Dec
25
My 6 Favorite Frivolous Christmas Tunes
I’m gonna go somewhat off-topic for the Xmas holidays. I know, I know. Some people (maybe you?) strongly dislike these songs for one reason or another. But, I like ’em. Such songs can trigger nostalgic feelings or memories from one’s childhood or some other event, and sometimes they just add a nice bit of Christmas joy. They’re fun, silly even.
I present to you (in no particular order)…
1) “Dominick the Donkey” (aka “The Italian Christmas Donkey”) was written by Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg and Wandra Merrell. It was originally recorded by Lou Monte in 1960 and listed at No. 14 on Billboard‘s “Bubbling under the Hot 100” list in December 1960.
2) “The Chipmunk Song” (aka “Christmas Don’t Be Late”) was written by David Seville and recorded in 1958 by Alvin and the Chipmunks and David Seville. Seville, real name Ross Bagdasarian, sang all the parts by recording himself at different tape speeds. The song won three Grammy Awards in 1958, for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children’s Recording, and Best Engineered Record (non-classical).
3) Honestly, I only discovered this next one relatively recently, but it gave me a chuckle. Plus, 10-year-old Gayla Peevey’s voice sounds so grown up, and her performance was quite impressive for one so young. In any case, John Rox wrote “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” and Peevey recorded it in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on Billboard magazine’s pop chart in December 1953.
4) Who doesn’t love “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!? Many have recorded it, but I gotta go with the original version from the American animated special (1966) by Chuck Jones. Boris Karloff was the narrator and voice of The Grinch, but it was the smooth, bass tones of Thurl Ravenscroft that gave us the memorable song. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” was written (by Seuss himself, Theodor Geisel) and composed (by Albert Hague) specially for the, er, special.
5) “Santa Baby” is a tongue-in-cheek song that has been recorded by many and experienced some controversy along the way. But, the original recording (1953) by the one-and-only Earth Kitt is, in my opinion, the best. According to Billboard, “Santa Baby” was the best-selling Christmas song of 1953, mostly due to the controversy surrounding it. Despite some finding the song “annoying”, it has charted on various lists in the U.S., as well as in the UK, France, Canada, et al., for nearly 70 years.
6) When “Last Christmas” was first released by Wham! in 1984, it enjoyed much success. For example, the song spent five consecutive weeks at number two in the UK Singles Chart — #1 being Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, which I personally find annoying. It has been recorded by many others over the years, and it continues to chart well. However, there are those who find it quite annoying. In the right mood, I don’t mind it, but my favorite version is now that performed by actress Emilia Clarke for the film… Last Christmas. Here it is:
I decided to tack on one “Honorable Mention”, which isn’t technically a Christmas song, though it gets a lot of airplay during the season. As you can see below, the song is “Baby It’s Cold Outside”, which I think I was aware of before but which really stuck in my head after first watching that one particular scene in Elf. (You know the one.) I have linked to the original “video premiere” — first with Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban, then a more comical and role-reversed version with Betty Garrett & Red Skelton — from the film Neptune’s Daughter (1949). I also really like the version by Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone, as well as the one (with cute video) by Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé.
Btw, if you’re one of those who thinks that last song is creepy and “predatory”, you’re wrong.
Let me know if you like any of these, too, and please share any similarly fun/silly ones that you like.
Merry Christmas!
P.S. In case you’re wonderin’, yes, of course I listen to the classic (and classical) Christmas pieces, too. In fact, I blogged about a few at “My Top 10 Favorite Christmas Hymns”. Also, yes, I know the TRUE meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with Santa Claus — unless we’re talking about the historical St. Nicholas — or the giving of presents — unless we’re talking about the Wise Men giving gifts to the infant Jesus or most especially the gift of Jesus Himself to save His followers from sin and death. (See “What’s the Reason, Again?”.)
