Talkin’ Santa Claus

Talkin’ Santa Claus

And Other Christmas Songs

By Jack Coll

12-23-13

What’s your favorite Christmas song, do you have a list, a top ten favorite list?  Everybody has a favorite, the problem with some people is that every Christmas song is their favorite.  Before we start can we get something out of the way!  I feel that a radio station who goes all Christmas on November 15, is somewhat overbearing, I mean by November 18, I hate Christmas songs, I mean I love Christmas songs but for goodness sake how much is too much, and we haven’t even had our Thanksgiving Day  dinner yet. Two radio stations in the Philadelphia area went all Christmas, wait a minute, I’m sorry, I meant to say they went all holiday music, around the clock, from before Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas, I’ve shut both stations off, hopefully to never return.

With that out of the way, when I hear certain songs I feel they were meant to be sung by the original artist, or at least the first time I heard them performed by a certain artist.  For instance, when “White Christmas” comes on the radio, Bing Crosby has to be singing it, I don’t quite get in the spirit when “Alice In Chain’s” sings it.  “Jingle Bell Rock” is another, it has to be performed by Bobby Helms, and “White Christmas” really puts me in the mood when Nat King Cole sings it.

Now other songs I prefer an up-dated version, case in point is Bruce Springsteen singing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” I mean you can’t beat, “It’s getting all cold down along the boardwalk, Hey Clarence, Hey Clarence, you been a good boy, Santa gonna bring you a new saxophone or what,” yea, that’s good Bruce. I just love when Brenda Lee sings “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” and another favorite of mine is a very weird mix of performers but what a great song, “Little Drummer Boy” by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, the harmonizing melts in your ears, it’s worth U-tubing.

Before I give you my short list of favorites, here are a few good Christmas songs to ponder!

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside, done by many artists

(of course) Blue Christmas, Elvis

The Christmas Song, (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire) done by many artists

(This one’s actually pretty good) “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses

(I really do like this one) Do they Know It’s Christmas Time At All” by Band Aid

“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsy

(A little bit of a local connection, Larry Carlin, a graduate of Upper Merion High School has played with Elmo & Patsy since the song hit the airwaves. Larry graduated in 1973 and celebrated his 40^th class reunion in Conshohocken).

Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

“A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives

(I love the John Mellencamp version) “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” by Bing Crosby

“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” by Andy Williams

“Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys (I love the line, “He’s hauling through the snow at a freighting speed)

“Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry

“Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg

“Santa Claus and His Old Lady” by Cheech & Chong

“Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes

“Snoopy’s Christmas” by The Royal Guardsman

“There’s No Place Like Home For The Holiday’s” a number of artist performed it, I like version Perry Como’s

“Winter Wonderland” by Johnny Mathis

(Not real fond of this one) “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney

(Not real fond of this one either) “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch”

“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms, and by Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” by Perry Como

“Nuttin’s for Christmas” by Barry Gordon

“Step Into Christmas” by Elton John

“All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” (Never really liked that one, slow and boring)

“Frosty The Snow Man” by The Ronettes

“Silver Bells” by Johnny Mathis

“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” by The Crystals

“Winter Wonderland” by Darlene Love

Just a few of my all time favorites would include in no particular order

Santa Baby

In its original version by Eartha Kitt

Sexy, Sassy, and no performer can breathe like her

     “Santa Baby” was a 1953 Christmas song written by Joan Javits, (who was the niece of Senator Jacob K. Javits) and Phil Springer.  The song is sung from a young ladies perspective who longs for expensive gifts.  Eartha recorded the song in New York City in October of 1953.  The song became an instant classic and was used in a 1954 film “New Faces.”  The song can also be heard in the films “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989) and “Boynton Beach Club” (2005.

In 1967-68 Eartha played “Cat Woman” in the TV series “Batman.”  Eartha also appeared in a number of 60’s and 70’s television shows including “I Spy,” “Mission Impossible,” and “Police Woman.”   She can also be heard in “The Simpsons, in the “Once Upon A Time In Springfield” episode.

Eartha was born on a cotton plantation in South Carolina in January 1927 and passed away on Christmas Day in 2008 at the age of 81.

Just a little bit of “Santa Baby”

Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree, for me

been an awful good girl, Santa baby,

So hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa baby, a 54 convertible too,

Light blue.

I’ll wait up for you dear,

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Dozens of artists have covered the song over the years including

LeAnn Rimes

The Pussycat Dolls

Lynn Anderson

Miss Piggy

Mae West

Patti LaBelle

And dozens of other artists

Stevie Wonder does a knockout job with ‘Someday at Christmas.”  I’ve always enjoyed the song and often sang along but as I write this column,  expecting my first grandchild the song has taken on a whole new meaning.

The song was written by Motown songwriters Ron Miller and Bryan Wells who wrote a lot of Stevie’s early stuff like “A Place In The Sun” and another classic “Yester-me, Yester-You, Yesterday.”  The song was written and released in the fall of 1967 on Wonder’s first Christmas Album.  Although Stevie was only 17 years old he started recognizing social and political causes and embraced the fact that this was one of the first Christmas songs released during the Viet Nam War.  Stevie took a stand for peace and equality much like John Lennon did in his 1971 song Happy Christmas, (War is Over)

Other Motown acts covered the song in later years like The Jackson Five, The Temptations, and Diana Ross.  Miss Ross recently performed the song live for the Christmas in Washington Annual Christmas Television Special, performing for United States President Barack Obama.

I mentioned that the song recently took on a new meaning with the anticipated arrival of my first grandchild, a couple of the lines in the song are extremely touching and makes one ponder other thoughts, and dreams and hopes about the future of our world.

During the course of the song Wonder sings about someday at Christmas there’ll be no more wars and there will be peace on earth, and the lyric that tugs at the heartstrings when he softly sings that “Someday at Christmas we’ll see a land, with no hungry children, no empty hand,” and of course the punch line is, “Maybe not in time for you and me, but someday at Christmas time.”  It’s those lyrics that make me want to believe that perhaps, just maybe, my grandchild will live to see that day, because in my lifetime, I’m convinced that our government depends on war for the good of the American economy, and that’s a shame.  But someday, just maybe one day in the year 2050, or 2060, or maybe even in the year 2075, when my grandchild is 60 years old, perhaps our government, and the rest of the world can figure out a way for us to all get along, and just maybe there will be no more wars, and as Stevie says, that folks would “be a day all our dreams could come true”, just not in time for you and me.

“Someday At Christmas”

Stevie Wonder

Someday at Christmas men won’t be boys

Playing with bombs like kids play with toys

One warm December our hearts will see

A world where men are free

Someday at Christmas there’ll be no wars

When we have learned what Christmas is for

When we have found what life’s really worth

There’ll be peace on earth

Someday all our dreams will come to be

Someday in a world where men are free

Maybe not in time for you and me

But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas we’ll see a land

With no hungry children, no empty hand

One happy morning people will share

Our world where people care

Someday at Christmas there’ll be no tears

All men are equal and no men have fears

One shining moment, one prayer away

From our world today

Someday all our dreams will come to be

Someday in a world where men are free

Maybe not in time for you and me

But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmas man will not fail

Hate will be gone and love will prevail

Someday a new world that we can start

With hope in every heart

Someday all our dreams will come to be

Someday in a world where men are free

Maybe not in time for you and me

But someday at Christmastime

Someday at Christmastime

Let’s add to Jack’s All Time favorite Christmas song list

Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge  “Christmas Serenade”

“The Fat Man” Fats Domino  “Jingle Bells”

“The Schnoz” Jimmy Durante  “Frosty The Snowman”

The Pretenders  “2000 Miles”

The Carpenters  “Merry Christmas Darling” (Greeting cards have all been sent)

Jim Croce  “It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way”

     It’s no secret that I love Jim Croce, I loved everything about him, and I really love his Christmas song.  I’m not sure it’s all about the lyrics, but perhaps the way he sings it, the way he sang everything.  Jim had that classic 1970’s attitude about him, the way he walked, the way he talked, and a great sense of humor.  A few lines of his Christmas song, ( it might be best to U-tube it), you can almost feel his pain as he sings it, it’s about a lonely man, a missed opportunity, and the sadness of the holidays when you’re all alone, check it out.  

“It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way”

Snowy nights and Christmas lights,

Icy windowpanes

Make me wish that we could be

Together again

And the windy winter avenues

Just don’t seem the same,

And the Christmas carols sound like blues,

But the choir is not to blame

But it doesn’t have to be that way

What we had should never have ended

I’ll be dropping by today

We could easily get it together tonight

It’s only right

Crowed stores, the corner Santa Claus,

Tinseled afternoons,

And the sidewalk bands play their songs

Slightly out of tune

Down the windy winter avenues

There walks a lonely man,

And if I told you who he is,

Well I think you’d understand

     May god Bless Jim Croce on this Christmas Day, 40 years after his death.  As we get older we learn that it’s not always about having a Merry Christmas as much as having a healthy one.  You might have noticed I didn’t mention Phil Spector’s Christmas Album, containing my all time favorite Christmas song, Phil released the holiday album on November 22, 1963, if the date sounds familiar, well it should, it was the same day Kennedy was assassinated, the record was a flop.  For more on Phil Spector’s Christmas Album, be sure to check out Talkin’ Music with Jack for one more Christmas column.

     Perhaps you would like to share your favorite Christmas song, feel free!  Now let’s get on with this week’s trivia.

Answer To Last Week’s Trivia

#1  Actually it wasn’t a President that banned the Beach Boys from playing on the National Mall on July 4, 1983, but rather President Ronald Regan’s United States Secretary of the Interior James Watt.  Watt banned the Beach Boys and the Grass Roots calling them drug filled concerts and booked Wayne Newton instead.  President Reagan later apologized to the members of the Beach Boys.

# 2  In the late 1960’s Eric Clapton was part of a three man band called Cream, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were the other two members.

# 3  Dusty Springfield had six Top Twenty  hits in America including “Wishin’ And Hopin’,” “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” “  Son Of A Preacher Man,” “What Have I Done To Deserve This,” “I Only Want To Be With You,’ and “All I See Is You.”