Wednesday, December 21, 2011

"I'm dreaming of a..."

Anyone who knows me will be shocked SHOCKED that *I* of all people am writing about music. Usually I couldn’t care less about music in anyway, shape or form. Chalk that up to having been married to a composer for 13 less than stellar years, and I dare anyone else to feel differently. And just that fast I've gotten off topic.

Let's get back on track, shall we?

I do happen to love Christmas music. Well, some of it. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, I am rather high maintenance from time to time. (Or always.)

So let’s get specific about Christmas music, shall we? I usually start to listen to holiday music the 1st or 2nd week of November. And no matter how many times I hear certain songs, I could always listen to them again:

White Christmas * Bing Crosby


Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer * Gene Autry


Holly Jolly Christmas * Burl Ives


Blue Christmas * Elvis Presley


Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree * Brenda Lee


Hanukkah Song * Adam Sandler


I could go on and on. Did you notice I didn't just list the song, but included the performer and the performance as well? There’s a reason for that.

Those songs are taken.

I don’t want to hear anyone other than Bing Crosby sing White Christmas. I just don’t. That song is spoken for. Gene Autry sings Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and he’s the only one who should.

I don’t want to hear Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, or Kid Rock sing any of those songs. I just don’t. Not now. Not ever.

These songs are classics. We all know them. We all sing along with… Bing and Gene and Burl. But these songs weren’t classics until these greats sang them (being loose with the term ‘great’ in regards to Adam Sandler – but no one else should sing his Hanukkah Song ever. It’s his! And it’s hilarious.)

I’d love to hear new classic holiday songs come to fruition by contemporary artists, something future generations will look back on with nostalgia. But there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel, no reason to cover these classic songs. They’re perfectly fine the way they are.

What is your favorite holiday song? Do you like to hear covers of the old classics or do you like them the way they are?

22 comments:

  1. Ava,
    I feel the same exact way about classic holday songs. My favorite Christmas song is Adeste Fideles. It is also known as O, Come All Ye Faithful. It was written in the middle of the eighteenth century by a music copyist in England. Nat King Cole recorded it for his Christmas cd many years ago and it's so beutiful it makes me incredibly happy to hear.

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  2. Julie ~ That is so pretty. And speaking of Nat King Cole... no one else should ever sing the The Christmas Song, either. :)

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  3. You know how I love music? How I listen to it ALL the time? Turn it on in the car as soon as I get in, flip on the radio in the kitchen and MUST have music when I write?
    I HATE holiday music. Hate. It. I want to plug my ears and run screaming down the road when I hear it. Sorry. I know this makes me abnormal, but I really can't stand it. Then ONLY exception is Adam Sandler, because he's funny...and the Beebs new Xmas song, because his sweet, boy toy voice is so smooth and lovely. But I'll deny it if you tell that to anyone.... ;D

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  4. Olivia ~ LOL. I don't need to tell anyone. You just did that yourself. *doh*

    But HOW can you hate White Christmas? Have you seen Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire? (This is where White Christmas originally came from NOT White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye). Anyway, the clip above is from Holiday Inn and it's just such a sweet scene, that I have loved that song even more after watching that movie.

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  5. Ha! I love you for posting this blog. No one but Bing should sing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" either. Deanna Durbin owns "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year." Come on-a my house, Ava. We will have a classic film fest/Christmas concert together. :)

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  6. Bing Crosby's White Christmas is my absolute favorite! It evokes so many memories of Christmas past. It also holds relevance for me today. Living in the Rocky Mountains and looking out on the snow covered peaks three days before Christmas 2011. I wish my daughter Jodie was here to share it!

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  7. Totally agree! I wish "Holiday Inn" got more attention. I find it much better than "White Christmas." I watch it every year. The only exception to the "no new renditions" rule for me is James Taylor's version of "In the Bleak Midwinter." I get teary-eyed whenever I hear it.

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  8. I love Christmas music and I don't want a new mix. One of my favorites is Santa Baby.

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  9. Hilarious blog post, Ava!!! I love, love the oldies like Bing and David Bow singing The Little Drummer Boy together and Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You (which she redid with Justin B. and it kinds creeps me out how she shaws her"bells" for him) .
    *shakes not shaws
    *Bowe not Bow...stupid Droid.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

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  10. Ava, I didn't know your husband was a composer. How exciting!! I love the old Christmas songs, too. Remember the Carpenters? I loved their songs. Still do. :)

    ~Marie~

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  11. Sarah ~ We totally should do a Classic film fest/Christmas concert! That would be so much fun!!

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  12. Deborah ~ How sweet. I'm sure your daughter wishes she was there too.

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  13. Jennifer ~ I completely agree. Holiday Inn gets no respect in relation to White Christmas. :)

    I don't think I've heard that James Taylor version. Hmm...

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  14. Ella ~ Santa Baby is another great classic.

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  15. Marquita ~ *shaking her bells* I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. Ugh! LOL

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  16. Marie ~ that was EX husband. EX. Don't wish that man on me ever again. I feel like someone just walked across my grave or that a ghost touched my shoulder. I'm going to have the willies the rest of the day.

    But I do agree about the Carpenters. :)

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  17. My favorite Christmas song is Do you Hear what I Hear. And it's very hard to find it done well. In recent years, it's picked up in popularity but I don't like any of the version.

    To me, a lot of the true Christmas Carols need a choir. But definitely the ones you mentioned don't need to be reinvented.

    BTW, I love the 12 Pains of Christmas. If someone wants to take a spin off a classic and it's funny, then go reinvent the wheel.

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  18. I love Christmas and all its music. Old, new...I don't really care. I love the oldies: Bing, Johnny Mathis and Nat being my faves from days gone by. But the first artist to even come close to living up to them is Michael Buble in his brand new album entitled simply Christmas. It's effing BRILLIANT! And there are a couple great new songs on there too :)

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  19. Not really a Country Music fan, but listening to Allison Krause sing right now I can make that exception in my Christmas Music listening.

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  20. Grr, Blogger says I can't play along. I always want to sing along when I hear the Carol of the Bells, no matter whose version.

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  21. Hi Ava--Happy Holidays!

    I feel that way about some songs,and not others. Have you heard Adam Sandler's updated Hanukka songs? They just aren't quite as funny as the first, even though he's doing them himself.

    One remake I can get behind is Bog and Doug McKenzie's 12 Days of Christmas. "For the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a beer!" Totally funny.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32CwrOZVobo&feature=related
    you have to listen to the whole thing because it gets funnier as it goes..

    My biggest peeve is when every female singer remakes Santa Baby. No. Just no!

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  22. Deb, have you heard Michael Buble's Santa Baby! It's so great!!

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