Tag: Christmas

Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire

Nat King Cole Christmas

Merry Christmas to our readers around the world. Below is one of the classic Christmas songs, appropriately titled, “The Christmas Song.”

You have to wonder whether other songwriters were jealous when songwriters Bob Wells and Mel Tormé named their song “THE Christmas Song.” How could anyone come up with a more definitive title for a Christmas song than this one first published in 1945?

But then you hear Nat King Cole sing it, and you finally understand why it is “THE Christmas Song.”

Cole recorded the song several times during his career. He first recorded it in early 1946 as part of The Nat King Cole Trio, but later that year Cole asked to re-record it with a string section. It was that second version that became a massive hit. Cole recorded it again in 1953 with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. A version we often hear was recorded in 1961 with an orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael.

According to Wikipedia, Tormé later added a coda to the ending of the song, adapting the words from “Here We Come A-wassailing.”

Love and joy come to you;
And to you your Christmas too;
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year;
And God send you a happy New Year.

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    The Killers Lament Another “Christmas in L.A.”

    Killers Christmas

    The Killers have released their annual Christmas song. This time, the video for “Christmas in L.A.” stars Owen Wilson lamenting life in Los Angeles, dreaming of a white Christmas.

    As was the case with The Killers’ seven previous Christmas singles, all proceeds from “Christmas in L.A.” go to to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS as part of a partnership with (RED).

    In addition to Owen Wilson, the video for “Christmas in L.A.” also features an appearance by Harry Dean Stanton. And see if you can spot the animated Warren Zevon too. Check out “Christmas in L.A.”

    Also, see our posts on some other Christmas songs from The Killers.

    What is your favorite Killers Christmas song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Killers Christmas: “Dirt Sledding”
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  • There Will Be Another Christmas
  • We sang, “Silent Night” All Day Long
  • “Hello Christmas” from Dion and Amy Grant

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    The Star Wars Holiday Special 1978

    Star Wars TV Special With all the buzz about the new film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which continues to break box-office records, one is bound to think back to another holiday season affected by the Star Wars franchise. After the successful release of the original Star Wars film in 1977, the following November gave television viewers The Star Wars Holiday Special.

    The Special

    CBS broadcast the 97-minute television show on Friday, November 17, 1978 at 8:00-10:00 p.m.  The Star Wars Holiday Special centered around Chewbacca and his family celebrating Life Day, a holiday that happens to be a lot like Christmas.

    The musical-variety show featured many of the characters from Star Wars, even though many of the stars did not really want to be involved in the show. As Harrison Ford explained during a 2011 press tour: “It was in my contract. There was no known way to get out of it.” In the special, the movie stars were helped out by TV stars of the era like Bea Arthur, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, and Harvey Korman.

    The Star Wars Holiday Special included an animated segment that is notable for showing Luke, Han, and Leia having their first encounter with bounty hunter Boba Fett.  The bounty hunter, of course, would later appear in The Empire Strikes Back.

    Below is the special.

    Reception

    Fans of the movie had high expectations for anything related to Star Wars.  So, they were disappointed with the Star Wars Holiday Special, including its low budget and its motivation to sell toys to kids. The special became pretty much universally reviled by everyone including George Lucas.

    Still, through the years, some fans have grown more fond of the show for its kitschy and nostalgic appeal. There is an entire website devoted to the TV show. And Mental Floss recently posted “An Oral History of The Star Wars Holiday Special.”

    Below is a 15-minute “best of” compilation from the special.

    If you still want more, you may watch the entirety of The Star Wars Holiday Special on YouTube. May the Force be with you through this holiday season.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Paul McCartney Joins Springsteen for “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”

    SNL Springsteen
    After it was announced that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band would appear on NBC’s Saturday Night Live during the week of Christmas, it was a safe bet to predict that the band would be busting out its Christmas classic “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.” But who would have known that they would be joined onstage by Paul McCartney?

    After performing “Meet Me in the City” and “The Ties That Bind” earlier in the evening to promote the new box-set release of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, Springsteen and the E Street Band appeared at the end of the show for the goodbyes from the show’s hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Then, the whole cast danced while Springsteen sang “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” capturing the joy of what Christmas music should be, with a little help from Paul McCartney.

    Although McCartney stays in the background on the singing, it is great to see two rock legends on stage together having fun. Check it out.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The Killers Christmas: “Dirt Sledding”

    Killers Christmas

    Christmas season can only mean one thing, that it is time for the Killers to release their annual Christmas song. Since 2006, the Killers have given us a new Christmas song every year, with all proceeds going to benefit AIDS charities through the Product RED campaign. This year’s song is “Dirt Sledding,” featuring Ryan Pardey and Richard Dreyfuss.

    “Dirt Sledding” begins with an atmospheric sound, picking up into a 1950s Elvis Presley rock sound at around the 1:23 mark. You may detect some Big Bopper and Queen influences too.

    Pardey has portrayed Santa in several of the Christmas Killers songs, and he does it again here. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is on board to lend his voice at around the 3:13 mark. Check it out.

    Every year since the band’s first annual holiday song, the wonderful “A Great Big Sled,” the Killers give us a worthy Christmas song. Last year, the Killers presented us with what should become a Christmas classic, “Joel the Lump of Coal.” While this year’s contribution may not rise to the level of a classic, it is a cool-sounding song for a cool cause.

    If you are interested in other Killers Christmas songs, The Guardian and NerdGlow have tried to rank the past songs.

    What do you think of “Dirt Sledding”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Story Behind “The Fairytale of New York”
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