Saturday, December 31, 2016

No awkward explanations of virgin birth.

It's the Eighth night of Hanukkah.



You've probably run out of gifts at this point, wrap your family's fresh laundry as the gift that shows you've done the laundry. At this point, look up a local oil recycler - it will do better for everyone as a biofuel.

And here, I promise, is the last set of songs celebrating Hanukkah -

Hanukkah With Veronica Monica -




Hanukkah in Santa Monica   SFGMC -




Rugrats Chanukah -

x


Frozen Rabbis: Chanukah On Ice -




Santa Gey Gezunderheit   The Klezmonauts -



Hey, somebody has to clean up all of that wax on the break front. And somebody's got to call the guys who pick up used cooking oil for bio-fuel.


In case this comes up in conversation:

More than six swans constitutes a lamentation of swans. They are usually known as a flock or bevy (A wedge when you see them flying in their usual V formation.)


And of course, have a safe New Year's Eve



Demand Euphoria!

Friday, December 30, 2016

You won't see, "You're a Schlemiel, Charlie Brown."


Open a window someone , it's the seventh night of Hanukkah.



That oil is a tad rancid

If you can stand it, more Hanukkah songs

I LOVE LATKES -




Applesauce vs. Sour Cream (Acoustic VersionThe LeeVees -




Outside of December  The LeeVees and Matisyahu -



(not quite a Hanukkah song but Matisyahu is a phenomenal singer.)


Chanukah Flash Mob  Temple Isaiah -




Sarah Silverman Lights Conan's Human Centipede Menorah -



If I had only found this for the fifth night.


Chanukah Hymns -



Maybe I've miscounted, is it really the seventh night?



Demand Euphoria

Thursday, December 29, 2016

There are no elephants in the Christmas story.


It's the Sixth Night of Hanukkah



At this point you may want to skip the unnecessary calories and just drink the oil - but not too much. Mussolini used to use this as a torture for his political enemies.


SHALOM   Adele Hello Parody -




Hanu-calypso   Kenny Ellis -




A Hanukkah Mitzvah CBS Cares   LL Cool J -




Pass the Candle   West Point Holiday Show 2016 -




Dreidl-Bells   DJ Flack -




Hanukkah Blessings   Barenaked Ladies -



Remember, so far there has been no barking dog version of I had a Little Dreidel. You might begin thinking about where you are going to store your Hanukkah decorations? (I don't mean to insinuate that you aren't normally observant. Perhaps you proudly display your heirloom menorah in your living room. I can't be everywhere.)



Demand Euphoria!

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

No brutal let-down when you discover that Santa Claus isn't real


It's the Fifth Night of Hanukkah



Impress your friends: The fifth night of Hanukkah is called 'the darkest night', not because it falls on one of the last days of the Hebrew month of Kislev (meaning there is no moon), but because it is the only night of Hanukkah that can NEVER fall on Shabbat

Boogie Woogie Hannukah -




Hanukkah Dance   Woody Guthrie -




A Musical Channukah Quiz by Gladys Gewirtz -




Chanukah   Lewis Black -




Top 5 Facts about Hanukkah  WatchMojo -



I believe that oil fatigue may have already set in. Hold on, you will get through this.



Demand Euphoria!

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Because fruitcake tastes like crap compared to latkes



After hosting the fourth night of Hanukkah



now is the time to figure out how to send all the mishpokhe home.


Adam Sandler had nothing better to do than to update his song yet again - Chanukah Song Part 4 -




Oh Chanuka   Shevet Achim -




Latke Sliders  JOY of KOSHER -




8 Days (of Hanukkah)   Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings -




The Hebrew Hammer (2003)




The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming



It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.



Demand Euphoria!

Monday, December 26, 2016

There has never been a "Donny & Marie Hanukkah Special."


Tonight is the third night of Hanukkah -



Let's see what's on the ole turntable for Hanukkah this evening -

The Chanukah Song Part 3  Adam Sandler -




Chrismukkah Speech from the series The O.C. -




Ma'oz Tzur  SHTAR -




Chanbalayla! -




Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah  Erran Baron Cohen Feat. Jules Brookes -





Remember to eat some steamed vegetables or a bran muffin.



Demand Euphoria!

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Dr. Dreidel is a better pun than Big Daddy Kandy Kane.


It's the second night of Hanukkah. The fried food is still appetizing.



Gather your family around and listen to some more Hanukkah songs -

The Chanukah Song Part 2  Adam Sandler -




Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah Song  Boys Town Jerusalem -




Lighting the Hanukkah Candles Faster Technion Rube Goldberg Machine -




The Hanukkah Story   The Nanny -




I Have a Little Dreidel - Listen Up!  Jewish Vocal Band -




Merry Christmas everyone!



For some of you - This is the Christmas miracle



If not, then it's just another holiday song


As today is the first night of Christmas, here are some more unusual gifts to type about giving -



Remember, the more you drink, the easier it is to understand their accents



Also, did you buy anyone a gift as inappropriate as a weasel in a bikini this holiday season?


If you run out of topics around the table this evening, feel free to choose any one of these facts about things that you may not know about the Star War films from the folks at Mental Floss -



Please have a good thought this holiday for Carrie Fisher. Let's all send good wishes her way.


Getting back into the annual tradition, we here at ACME once again want to wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday by sharing this Christmas poem:

Keeping Christmas by Henry Van Dyke

There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.

Are you willing… to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you;

to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;

to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;

to see that men and women are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy;

to own up to the fact that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;

to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness -

Are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children;

to remember the weakness and loneliness of people growing old;

to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;

to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;

to try to understand what those who live in the same home with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;

to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings with the gate open -

Are you willing to do these things, even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world - stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas.



Demand Euphoria!



Saturday, December 24, 2016

Hanukkah begins on Christmas eve.


You add the candles from right to left but light them left to right. So, let the serious eating commence



Remember: Hanukkah means "dedication".


Original Hanukkah Song  Adam Sandler -




A Hamilton Chanukah  Six13 -




Hasmonean - A Hamilton Hanukkah  The Maccabeats -




Hanukkah oh Hanukkah  Shir Soul -




The Dreidel Song  South Park -




Please pace yourself - Eight days is a long time. And kids, know when a simple game becomes an addiction - please no actual gambling while playing with your dreidels. Gamblers Anonymous (718) 352-1671


Here's some fun facts about Christmas



Well, maybe you knew some of these facts (especially if you've been playing the home version.)



We're all having our Christmas Eve dinner of the seven fishes, we keep losing track of how many fishes we've consumed, (it might have something to do with the number of bottles of white wine that we've consumed.)




Why not watch these cartoons for your family while we try to sober up -

Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936) -




The Night Before Christmas -




Somewhere in Dreamland (1936) -




Olive, the Other Reindeer -




One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.


Christmas and the Hard Luck Kid  The Mary Tyler Moore Show -




Now that you're in the proper mood for the holidays - I'll leave you with these thoughts from Ogden Nash and his poem: The Boy Who Laughed At Santa Claus.




I've told my kids and maybe you'll tell yours - Dammit kids, get to bed! The sooner you go to sleep, the quicker Christmas will be here.



Norad Santa



And so it goes.

It's almost here

Friday, December 23, 2016

How about forking over that gift?

In case you've grown tired of all of those kids holiday specials, here's one that's a tad more adult - Pee Wee's Christmas Special:



Cher's cameo was taped in only 25 minutes as she was whisked in and out of the studio due to a heavy schedule for a promotional tour at the time.


Today’s Christmas video countdown – A Rockin Soul Christmas (Old School)

Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday  William Bell -




Merry Christmas Baby  Otis Redding -




Jingle Bells Christmas  Booker T & the MG's -




Gee whiz, it's Christmas  Carla Thomas -




I'll Make Everyday Christmas(For My Woman)   Joe Tex -




Please Come Home For Christmas  Charles Brown -




Do You Hear What I Hear?  Gladys Knight -





Demand Euphoria!


Thursday, December 22, 2016

It's only fair play

Today's Christmas video countdown - Male Rockers Perform:

Run Run Rudolph  Keith Richards -




Pretty Paper  Roy Orbison -




Santa Claus and his Old Lady  Cheech and Chong -




Fairytale Of New York  The Pogues & Kirsty McColl -



Someday at Christmas  Pearl Jam -




Little Drummer Boy  Bob Dylan -





And speaking of alcoholic holidays, here the wonderful tale by the poet Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales -





And so it goes.



Wednesday, December 21, 2016

So is my money

Another favorite Christmas video theme - Do you hear what I hear?: Female Performers:


Christmas is Canceled   Long Blondes




Come On Santa   Raveonettes -




All I Want For Christmas  Yeah Yeah Yeahs  -




Last Christmas  Florence + The Machine -




2000 Miles   Darlene Love -




Silent Night  Stevie Nicks -




O Christmas Tree  Aretha Franklin




And of course the holiday favorite - Christmas Wrapping  The Waitresses -





And so it goes.



Tuesday, December 20, 2016

No man is a failure who has friends.

December 20, 1946 -
The Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, (a day before its official premiere) on this date.



The film is regarded as a classic and is a staple of Christmas television around the world, although, due to its high production costs and stiff competition at the box office, financially, it was considered a flop.



(Another, more adult alternate ending of the film) -



This is truly a strange little film.




Our Second Christmas video countdown – Happy Holiday from Prisoner 1073015

The Phil Spector Christmas Album




I know it's not Christmas in our home unless we hear Darlene Love sing Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), so please enjoy Darlene Love's very first Christmas appearance on the David Letterman Show




And here's her 2014 (and final) appearance on the David Letterman Show:




But fear not -



And she actually sings other holiday songs:

Christmas All Over Again -




Christmastime for the Jews -





And so it goes.




Monday, December 19, 2016

TV Is Like Peanuts



Today's Christmas Countdown - It's a TV Christmas because I hate peanuts but I can't stop eating them.

'Twas The Night Before Christmas  The Honeymooners -




Big Little Jesus  Dragnet -




A Vision Of Sugar Plums   Bewitched -




Miracle On Third Or Fourth Street  Frasier -




Christmas Day at the Bunkers  All in the Family -




Merry Christmas, Mr.Bean  Mr. Bean -




Donald Trump Christmas -





And so it goes.



Sunday, December 18, 2016

Watch Cartoons All Night

You're never too old to watch


Today's Christmas countdown - Holiday Cartoons:

Santa's Workshop (1932 / 2006)




Christmas Night (1933) -




Little Drummer Warners  Animaniacs -




A Space Ghost Christmas -




Bedtime for Sniffles -




The Night Before Christmas Mickey Mouse -


I'm not sure how long you can keep being on the 'nice' list this year. Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip.


And so it goes




Saturday, December 17, 2016

BUSINESS? Mankind was my business!

Today's holiday special – celebrating A Christmas Carol brought to you by:



Marley's Ghost (1901) -




Scrooge (1935) -




Scrooge (1951) -



(It isn't really Christmas in our home unless we are watching this at about 2 am Christmas morning 'assisting Santa' with the gifts.)


This could be the greatest mash-up ever, or at least the most labor intensive. Heath Waterman has spent 18 months putting together this labor of love, retelling the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in his video Twelve Hundred Ghosts - A Christmas Carol in Supercut. Mr. Waterman uses clips from over over 400 versions of the holiday classic.




The Odd Couple   Scrooge Gets An Oscar -




And there is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than drinking spirits -

Eggnog is usually thought of as a Christmas beverage and to tell the truth I am not a huge fan of Eggnog. So I find it amusing that the recipe that I'm posting is for Eggnog (Above is a copy of my family recipe - my father sent it to his sister in 1962.)

Coquito, a Puerto Rican twist on the classic, is a family favorite and I thought I’d share it with you and perhaps you can try it out on your family.

Please note: these drinks go down quite smoothly and are very potent – they could be administered as a calmative for frayed nerves during the holiday season.

Ingredients:

* 4 large egg yolks
* 1/4 cup of sugar
* 1/2 can of (14-ounces) condensed milk
* 1 14-ounce cans evaporated milk
* 1 1/2 cans of 15-ounce cans cream of coconut
* 1/2 of a Fifth of white rum (or more)
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon coconut (or vanilla) extract


Tools:

* Drink Blender
* Can opener
* Glass


Directions:
Add the egg yolks, sugar, spices and vanilla into the blender. Mix until well blended.

Add the evaporated & condensed milk to the blender and briefly mix. (Condensed milk is very thick - you may want to open the can up all the way and scrap out all of the milk with a spatula.)

Vigorously shack the can of cream of coconut (it tends to separate.) Pour the cream of coconut into the blender and mix well. Scrap out any remaining coconut stuff from the can.

Add the rum and mix. Taste. If you think you need more rum, add it.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve cold.


A Christmas Carol  Tom Lehrer -





And so it goes



Friday, December 16, 2016

Every Family Has A Story To Tell (part 2)

Happy families are all alike ... even kids abused by their domineering father - (the Motown edition)

Today's Christmas countdown - A Jackson Five Christmas


Give Love On Christmas Day -




Little Christmas Tree -




I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -




Up on the House Top -




Frosty the Snowman -




We here at ACME are wishing you time to enjoy the simple pleasures of this holiday season.

And if don't enjoy yourself, Joe will be coming by to give you the beating of your life.



And so it goes.


Thursday, December 15, 2016

Every Family Has A Story To Tell (part 1)

No family is perfect - Even kids abused by their domineering father



Today's Christmas countdown - A Beach Boys Christmas

Little Saint Nick -




Christmas Time Is Here Again -




The Man with All the Toys -




Christmas Day -




Another Christmas song they got around to sing in between the verbal abuse from their father   I'll Be Home for Christmas -



There is no place like home for the holiday.



Demand Euphoria.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Spending the holidays with IBM

Today's Christmas countdown - Those gentlemen from Bensonhurst were so moved by our themes concerning Frank and Dino that after much grappa and threatened 'kisses of death', I have be persuaded (forced at gunpoint) to have yet another Mobbed Up Christmas this year. This is not to say that any of these singers are in anyway associated with organized crime.


It's just that Frankie Lupini, Molluschi Vincenzo, Joey Carrozza, etc, 'requested' these songs.


Shake Hands With Santa Claus  Louis Prima -




Merry Christmas Baby  Dion -




Do You Hear What I Hear?  Bobby Vinton -




What Child Is This  Al Martino -




The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open FireJerry Vale -




After many shots (of scotch) and plates of scungilli, baccalà alla vicentina and fried calamari, the boys want to wish everyone Buon Natale.



Demand Europhia.



Tuesday, December 13, 2016

OK, Frank wasn't the only member of the Rat Pack to sing carols -

I once shook hands with Pat Boone and my whole right side sobered up.

today's theme is A Dean Martin's Christmas (Dean died on Christmas day in 1995.)

Silver Bell -



This Christmas classic was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for the 1951 Bob Hope movie The Lemon Drop Kid.


A Winter Romance -




The Christmas Blues -




A Marshmallow World -



Written by the Brill Building songwriters Carl Sigman and Peter DeRose, this is a popular Christmas song, although it doesn't specifically mention the holiday


What the hell, let's have Dean and Frank sing a song for Christmas -



Ahhh, you can practically taste the Bourbon in the air.



Demand Euphoria.

Before you go, remember to get your Christmas cards out soon. You've got to hurry to avoid the rush - December 19th is the busiest day of the year at the post office.



The more cards you send, the more solvent the USPS remains.




Monday, December 12, 2016

Our holiday remembrance of The Chairman of the Board.

I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family - and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually.


Silent Night -



The song is based on a poem written by Father Joseph Mohr, written in 1816; music was added two years later by Franz Xaver Gruber.


Santa Claus Is Coming to Town -



The song was written by J. Frederick Coots (music) and Haven Gillespie (lyrics) in 1934. Coots brought it to his publisher, who didn’t think much of the song but thought it might sell to kids.


It Came Upon A Midnight Clear -



This song could be considered to be the first Christmas song to be composed in the United States, and today it is considered a standard. In the mid 1850s the Americans were only beginning to celebrate the Christmas traditions of their English forebearers.


Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -



Although this song is associated with Christmas, there is no mention of the holiday in the lyrics. It's about making the most of a snowy day by spending it with a loved one by the fire.


There are things about organized religion which I resent. Christ is revered as the Prince of Peace, but more blood has been shed in His name than any other figure in history. You show me one step forward in the name of religion, and I'll show you a hundred retrogressions.


Happy Holidays With Bing and Frank -





And so it goes.


There are 12 days until
the start of Hanukkah.
There are 13 days until Christmas.

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Even the guest get a choice

We have a surprise guest programmer with her favorite Christmas jingles (it doesn't involve nepotism - it's a real guest from a sleepover. Decorating the house is a big deal here, we have extra people come over)

Christmas, (Baby Please Come Home)  U2 -



This was used in the movies Gremlins, Goodfellas, Bad Santa,Christmas with the Kranks, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.


Christmas Wrapping  The Waitresses -



The title does not appear in the lyrics, which made it difficult to request on radio stations. Listeners would often describe the song or sing parts of it to identify it for the DJ.


Santa Claus is Coming To Town  Bruce Springsteen -



This was written in 1932 by Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots. They had trouble convincing anyone to produce it because it was seen as a kids' song, which would have been very hard to sell. The big break came when Eddie Cantor sang it on his radio show in 1934, and the song became an instant hit.

Felix Navidad  Jose Feliciano -



The song is one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the USA, and features in the performance rights organization ASCAP's December 2014 list of the top 30 most performed holiday songs of all time, coming in at #21.


Snoopy's Christmas  Royal Guardsmen -



The Royal Guardsmen were a six-piece from Ocala, Florida, signed to Laurie Records.



Demand Euphoria



Remember, nepotism begins at home.

Here's my second guest programmer with her favorite Christmas jingles (there is no truth to the rumor that I had to chase her around the house to get her to give me this list.)

Olivia, you're up!

Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer   The Crystals -



Rudolph's story was made into a song when Robert L. May, a copywriter for the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department stores who wrote the story, brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, developed the lyrics and melody for it. Marks' musical version was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1949, selling 2 million copies that year.


Winter Wonderland   Johnny Mathis -



The song was written by Felix Bernard (music) and Richard Smith (lyric) in 1934. Smith’s inspiration arrived while looking out his hospital window and saw the field near his tuberculosis ward covered in snow.


Let it Snow  Frank Sinatra -



Written by Jule Styne (music) and Sammy Cohn (lyrics) in 1945 during a California heat wave.


Santa Baby   Eartha Kitt -



Along with I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, this was one of the first Christmas novelty songs.


All I Want For Christmas Is You   Mariah Carey - (One of the kids had to chose it.)



In terms of airplay (at least in America), this is by far the most successful Christmas song written after 1963.


Demand Euphoria




Friday, December 9, 2016

I always end up feeling depressed.

Christmas - It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.


A Charlie Brown Christmas promo -




A mini doc about a Charlie Brown Christmas -




A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio -




Christmas Charlie Brown parody




In honor of our depressed little pal: Let's all get in the mood and have a depressing Christmas -

The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot   Vera Lynn -




Silent Night/7 O' Clock News   Simon & Garfunkel -




Another Lonely Christmas  Prince -




That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!  Sufjan Stevens -




River  Joni Mitchell -




You may daub your eyes now, you just have a little dust in them. I know you are not crying.




Thursday, December 8, 2016

Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.

Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.

This is a better way to remember John Lennon on this sad anniversary


















Demand Euphoria


Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Holiday cartoons about frozen zombies

December 7, 1969 -
Another Rankin/Bass production, Frosty the Snowman, premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



This was Jimmy Durante's final film (not counting documentaries and one short film appearance).


The original recording of Frosty The Snowman by Gene Autry was his seasonal follow-up to his successful recording of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1949.



This time he peaked at #7 in December 1950.


The Snowman in July  (1944)




Frosty The Snowman (1953)




Snowman's Dilemma (1960)




The Snowman (1982)



When this program first aired on PBS stations in the United States, the introduction featured a newly filmed introduction by David Bowie instead of Raymond Briggs on the grounds that the animation needed a star.

I will not play the songs featuring Olaf from Frozen (the earworms they cause has led to a UN report being issued concerning possible war crime being committed by yours truly.)  Really, don't bother to look for them if you can help yourself.



And so it goes.


Tuesday, December 6, 2016

That nice Turkish man you let into your house every year.

December 6 -
It's the Feast of Saint Nicholas (yes, that St. Nick.)

Amongst other things, he is the patron saint of children and was known for his generosity. He's also known as the patron saint of sailors, fishermen, merchants, the falsely accused, prostitutes (Huh), repentant thieves, pharmacists and broadcasters.

Let's check out some other ways St. Nick has been portrayed:

Evolution of Santa Claus -




Santa School -



Santa Claus and His Helpers (1964)




Santa Claus  They Might Be Giants -




Santa Stole My Lady  Fitz and The Tantrums -




Today is the 52nd anniversary of the original broadcast of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, we have another Christmas video countdown today - Rudolph!



Rudolph was born 77 years ago this Christmas season, at the Montgomery Ward department store headquarters in Chicago. He was the star of a humble coloring book, written by a copywriter, Robert May, who almost named the protagonist “Reginald.” May, who’d been lonely as a child, based the character on himself. Store executives fretted that shoppers might think Rudolph’s nose was red because he was drunk, but something about Rudolph’s story spoke to people. He was an outcast, down on his luck. When Santa gave him a job (it was the Great Depression, after all)—well, something clicked.

That Christmas, the company passed out two and a half million copies of the book


Original Rankin/Bass Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer GE Commercials




Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1944) -




Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer  Gene Autry -




Honest Trailers - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -




various commercials feature Rudolph and his friends -














And so it goes



Monday, December 5, 2016

Our First Guest Programmer of the Season (Next year I'll be good, just wait)

We asked back one of our guest programmers (I actually had no choice, I was stuck for a theme and she'll always hanging around here.) to give us a few of her favorite holiday songs.  Take it away Julietta -


Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas  Michael Bublé -



The song Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was first published in 1943 and is one of the saddest Christmas songs of the season


Baby, It's Cold Outside  Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer -



Yeah, I didn't have the heart to tell her about the very creepy undertones of this song and the fact the Johnny Mercer was Margaret Whiting's godfather only adds to the general unease with the song.


Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)  Michael Bublé -



SOS seems to be on a Michael Bublé kick at the moment.  We'll hear more about this song later.


Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer  Elmo & Patsy -



The kids love this song; it appears on either of their list every year.  (We hate it and continue to try to steer them to other choices.  Once again, we lost.)


The Twelve Days Of Christmas  Ray Conniff Singers -



(Once again, here's a great bar bet winner - not that SOS is in the habit of making bar bets - the five gold rings probably do not refer to jewelry. Given that the first seven days, except the five, refer to birds - the gold rings refer either to the five golden rings of the ringed pheasant or refer to "five goldspinks" - a goldspink being an old name for a Goldfinch.)


Here's a bonus track - An inspired mash-up of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You and My Chemical Romance's Welcome To The Black Parade -



This is so perfectly matched that it seems it was written this way.



Demand Euphoria


Sunday, December 4, 2016

Surprise theme (can you guess the theme?)

Our holiday theme today is one of our favorite holiday games, "Guess the theme?"


Winter Wonderland  Annie Lennox -



Due to its seasonal theme, Winter Wonderland is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere, although the holiday itself is never mentioned in the lyrics.


Santa Baby  Kylie Minogue -



It adapts the conventions of Christmas songs to become a kind of love and seduction song.


Sleigh Ride  Fun -



This song does not make any specific reference to Christmas, but the seasonal imagery has made it very much associated with the holiday. It's hard to think of a sleigh in winter without thinking of Santa.


I’ll Be Home for Christmas  Frank Sinatra -



This was originally recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943, and it quickly became one of America's most popular holiday songs along with White Christmas, which Bing had recorded the previous year.


I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm  Billie Holiday -



Another song that is not strictly a Christmas song as the lyrics make no mention of the holiday, the tune has been recorded for many artists' Christmas albums


Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow  Dean Martin -



This song was first recorded by Vaughn Monroe and released in 1946. The song became a huge hit, so much so that it inspired other artists to record it.


Demand Euphoria!






Saturday, December 3, 2016

There really was a Celtic saint called St Elvis


As our tribute to the anniversary of St. Elvis' comeback -

It's an Elvis Christmas today

Santa Claus Is Back in Town




If Every Day Was Like Christmas




Blue Christmas




I Believe




Silent Night




If you find yourself all tingly in your bulbous naughty bits;

you're listening to Elvis; he understands.




Demand Euphoria