ronald Reagan wasn't the first actor to be elected to high office in the United States. In 1964, two years before they elected Reagan as governor, California voters elected actor and noted song and dance man George Murphy to the U.S. Senate, defeating Pierre Salinger, former press secretary to the late President Kennedy. Like Reagan and Schwarzenegger, Murphy was a Republican; and, like Reagan, he had formerly served as president of the Screen Actors' Guild.

Track 15 features a brief holiday greeting from Murphy that was recorded while he was still working primarily as a contract actor for MGM. I like inserting these sorts of greetings between songs as they tend to break up the mix a bit and make it a little more fun.

Murphy served only a single term in the Senate. In 1970, he was defeated by John V. Tunney, the son of famous boxer Gene Tunney, after it was disclosed that Murphy had continued to receive a salary from his former employer, Technicolor, while serving as senator. In 1976, Tunney, too, was defeated after serving a single term by S.I. Hayakawa, a Semantics professor and political outsider. Murphy died in 1992 at the age of 89.

Watch George Murphy Singing and Dancing in "Broadway Melody of 1938"

Track 14

Christopher the Christmas Tree, by George Bowers (1982)

I'm not sure we properly appreciate how awesome it is to have such easy access to such a wealth of information and entertainment these days via the internet. I ran across this song on YouTube several years ago and as I was searching for a link to the song this afternoon I discovered that it's now available on YouTube in a longer video format. What's more, it's remarkably easy to import the video into this blog:

It's a cute little story about a scrawny evergreen whose dream of becoming a Christmas tree appears destined to fail. It's overlooked year after year as all the fuller and more attractive nearby trees are selected until one year when he's told he's grown too big to fit in anyone's house and will instead be cut up into firewood. Fortunately, the many birds and animals the tree had sheltered over the years spring into action and a very happy ending is arranged.

You can hear the shorter version of the story that I've included in this year's mix HERE.

Track 13

Linus and Lucy (from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"), by Los Straitjackets (2015)

When I was growing up, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas was one of our family's most anticipated activities during the lead-up to Christmas — right up there with decorating the tree. I'm pretty sure our family wasn't alone in that respect, In fact, this delightful show has become a true holiday institution. No doubt a big part of the show's success is the sublime soundtrack written by Vince Guaraldi,and performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, including the memorable song "Linus and Lucy":

This year's mix includes an interesting version of the song by Los Straitjackets, an American instrumental rock band founded in Nashville in the late 1980s. While this version of the song isn't necessarily immediately recognizable as a Christmas song, but fans of the Peanuts holiday classic will figure it out soon enough.

Hear "Linus and Lucy," by Los Straightjackets

Watch the intro of the History Channel documentary on "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Hear the True Story Behind A Charlie Brown Christmas

Be a Santa, Part 4

Here's some background on another set of tracks from my latest holiday mix, Be a Santa, which was created to celebrate the 2021 holiday season.

Track 12
Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas, Eels (2008)

If this song seems slightly familiar, you may recognize it from my 2006 mix, Stop Singing Those Dreadful Songs. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've deliberately included a track I'd previously used in an earlier mix, and I did it for two reasons. First, this is a different and harder-edged version of this Eels holiday song, and I like this version a lot. Second, although the song's been around for years, it seems particularly topical and relevant this season. As near as I can tell, this version was produced a after the version I used in 2006 — possibly for the Useless Trinkets compilation released a couple of years later. But doesn't this sound about right for 2021:

Remember last year when you were on your own

You swore the spirit couldn't be found

December rolled around and you were counting on it 

To roll out

Well everything's gonna be cool this Christmas

Everything's gonna be cool this Christmas

Everything's gonna be cool this Christmas

Well everybody's lookin' for you down at the house

The tree is looking so inspired

There's a yuletide groove waitin' for you to move

I'll go and throw another log on the fire …

Eels is a Los Angeles-based rock band formed in 1991 by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, who also goes by the stage name E. Everett's been rather prolific during the past 20 years, both as the leader of Eel and as a solo artist. Summarizing their stuff in any sort of meaningful way would require more experience with their music than I can claim, but I'm hoping you'll like this neat holiday release as much as I do.

Hear the Earlier Version of "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas"

Hear the version that appears on Be a Santa 

Track 11

Frosty's Beach Party, The Barbary Coasters (2008)

The Barbary Coasters

One of the interesting facts you learn as a holiday music enthusiast is that the holiday music vaults are comprised of a surprisingly wide variety of styles and subgenres. For example, there's a significant number of beach and surfing-related holiday tunes and groups. I've featured at least a couple such tunes in earlier collections, including "Santa Claus Is Surfing to Town," by Soupy Sales, and "Christmas on the Beach," by Irene, from my 2009 mix, "I Just Can't Wait 'til Christmas," and there's another one this year. "Frosty's Beach Party" is by a group called The Barbary Coasters that was formed in San Francisco in the mid-1980s. Their music has a mid-'60s vibe and includes a number of surf-rock songs and tropical tunes. They also have a sizeable number of holiday tunes in their repertoire, including an entire album of seasonal numbers called "Hark," which is available on Amazon Music, below.

Hear "Frosty's Beach Party," by The Barbary Coasters

Check out "Hark" and Other Barbary Coasters albums on Amazon Music

Track 10

¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?, Augie Rios (1958)

I'm guessing that nearly every song on this year's mix will be new to you. Sure, you've heard some of the songs before, but almost certainly not in the versions offered here. This song is the most likely exception, as it's more widely known both in this version and in several other popular versions, as noted below.  Written by George Scheck, Rod Parker, and Al Greiner, the song was first recorded by 12-year old Augie Rios and the Mark Jeffrey Orchestra in 1958 on the MGM Records' Metro label. Rios' parents were both born and raised in Puerto Rico but moved to New York shortly before Augie was born. He started acting at a young age and reportedly played on Broadway before recording this hit, which he subsequently performed on American Bandstand, the Patti Page Oldsmobile Show and numerous other variety programs. He later appeared on TV in the shows East Side/West Side and Naked City, each time playing a gang member.

In 1978, the song was covered by Charo, Spanish-born actress, television personality and former wife of bandleader Xavier Cugat. It was subsequently recorded in Spanish by Mexican TV host Chabelo and by El Vez and the rock group Guster.

Hear Augie Rios sing ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?

Hear Charo singing her disco version of ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?

Watch Charo sing Feliz Navidad while Pee Wee Herman breaks open a piñata

 

Be a Santa, Part 3

Continuing our review of my latest holiday mix Be a Santa, here's some quick background on three additional tracks:

Track 9

Bring Me a Beatle for Christmas, Cindy Rella (1964)

Track 8

Christmas with The Beatles, Judy and the Duets (1964)

Tracks 8 and 9 are but two further examples of the breadth and depth of the effects of Beatlemania on American culture in 1964. While many no doubt recall the various holiday tracks the Beatles themselves recorded and circulated via their official fan club throughout the 1960s, what's less well remembered are the many holiday-themed novelty records that others produced about the supergroup. I've included several of these oddities in previous mixes and links to a couple of these earlier offerings appear below. Lucky for you, I've got two more crazed fan tributes on Be a Santa.

The first is by the cleverly named Cindy Rella (sorry, it wasn't my idea). From what little information there is about Ms. Rella, it seems she previously scored with several very minor hits including "I Want Him to Come Back Home" and "To Tommy with Love." For good or ill, this Beatles tribute appears to have ended her career. 

This may just be me, but I had some trouble understanding some of the lyrics. Ms. Rella sings with a heavy accent, though it's hard to discern exactly where she's from. The lines I did understand were pretty much about exactly what you'd expect:

Bring me a Beatle for Christmas

Bring me a Beatle to love

Which one I don't care

Just as long as he's there

Paul is oh so handsome

When he smiles my heart skips a beat

The smart one is John

But he married a blonde

Ringo, George, John or Paul

Golly I like them all

If you don't bring me one

Christmas won't be any fun

"Christmas with The Beatles" is pretty much more of the same, although Judy and the Duets do not appear to have recorded any tunes other than this one and its flip side, "The Blind Boy."

I got a big charge out of watching the recent Beatles documentary Get Back, which, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend. The talent and drive of these four guys is amazing and it's wonderful to see signs that their legacy will endure long after most of us are gone.

Listen to "Bring Me a Beatle for Christmas," by Cindy Rella

Listen to "Christmas with the Beatles," by Judy and the Duets

Listen to "Ringo Deer," by John Ferrier, from My 2016 Mix "Let It Snow"

Listen to "I Want a Beatle for Christmas," by Becky Lee Beck, from my 2014 Mix "Is There Really a Santa Claus"

Listen to "Ringo Bells," by Three Blind Mice, from my 2008 Mix "Home for the Holidays"

Track 7

Holiday Greetings from President Joe and Dr. Jill Biden (2020)

I'm going to avoid the temptation of a long political message in describing the seventh track on this year's mix other than to report it is an excerpt from remarks that were recorded last December before President Biden took office. The couple's complete statement appears below. Let me also just add that while I don't agree with everything the current administration has done and there are certain issues I'd like to receive additional attention, it's good to see a sincere a decent leader in the White House again as opposed to someone whose own self-interest and naked greed is the only standard for decision-making. Ho! Ho! Ho! and Merry Christmas to all!