Christmas tunes (zany ones)

[Bob Nelson <bluesradio_99@yahoo.com>]

Yes, it's that time of the year...when radio stations
drag out the Christmas classics like "The Chipmunk
Song" (like it or not!). While there's something to
be said for traditional carols and romantic tunes, I
enjoy Christmas novelty tunes. Here are some that
I've come across--some of which you may have never
heard--from my 18 years at WMWM in Salem, MA:

- --The Rovers, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"
b/w "Merry Bloody Xmas". The former Irish Rovers
("The Unicorn") give a country spin to the Elmo and
Patsy tune on side A, while the flip side says:
"Merry X-Mas/ To me/ My dog threw up all over the
X-Mas tree/ They reposessed/ My color TV/ Oh, merry
bloody X-Mas to me."

- --Tommy and the Greyhounds, "It's a Technicolor
Christmas When You're Jewish Because The Moviehouses
Never Close". (Lyrics include: "While other folks
are riding in a open sleigh/ We've got a date with
Yentl on this special day")

- --Stan Freberg, "Green Chri$tma$" and "Christmas
Dragnet". The former is the ultimate putdown of
the commercialism of Christmas, while the latter is
a funny sequel to "St. George and the Dragonet".

- --James Brown, "Let's Make Christmas Mean Something
This Year" The Godfather of Soul screams even more
than usual on this '66 recording. Listen to him
talk about waiting for "Sanny Claw".

- --Louis Armstrong, "Zat You Santa?"

And there are countless others. Will these wind up
on radio where you are? Who knows...though I'm sure
I'll find time to squeeze them into my blues show
(even if they're not blues!).


Bob Nelson
WMWM-FM 91.7 Salem,MA
Sundays,12-3 pm



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