Sam Smith had a great year, and he ended is ending the year by giving us a moving new version of an old classic. Check out Sam Smith singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and have a merry Christmas.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Category: Music
New Christmas Classic from The Killers: “Joel the Lump of Coal”
The Killers sought some help from Jimmy Kimmel in putting together their annual Christmas song. The result is a catchy and surprisingly touching song, “Joel the Lump of Coal.” The song tells the story of a lump of coal named Joel who is excited to be a Christmas present before learning the disappointing news that Santa Claus’s plan is to use him to teach a naughty boy a lesson. But, since this song is a Christmas song, it ends with a heart-warming twist.
Below is a video of The Killers playing the new Christmas classic, “Joel the Lump of Coal.” Check it out.
The video of Jimmy Kimmel working with The Killers to write the song is on YouTube too. The Killers’ “Joel the Lump of Coal” benefits the RED campaign to raise awareness about AIDS.
What do you think of “Joel the Lump of Coal”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Darlene Love’s Final Letterman Performance of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
Chimesfreedom has previously noted that Darlene Love‘s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is among our favorite Christmas songs and favorite pop songs of all time. So, with David Letterman retiring, we will miss Love’s annual appearance on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman to sing the song written by Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry.
Unfortunately, Love has stated that out of respect for Letterman, she will not take the annual tradition to another talk show. Fortunately for us, Friday night we got one more massive performance of the song, which started out as a tradition on Letterman’s NBC Late Night show back in 1986 when she was only accompanied by Paul Shaffer and a four-piece rock band. Check out the final Late Show performance of the song that originally appeared on the 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
Why did Love stay on top of the piano after the song? Love explained to the New York Times that she knew she would start crying if Letterman hugged her, so she remained on top of the piano knowing “Dave ain’t coming up here.” Even so, you see her holding back the tears after Letterman shakes her hand. Thanks to both Love and Letterman for a wonderful tradition.
Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Marty Brown Sings “The Little Drummer Boy”
Country singer Marty Brown recently performed a live version of the Christmas classic “The Little Drummer Boy.” Accompanied by harmonica and fiddle, Brown shows his great singing voice especially when he takes the song into the higher register. Check it out.
A previous Chimesfreedom post recounted the history of the song and TV special of “The Little Drummer Boy.”
If you want more holiday music from Marty Brown, check out this home recording of “Blue Christmas.” The video is completed by Brown doing his Elvis Presley imitation starting at around the 50-second mark. Check it out below (and for more on Elvis’s connection to “Blue Christmas” check out this story).
What is your favorite version of “The Little Drummer Boy”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Bob Seger on Letterman: “All the Roads”
This week, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman to promote the new album Ride Out. Before performing, Seger sat down to talk about his career, including the origin of the name “the Silver Bullet Band” (hint: his manager made it up).
After the talk, it was time to get down to some music. Seger and the band then performed “All the Roads” from the new album. In a previous post, we had noted that Seger had explained that “All the Roads” is about his career.
Bob Seger and the band are currently on tour.
What is your favorite Bob Seger song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)