Holiday Music

[Valka D'Ur]

Two things (well, three, actually) prompt this thread:

1. CBC's website had an article about why some people hate Christmas music.

2. I was in Walmart today and there wasn't a scrap of Christmas music in the store. It was an endless loop of some kind of synthetic "music" that reminded me of circus clowns. It was driving me nuts after only a couple of minutes, and when I realized it was on continual loop, I figured I'd actually rather listen to Chip & Dale or Alvin and the Chipmunks than that awful noise.

(There was Christmas music in the mall itself; an adequate rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear?".)

3. I write Christmas filks (mostly based on Star Trek/Star Trek: The Next Generation). Every year I keep getting reminded that back in 1989, someone at BanffCon - the first place where my filks were performed in public - said, "You should write more verses to this one." It's been 37 years. Maybe I should get going on that.

I have some idea of how some people here feel about Christmas stuff (well, Christmas smileys, at least ). But what are the prevailing opinions on Christmas music? Are there any songs you really hate? Are there any you especially like? Are there some that are okay depending on how they're performed?

 

[dusters]

I like this - (will write a bigger reply after I return home from running)

 

[Valka D'Ur]

That looks scary!

 

[Samson]

There is only one good christmas song:

 

[IglooDame]

My tastes in Christmas music are eclectic, just like other music (I have a 500-song greatest hits collection that includes Enya, Dropkick Murphys, the Andrews Sisters, Avril Lavigne, Frank Sinatra, and ZZ top). That said, I've become a big fan of Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is mostly known for Christmas music, and have now been as many of their concerts (4) than everyone else combined.

https://www.youtube.com/user/tsoofficial

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

This is my favorite Christmas song, performed by my favorite a cappella group.

 

[Synobun]

I have a mixed relationship with Christmas music. My mother would blare it loudly, both English and Dutch music, and our Christmas celebrations were honestly awful exercises of torture instead of a celebration of any kind. I've spent this Christmas and last Christmas with a friend and trying to develop a love or at least appreciation for the holiday, some of that includes listening to Christmas music, and I seem to switch between enjoying it and hating it. It does not help that I would not know where to start in trying to find Christmas music I enjoy consistently as I don't know anything about it. I can tip-tap "Christmas music" into YouTube and that would be about the extent of my knowledge.

 

[shadowplay]

Do You Hear What I Hear?

This song used to freak me out when I was a kid. Something about a dancing star with a tail and the sea singing that didn't sit right with me.

 

[warpus]

I hate Christmas music because there's never any new songs. It's always the same stuff, over and over and over and over and over and over. On top of that they always start playing the stuff in November or at times even earlier. So you hear it every day and it's always the same stuff over and over and over. By the time Christmas Eve rolls around you're wayyy more than just sick of it

Anglo-Saxon christmas songs are usually silly and childish. Mom was kissing santa claus? Rudolph the red nosed reindeer? I mean there's stuff like Oh Christmas tree and other more serious songs, but a lot of Anglo Saxon christmas fare seems to be directed at kids. I am not a kid anymore, so children's music doesn't appeal to me.

Polish christmas songs are usually religious in nature. I don't mind them because I only hear them on Christmas Eve and Day and that's it. They play in the background while we eat mushroom soup and down vodka shots and open our gifts. So I associate them with good times. It is always the same stuff over and over and over, but like I said I only hear it 2 days out of the whole year. Plus most of it doesn't sound like music written for children. So it's not so bad.

Here's some samples:

 

[dusters]

Generally I dislike Christmas, because they are commercialised, I guess. Although If I had Christmas like I had 20 years ago at my grandgrandparents, it might be ok. Who knows, they are dead and all my tries to make a family on my own has failed so far. I hope to build a family and celebrate Christmas decently one day.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

This is my favorite Christmas song, performed by my favorite a cappella group.

I really like the song - it's been a favorite for many years, and it's one of the ones I play well on the organ. The people in the video have decent voices (I've not heard anything else they've done), but they dress it up too much. This song should be kept relatively simple, without too many flourishes.

This song used to freak me out when I was a kid. Something about a dancing star with a tail and the sea singing that didn't sit right with me.

The lines about the star were probably written with the idea in mind that the Star of Bethlehem was a comet. However, comets don't move across the sky quickly, and they don't twinkle. Astronomers' best current guess is that there might have been a planetary conjunction that was bright, and which people would have mistaken for a star.

Actually, the sea does sing. So does anything that makes sound. It's not in words, but there have been attempts to figure out what key the universe itself is in. Last I read, the answer was B flat.

Back in the mid-'70s, my Grade 7 music class took part in a local carol festival at a church. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is one of the songs we did... and outsang a group of adult singers.

Generally I dislike Christmas, because they are commercialised, I guess. Although If I had Christmas like I had 20 years ago at my grandgrandparents, it might be ok. Who knows, they are dead and all my tries to make a family on my own has failed so far. I hope to build a family and celebrate Christmas decently one day.

I generally get depressed around this time of year - nobody left to celebrate with. The cats don't understand Christmas, other than there's this object on the table that I won't allow them to play with (the Christmas tree; I have a 12-inch one on a table), and they know something's been set aside that they find very interesting (catnip) but don't understand why they can't have it Right Now (our family has always had our Christmas on the 24th, so the cats have to wait until then).

Well, at least this thread has inspired me to do something new this year - I've got a new filk that's mostly finished (Star Trek Voyager lyrics; tune is "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"). Maybe some year I'll come up with a brand new melody; I've got a few running around in my head that don't have any lyrics to go with them. They're not what I would call Christmassy, though.

 

[Arwon]

Here's a couple good Australian entries:

How To Make Gravy is about a newly jailed man talking to his brother about missing Christmas. Contains a genuine gravy recipe.

This one is just a nice song about drinking in the sun with one's family.

 

[Zkribbler]

I despise Jingle Bell Rock because it's not a rock song, it's not close to being a rock song, and it's a lousy song! Little Drummer Boy ia deranged. What idiot would beat on a drum around a newborn?

I like most Christmas music and have a special fondness for novelty tunes. I'd give "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" a big thumbs up, but most folks hate it.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I despise Jingle Bell Rock because it's not a rock song, it's not close to being a rock song, and it's a lousy song! Little Drummer Boy ia deranged. What idiot would beat on a drum around a newborn?

I like most Christmas music and have a special fondness for novelty tunes. I'd give "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" a big thumbs up, but most folks hate it.

Yeah, the lyrics don't make a lot of sense, but the melody is nice.

I have to ask: If someone actually gave you a hippopotamus, what would you do with it?

 

[Zkribbler]

I have to ask: If someone actually gave you a hippopotamus, what would you do with it?

There's lots of room for him, inside our two-car garage.
I'd keep him there, and feed him there, and give him a massage.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

There's lots of room for him, inside our two-car garage.
I'd keep him there, and feed him there, and give him a massage.

Would you build a pond (or better yet, a lake) in your garage? They like spending time in the water.

 

[CavLancer]

I think its likely been played to death in North America, but I've taken a real liking to this... The amount of crap she had to endure, I guess I'd never considered it before.

 

[yung.carl.jung]

Christmas songs are like elaborate torture to me. I especially have a hate-boner for anything that is faux bossa nova, acapella, pop versions of traditional Christmas songs and duets. That being said most anglo christmas songs suck anyway. I guess the only ones I can tolerate are actual Christian christmas songs, the ones you sing in the church. And I say that as someone who isn't Christian and doesn't enjoy church.

Special shoutouts to Wham's "Last Christmas", Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You", "Jingle Bell Rock", especially modern renditions and that godafwul Pentatonix song posted earlier itt. Makes me want to blow my brain out.

That being said, because it's Christmas tomorrow, I guess I'll grace you with some actual nice Christmas music that I like:

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Thank you for posting the Charlie Brown soundtrack. I'd never paid a lot of attention to the filler music before (and I've seen this show at least two or three dozen times in my life).

That said, I'm not a fan of the piano-plunking (unless it's Schroeder, on his toy piano! ).

 

[CavLancer]

He can make that baby sing.