Singles – Page 24 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Who – Christmas

The Who isn’t exactly known for traditional Christmas tunes, but they do have a song that fits the season.

This song is on the album Tommy about the deaf, dumb, and blind kid. This is not a Christmas song you will hear on the radio at this time of year…it’s just part of the story of Tommy. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album along with Sally Simpson.

Tommy’s father has concerns about his son on Christmas morning. Tommy is deaf, dumb, and blind, and doesn’t appear to have much of a future, but that Christmas, he gets a game of pinball and his life changes when he becomes the Pinball Wizard. This was written by Pete Townshend and it fits perfectly on that album.

It’s the backup vocals that always catch my attention. Also the drums by Mr. Moon plus Townshend’s slashing guitar. They also go into the refrain of “Tommy Can You Hear Me” and “See Me Feel Me.” The song is powerful and also very catchy. I always listen to it around Christmas.

I don’t think any band in rock could have touched them during this time live. On the tour of Tommy is where Live At Leeds came from and it is the tightest I’ve heard a rock band.

Tommy peaked at #2 in the UK, #4 on the Billboard 100, and #6 in Canada in 1969.

Christmas

Did you ever see the faces of children
They get so excited.
Waking up on Christmas morning
Hours before the winter sun’s ignited.
They believe in dreams and all they mean
Including heavens generosity.
Peeping round the door
to see what parcels are for free
In curiosity.

And Tommy doesn’t know what day it is.
Doesn’t know who Jesus was or what praying is.
How can he be saved?
From the eternal grave.

Surrounded by his friends he sits so silently,
And unaware of everything.
Playing poxy pin ball
picks his nose and smiles and
Pokes his tongue at everything.
I believe in love
but how can men who’ve never seen
Light be enlightened.
Only if he’s cured
will his spirits future level ever heighten.

And Tommy doesn’t know what day it is.
Doesn’t know who Jesus was or what praying is.
How can he be saved?
>From the eternal grave.
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
How can he be saved?

[Tommy:]

See me, feel me
Touch me, heal me.
See me, feel me
Touch me, heal me!

Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
Tommy can you hear me?
How can he be saved?

Bruce Springsteen – Merry Christmas Baby

We are getting close to Christmas. I hope everyone is ready…and most, if not all, of your shopping is done. There have been many versions of this song but this one is the one I listen to the most. The dynamics in this version are great.

This Dec 31st, 1980 performance of Merry Christmas Baby was recorded at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, during The River Tour. The song was played in its E Street Band arrangement. It was released in November 1986 as the B-side to WAR. This was the lead single from the Live/1975-85 box set.

Although Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley covered “Merry Christmas Baby” before Bruce did, it sounds like he based his version on Otis Redding’s 1968 version.

Lou Baxter wrote this song but it was called “Merry Christmas Blues” and Charles Brown took it home to work it out. He rewrote it with the new title. Baxter wanted Charles Brown to record it the way Charles rewrote it and it became a big hit with Brown singing with Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers.

Then the music business struck again…The company promised Charles he would have a co-writer credit but of course, it didn’t happen and Johnny Moore had his name listed on the song instead. Charles never got paid royalties for the song. It was originally released in 1947 and peaked at #3 in the Charts.

Moore died, largely unknown, in the 1960s. Brown, meanwhile, became renowned as a pioneer of the laid-back, piano-driven style of West Coast blues and was recognized as an early influence on Ray Charles; he had a renaissance in the 1990s, touring with Bonnie Raitt.

Charles Brown was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 but died before the induction.

It was also on a complication album A Very Special Christmas of various artists released in 1987.

Merry Christmas Baby

Bring it down, band!

Now, I just came here tonight to say…
I just wanna say…
I just wanna say…

Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
Come on, merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel just like I’m living, living in paradise

Now listen
Now you see, I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And the boys in the band are playing pretty good!
Now, I feel just like I wanna kiss you
Underneath my mistletoe

But now listen
Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
And I feel like I’m living, just living in paradise
Come on boys!

Well now, Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel like I’m living, I’m living in paradise

And I just came down to say
Merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
And happy New Year, too!
Oh yeah!
Play it boys, go!
Merry Christmas
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-happy New Year
Ohhhh!

Oh yeah!
Merry Christmas baby!

Bing Crosby & David Bowie – Peace On Earth / The Little Drummer Boy

I love unions like this…I will start to have some holiday posts mixed in on the way to Christmas as a second post like this one. In 1977 Bowie released his album Low at the beginning of the year and he toured as Iggy Pop’s keyboardist that year.

I know what I was doing on November 30, 1977. I was watching Merrie Olde Christmas special as a kid. I didn’t appreciate the weirdness of the combination of Bing Crosby and David Bowie at the time. Something that the seventies did well…was to intersect generations on variety shows. This one was a great combination.

This special had guest stars Twiggy, David Bowie, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter, and The Trinity Boys Choir. It was the duet with Bing Crosby and David Bowie that has been remembered. I remember watching this knowing that Bing Crosby had died the month earlier. The duet was taped on September 11, 1977, and Crosby died on October 14, 1977.

David Bowie’s mother was a huge Bing Crosby fan and Bing Crosby’s children were big David Bowie fans…so the two agreed to sing together. It was questionable at first if it would work out.

Mary Crosby: “The doors opened and David walked in with his wife, They were both wearing full-length mink coats, they have matching full makeup and their hair was bright red. We were thinking, ‘Oh my god.'” Nathaniel Crosby, Bing’s son, added: “It almost didn’t happen. I think the producers told him to take the lipstick off and take the earring out. It was just incredible to see the contrast.”

Another possible hitch happened with Bowie. He didn’t like The Little Drummer Boy and refused to sing it. The writers then wrote a revised version of the song that he liked. They wrote a counterpart section for Bowie to sing. Crosby liked the challenge of his part. The rest is history and one of the most unusual pairings you will ever see…

One funny part is Bowie’s idea of “older fellas” at the time is John Lennon and Harry Nilsson.

Here is the complete show if you want to give it a try

The Little Drummer Boy (Peace On Earth)

Come they told me pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
A newborn king to see pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum

[Verse 2: Bowie and Crosby]
Peace on Earth can it be?
Come they told me pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Years from now, perhaps we’ll see?
A newborn king to see pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
See the day of glory
Our finest gift we bring pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
See the day, when men of good will
To lay before the king pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Live in peace, live in peace again
Rum-pum-pum-pum, Rum-pum-pum-pum
Peace on Earth
So to honour him pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Can it be
When we come

[Bridge: Bowie and Crosby in unison]
Every child must be made aware
Every child must be made to care
Care enough for his fellow man
To give all the love that he can

[Verse 4: Bowie and Crosby]
I pray my wish will come true
Little baby pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
For my child and your child too
I stood beside him there pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
He’ll see the day of glory
I played my drum for him pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
See the day when men of good will
I played my best for him pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Live in peace, live in peace again
Rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
Peace on Earth
Me and my drum
Can it be

Can it be

Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody

This is fast becoming my favorite rock Christmas song second only to John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over). This week is going to be Christmas week. I will let up on the weekend but let’s bring in the cheer.

This is a great Christmas song that was released in 1973 and ever since it re-enters the charts every December in the UK. The song never hit in America but it went to #1 in the UK Charts. I first heard it on a Doctor Who episode in the mid-2000s and have liked it ever since.

This was based on a psychedelic song, “My Rocking Chair,” which Noddy Holder wrote in 1967. In 1973 the Slade vocalist decided to convert it into a Christmas song after a night out drinking at a local pub.

He and the band’s bass player and co-writer Jimmy Lea camped out at Noddy’s mother’s house and got down to changing the lyrics to make them more Christmassy. Jimmy Lea incorporated into the verse parts of another song which he was then writing and Noddy re-wrote the words incorporating different aspects of the Christmas holiday season as they came to mind.

This went straight in at #1 in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies on the day of its release, making it at the time the fastest ever selling record in Britain. It eventually became Slade’s best-ever selling single in the UK, selling over a million copies.

In the UK this has become a standard, and it is usually reissued in its original form each Christmas. On several occasions, the song has re-entered the Top 40.

UK copyright collection society and performance rights organization PRS For Music estimated in 2009 that 42 percent of the earth’s population has heard this tune.

The song was written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea of Slade. It was produced by Chas Chandler formerly of the Animals. The harmonium used on this is the same one that John Lennon used on his Mind Games album, which was being recorded at the studio next door.

Noddy Holder: “I wrote the original verse with the lyrics, ‘Buy me a rocking chair, I’ll watch the world go by. Bring me a mirror, I’ll look you in the eye,’ in 1967 in the aftermath of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper,” I was being psychedelic. Dave (Hill) wrote another part to the song but it didn’t work so we put it away. Then in 1973 he remembered my verse one day when we were trying to write a Christmas single. We changed the words to, ‘Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?’ and the rest fell into place.”

Noddy Holder: “As a lad we used to knock sleds with old orange boxes and go tobogganing down this big old quarry in the snow at Christmas. It was the inspiration for the line ‘are you hoping that the snow will start to fall.’”

Someone…anyone…give me that hat for Christmas PLEASE!

Merry Christmas Everybody

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
It’s the time that every Santa has a ball
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer?
Does a ‘ton up’ on his sleigh
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day?

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

Are you waiting for the family to arrive?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside?
Does your granny always tell ya that the old are the best?
Then she’s up and rock ‘n’ rollin’ with the rest

Chorus:
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

What will your daddy do
When he sees your Mama kissin’ Santa Claus?
Ah ah

Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall?
Do you ride on down the hillside in a buggy you have made?
When you land upon your head then you’ve been slayed

Chorus (4x)
So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody’s having fun
Look to the future now
It’s only just begun

…

Ronnie Lane and Pete Townshend – Til The Rivers Run Dry

When I hear this song I think to myself…it’s pretty cool that I met the writer several times. It’s a song written by Don Williams and Wayland Holyfield. I’ll get in a mood where I have to hear something rootsy or down to earth. I usually pick either The Band or Ronnie Lane. So today’s posts with Rick Danko and Ronnie Lane fall into that. Combine that with that mid to late 1970s country sound and I love it. This music is something you could play on your back porch.

In 1976, following an extensive tour, The Who took a hiatus to focus on individual projects. Ronnie Lane initially approached Pete Townshend to produce his album but later invited him to collaborate on songwriting. Townshend, hesitant as he had never co-written songs before, ultimately declined. However, they did succeed in co-writing the album’s title track, Rough Mix. The album featured a mix of songs written individually by Lane and Townshend, with the two performing on most tracks together. This song is the one cover they did. The producer was the legendary Glyn Johns.

An album with Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane you would figure to be huge at the time. It wasn’t huge but it was a great album and has been highly regarded since. Personally, it’s high on my list of albums made in the 1970s along with Lane’s solo material. Like with the Danko album of 1977, Punk and Disco ruled the airwaves and probably had an effect on the commercial success of this album.

Don Williams’s music was really hot during this period. Eric Clapton was covering it and suddenly country music was popular. The album peaked at #44 in the Billboard Album Charts, #70 in Canada, and #45 in the UK in 1977.

Til The Rivers Run Dry

Till the rivers all run dry
Till the sun falls from the sky
Till life on earth is through
I’ll be needing you

I know sometimes you may wonder
From little things I say and do
But there’s no need for you to wonder
If I need you ’cause I’ll need you

Till the rivers all run dry
Till the sun falls from the sky
Till life on earth is through
I’ll be needing you

Too many times I don’t tell you
Too many things get in the way
And even though sometimes I hurt you
Still you show me in every way

Till the rivers all run dry
Till the sun falls from the sky
Till life on earth is through
I’ll be needing you

…

Rick Danko – Sip The Wine

I have had someone ask me my favorite singer from The Band. I always say that it depends on the song. They were brilliant in dividing up who would sing what. Robbie Robertson would write songs for one of their three top-notch singers. He knew exactly how to divide them up. Danko had one of the most recognizable voices of the bunch because it was so soulful and unique.

I first heard this song in The Last Waltz. Martin Scorsese was interviewing Danko in the control room and asked him what he was doing now. He started to play this song and turned it up. It’s always stuck with me. After seeing the film this past Thanksgiving I thought I would write it up.

During the Last Waltz, Danko was working on a self-titled solo album. He was the first member of the band to release one. He did have some help with Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Blondie Chapman, Doug Sahm, and members of The Band. An ad for the record claimed, “Once you get a taste of Rick Danko, you’ll never get enough.” Unfortunately, the album didn’t have much commercial success. This song was written by Tim Drummond and was originally called To Lay Down Beside You and it was originally recorded by Joe Simon. Ronnie Wood played the solo on this song.

At the time the album was released in 1977, disco and punk music were dominating the airwaves. The album contains different kinds of genres but not punk and disco.

Rick Danko: “We’ve been together for 15 or 16 years and I for one wouldn’t stop making albums with the Band. Just so long as the Band wants to continue making records, I’ll be there.”

Sip The Wine

I want to lay down beside you
I want to hold your body close to mine
Like a grape that grows ripe in the sunshine
There comes a time when we must sip the wine

I can tell by looking you’re not mine, girl
I believe everything I told you was true
There’s a child here that wants to start livin’
Well, you know that this child will get its start
From me and you

(Close your eyes)
Now close your eyes
And don’t you think of nothing
(Let your thoughts)
Let your thoughts remain here
Inside this room
(Lay your head)
Lay your head beside me on my pillow
And I will share this night with you

(We must sip the wine)
Til it feels alright
(We must sip the wine)
Into the night
(We must sip the wine)
Together

…,

James Wilsey – The Rattler

I love instrumentals and this one and the complete album has some great ones.

I told CB when he sent me this link…I would not know his name but I would know it was Chris Isaak’s guitar player by just listening. He had a unique sound all his own which I admire. I would know his guitar sound anywhere…I listened to his album El Dorado this week along with the Chris Isaak album San Francisco Days. These instrumentals are great and I wish I could have said this first…but a reviewer said the album is Wilsey paying homage to the cinematic soundscapes of the American West…and I totally get that. This song has such a fantastic sound.

His guitar playing really helped make Wicked Game such a fantastic and popular song. He used a 1965 Fender Stratocaster and reverb, delay, and slight vibrato. You could tell he was influenced by Duane Eddy, Link Wray, James Burton, and others from that era.

He grew up in Indiana. In the late 1970s, he joined The Avengers, a punk rock band from San Francisco, where he played bass. They would go on to influence The Dead Kennedys and others. They released two EPs and one album in 1983. The self-titled album was made from studio takes because Wilsey had left the band by then. He joined Chris Isaak’s band The Silvertones in 1980. In the late nineties and the 2000s, The Avengers would release 4 more albums that were live and studio cuts with Wilsey.

He made four albums with Issak. Silvertone (1985), Chris Isaak (1986), Heart Shaped World (1989), and the last one San Francisco Days (1993). He and Isaak would soon be estranged and Wilsey went his own way. One of the problems was Wilsey’s growing substance abuse.

He formed an instrumental band called The Mysteries (they never recorded an album) in the late nineties but it was in 2008 that he made his only solo album of instrumentals called El Dorado. In 2018 he would pass away because of substance abuse.

Chris Isaak – Round ‘n’ Round

In 1993 Chris Iaasak released the album San Francisco Days. I’ve had this album playing at work, where I listen a lot. It is well-balanced and very likable. I picked this song for the guitar sound of James Wilsey, it’s a little different from his reverb playing because it has more crunch to it. He is the guitarist who played the guitar for Wicked Game and made it memorable with that dreamlike quality.

San Francisco Days was his fourth studio album, was inspired by the city, and features some rock, blues, and his unique singing style. He is a guy that I know because of Wicked Game but like Greg Kihn, there are more things to like but the hits by him. He did have a hit on this album called Can’t Do a Thing (to Stop Me) that peaked at #7 on the Billboard Alternative Charts and #36 in the UK. I will post it above Round ‘n’ Round at the bottom.

When Chris was growing up he was influenced by 1950s rock and roll and country music. Two of the artists that influenced him were Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. You can hear those two artists in his work, especially Orbison. He developed a unique singing style and he can be called a crooner. He released his first album, Silvertone, in 1985. He did get some critical acclaim but not much commercial success. That all changed with this third album Heart Shaped World with the single Wicked Game which was featured in the David Lynch film Wild At Heart.

Chris Isaak on making San Francisco Days: “I kind of set out to make this one a little bit different, People did say that the other albums were very similar. But I’ve always felt like I had something legitimate to say with that style. Otherwise, it would be like a painter saying, ‘I already used blue in my early paintings, so I’m not using it anymore.’ Still, I always want to learn some new tricks.”

Round ‘n’ Round

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore.

Here you go mad again.
Tell me that your just a friend.
Tell me something I don’t know.
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, yeah.

When I do go, I’ll let you know.
It might hurt you, but I don’t think so.

Here we go round & round.
State your case and then sit down.
Tell me why you want to go,
I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore, I don’t love you anymore.

…

Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run

Nice little Christmas song by Chuck Berry… the father of Rock and Roll. The song has a “Carol” vibe to it and that is never a bad thing. It was one of the first rock and roll Christmas songs and it was released in 1958.

Berry based this song on “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” giving Rudolph a bit of an attitude as he delivers the toys. The song is credited to Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. Johnny Marks wrote Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Chuck puts his stamp on this song.

The song is sometimes known as “Run Run Rudolph,” which is how it appears on some other covers. Other artists to record the song include Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, Dwight Yoakam, Bon Jovi, and Keith Richards.

The song peaked at #69 in the Billboard 100 in 1958 and has re-charted many times through the years…it peaked at #36 in the Billboard 100 in January of 2020…and I’m sure it is charting now.

The song appeared in a lot of films including Home Alone, Diner, The Santa Clause 2, Cast Away, and Jingle All the Way.

I’m adding this per Randy about the royalities for the song.

Johnny Marks wrote the song Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer but NOT the story or the character. Robert L. May wrote the story and Marks wrote the story off of that. The song was released and only Berrys name was on it. Marks sued Chuck for infringing on his song by using the name Rudolph. Mind you Marks didn’t create the character or story he only wrote a song about it. Of course Marks had good lawyers and won the case and was awarded a ridiculous 100% of royalties and a change in song credits.

Run Rudolph Run

Out of all the reindeers you know you’re the mastermind
Run, run Rudolph, Randalph ain’t too far behind
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a boy child what have you been longing for?
All I want for Christmas is a rock and roll electric guitar
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a shooting star
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round

Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph, reeling like a merry-go-round

Said Santa to a girl child what would please you most to get?
A little baby doll that can cry, sleep, drink and wet
And then away went Rudolph a whizzing like a Saber jet
Run, run Rudolph, Santa’s got to make it to town
Santa make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down
Run, run Rudolph ’cause I’m reelin’ like a merry-go-round

Vince Guaraldi Trio – Linus and Lucy

It’s hard to resist this song. It automatically makes me happy when I hear it. I see the Peanuts gang doing their thing.

This song I can hear anytime of the year and be happy. It’s associated with Christmas also…whichever… I never get tired of it.

I was reminded of this song this year in Hanspostcard’s song draft when run-sew-read’s pick was this song.

Ironically, just about everyone would call this “the Charlie Brown song” even though it’s actually titled after Linus and Lucy Van Pelt, brother and sister in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip universe.

The song is most famous for its use in the yearly favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired in 1965, but it was written two years earlier for a documentary about Schulz and the Peanuts gang called A Boy Named Charlie Brown, which never aired.

Producer Lee Mendelson was in charge of the documentary and asked Vince Guaraldi to compose music for it

Guaraldi was huge in the jazz world and won the 1962 Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition for “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” for his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Mendelson was searching for what kind of music to play for the documentary when he took a taxi cab and “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” was playing as he crossed the Golden Gate bridge. He loved it and his decision was made.

Guaraldi wrote a series of songs for the project, including “Linus and Lucy,” that he recorded with his group, the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Even though A Boy Named Charlie Brown was shelved, the soundtrack was released in 1964, which is where “Linus and Lucy” first appeared.

In 1965, Mendelson put together the first Peanuts TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, using many of the same people who worked on the documentary. “Linus and Lucy” formed the score, and a song he wrote with Guaraldi called “Christmas Time Is Here” was included in a key scene.

When A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in 1965, it quickly turned the Peanuts franchise into a television institution. That first special also shot Guaraldi to greater fame, and he became connected to all subsequent Peanuts shows.

Guaraldi would continue to work on Peanuts films until his death in 1976.

No words…just enjoy

…

Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

This is an artist I’ve never covered before, and among all the Christmas songs I have posted, I haven’t posted this one. It’s also one that I really like every year.

I’ve heard of Brenda all of my life. She was involved in Nashville before I was born. This song was released in 1958 and Brenda was only 13 years old! Her nickname was “Little Miss Dynamite” for her powerful voice and 4′ 9″ height. She has had an incredible 36 studio albums, 69 EP’s, and 63 Compilation albums. She had 14 top 20 Billboard hits and many country hits later on in her career. She had 3 number 1’s. I’m Sorry in 1960, I Want to be Wanted in 1960, and a record…63 years, five months, and three weeks later…her last #1 so far… in 2023 with Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree. I was so happy to hear that she reached number 1 again.

Brenda signed with Decca Records in 1956 at just 11 years old. Her early hits showed she could do country, pop, and rock genres. The song was recorded in Bradley Studios in Nashville. It was in Fall and not snowing but to get the mood right…Bradley had the studio freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood. Since 2011…the song has made it to the top 3 in the Holiday charts every year. This year it made it to #2. Lee was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame (1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2002).

The song was written by Johnny Marks and he was quite good at writing Christmas songs. He wrote A Holly Jolly Christmas, Silver and Gold, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer just to name a few.

Brenda Lee: “I was only 13, and I had not had a lot of success in records, but for some reason he heard me and wanted me to do it. And I did.”

Johnny Marks: Well, I was laying on the beach and I went to sleep, I woke up and the pine trees were kind of swaying in the breeze. All of a sudden, I thought about Christmas, and I watched them begin and they were kind of rockin’ and I thought about rockin’. I just thought about a rockin’ Christmas, and then I changed it to where people might want to rock around the Christmas tree.’ And that’s kind of how it was born.”

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

Rockin’ around the Christmas treeAt the Christmas party hopMistletoe hung where you can seeEvery couple tries to stopRockin’ around the Christmas treeLet the Christmas spirit ringLater we’ll have some pumpkin pieAnd we’ll do some caroling

You will get a sentimental feeling when you hearVoices singing, let’s be jollyDeck the halls with boughs of hollyRockin’ around the Christmas treeHave a happy holidayEveryone dancin’ merrilyIn the new old-fashioned way

…

Royal Guardsmen – Snoopy’s Christmas

This is a new Christmas write-up for me…and I listened to this song a lot as a kid. As a child, I did have the single Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron by The Royal Guardsmen. Later on, I found another Royal Guardsmen record in my cousin’s collection. She gave it to me and it was this one. I loved the Peanuts as a kid and as an adult. This song was brought up by a conversation that Obbverse and I had and I wanted to get it out there.

I never realized that this song has a basis in reality. The song is actually based on The Christmas Truce in WW1 in 1914. The Christmas Truce was an actual event in 1914 during World War I when German and Allied soldiers temporarily ceased hostilities. They sang carols, exchanged small gifts, and even played soccer. While Snoopy and the Red Baron’s interaction is of course fictional, the truce symbolizes the capacity for kindness in chaos.

The song peaked at #1 in New Zealand, #1 in Australia, and #39 in Canada. Per Wiki: Charted 3 times in the US – 1967, 1968, and 1969 reaching #1, #15, and #11 respectively but only on Billboard’s “Best Bets For Christmas” chart.

They were not a one-hit wonder. The follow-up single to their #2 Snoopy and the Red Baron was The Return of the Red Baron which reached #15. Despite their success, the band faced legal challenges since they didn’t have permission from Charles Schulz or United Features Syndicate to use Snoopy. The licensing disputes were resolved, and the band continued to produce Snoopy-themed songs…over and over and over. This song was written by George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, and Luigi Creatore.

Snoopy’s Christmas

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum
Do kannst mir sehr gefallen!

The news had come out in the First World War
The bloody Red Baron was flying once more
The Allied command ignored all of its men
And called on Snoopy to do it again

Was the night before Christmas, 40 below
When Snoopy went up in search of his foe
He spied the Red Baron, fiercely they fought
With ice on his wings Snoopy knew he was caught

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ring out from the land
Asking peace of all the world
And good will to man

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight
Why he didn’t shoot, well, we’ll never know
Or was it the bells from the village below?

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out, “Merry Christmas, mein friend!”

The Baron then offered a holiday toast
And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host
And then with a roar they were both on their way
Each knowing they’d meet on some other day

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land

NRBQ – Flat Foot Flewzy

The song sounds just like the name! It’s a rocker supreme and the guitar riff to open it up lives up to the name.

My love for blogging is simple…talk to more bloggers and find more artists that I missed. I love finding new artists but I also like finding new/old artists that I missed and this one is a prime example. Dave, Christian, Obbverse, Deke, Lisa, Randy, Phil, Graham, Jeff, CB, and the list goes on and on. They all have turned me on to new artists through the years that I missed so I do want to thank all of them!

On the Carlene Carter post I did last week, CB mentioned something about her guitar player Al Anderson and he was in this band. I have heard of this band but that is about it. I thought they were an 80s band. Oh how wrong I can be. They were formed in 1965 and the NRBQ stands for New Rhythm and Blues Quintet. If you were looking for a band with an eclectic style, look no further than this band. They blend rock, pop, jazz, folk, soul, blues, and country influences.

They also have improvisational live performances and a great sense of humor. They have developed a cult following because of that and it lasts to this day. They were formed by pianist Terry Adams, guitarist Steve Ferguson, and drummer Frank Gadler, with the addition of bassist Joey Spampinato (originally Joey Spampanato) and drummer Tom Staley completing the lineup.

NRBQ released their self-titled debut album in 1969. The album featured that eclectic style I was talking about. The album has both rock-and-roll covers and avant-garde jazz elements. That’s the best way I can describe it. It’s a fun album to listen to.

The band has 24 studio albums, 14 live albums, and 15 compilation albums. Terry Adams, who formed the band, is still with them… to this day. From 1974 to 1994 the band included Adams, Al Anderson, drummer Tom Ardolino, and bassist Spampinato. They were considered the “classic” version of the band but they kept going

In 1970 they released Boppin’ The Blues and they were teamed with Carl Perkins. NRBQ blended their experimental style with the rockabilly style of Carl Perkins. I love that guitar at the beginning and the song really rocks. I couldn’t find Boppin’ The Blues but I found a highlights and rarities album from Spotify. Steve Ferguson wrote this song.

NRBQ live in Chicago in 2017 with Flat Foot Flewzy

Flat Foot Flewzy

I’m so doggone dirty
‘Cause a Flat Foot Flewzy
And I walk like a tweety bird
While I’m singing this bluesy

I got a gal named Lucy
But like to call her Lizzy
She calls her man Flewzy
And she keeps him real busy

Well, I’m Flat Foot Flewzy
It’s alright

“Mr. Flewzy won’t you tell us
About your big flat feet”
Why sure, kinda helps me
With the rock and roll beat
Come along with me
And things’ll be alright
Singing Flewzy woozy boogie
On a Saturday night

Well, I’m so doggone dirty
‘Cause a Flat Foot Flewzy
And I can walk like a tweety birdy
While I’m singing real bluesy
See NRBQ Live
Get tickets as low as $68

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Sorry Charlie
Carl Perkins
Sure to Fall (In Love with You)
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Mayonnaise and Marmalade
NRBQ

I got a gal named Lucy
But like to call her Lizzy
She calls her man Flewzy
And shе keeps him real busy

Well, I’m Flat Foot Flewzy
It’s alright

“Wеll it’s hard to believe
That you walk like a bird”
Well I meant what I said
So I said what you heard
Come along with me
And things’ll be alright
Singing Flewzy woozy boogie
On a Saturday night

Yeah, Flat Foot Flewzy
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright
Alright
Flat Foot Flewzy, alright

Katmen – When The Drinks Dried Up

The band’s name is either Kat Men or Katmen. I’ve seen it listed both ways.

CB mentioned this band in an email and I had to check it out. Pure rockabilly heaven for me. I’ve also checked out Darrel Higham’s guitar playing…he is excellent. He worked with and married Imelda May… his sound can be heard in much of her music.

The band was formed when Slim Jim Phantom and Darrel Higham decided to join forces, they were inspired by a shared love of classic rockabilly music. Phantom’s drumming style is well known for his stint in The Stray Cats, while Higham contributed his incredible guitar skills and an appreciation for rockabilly. Their music has vintage rockabilly vibes with a modern sound.

They formed in 2006 when former Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and Imelda May guitarist Darrel Higham met during a jam session at the Oneida Casino, in Wisconsin. In 2012 they hired bassist Al Gare. This guy plays a mean standup bass like no one else I’ve seen.

Higham developed an early interest in rockabilly and 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, his influences were artists like Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, and guitarist Cliff Gallup. Higham started his professional music career in the late 1980s, performing with various rockabilly and roots bands in the UK.

This song is on their 2013 album The Katmen Cometh. Another song on that album is “We Need Elvis Back.” I HAD to include that song as well in this! Both songs are credited to the band.

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Imelda May – Mayhem

After doing the post on Blue Harlem… I noticed both lead singers but started to listen to Imelda May. She has so many good songs that I could have flipped a coin. This song was the title cut off of her album released in 2010. The guitar riff that the lead guitarist Darrel Higham played as the intro won me over right away.

Her influences include Billie Holiday, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent. That sounds about right after hearing her perform. A few weeks ago, CB featured this song (Johnny Got A Boom Boom) on his site. I wanted to feature that one but I figured I would try something else…give it a listen! She has collaborated with artists such as U2, Noel Gallagher, Sinéad O’Connor, and Ronnie Wood to name a few. She also has worked with producers such as Tony Visconti, Peter Asher, and T Bone Burnett.

The album Mayhem peaked at #1 in Ireland, #7 in the UK, and #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts. The song Mayhem peaked at #24 in Ireland in 2010. The album won Album of the Year in Ireland as well.

It would be fair to say I’m picky about female artists’ voices. I was discussing with Stewart on his UK Number Ones Blog about female pop singers. The female singers I like are Janis Joplin, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Tanya Tucker, Bonnie Tyler, and voices like that. Imelda May belongs to that group. What a voice May has and it can go from 0 to 60 in a split second.

I have quotes on this blog quite a bit…but these I really like.

Imelda May: Some people think the only way of doing well or of having a career in music is to go the X Factor route, but a lot of people lose the joy out of music by going that way, possibly because they’re so incredibly focused on other people’s ideas of success.

Imelda May: For me, rockabilly is very, very exciting music. It’s electric and kind of wild, you know? It’s ‘make your hairs stand up on the back of your neck’ kind of music.

Imelda May: I don’t tend to set out on huge world domination goals or have anything in mind. I just like to play. I like to gig a lot; I like to write music.

The below live Walking In The Sand has to be one of the best entrances ever. You have Billy Gibbins, Ronnie Wood, Johnny Depp, and Imelda May. This entrance is burned into my mind.

Mayhem

He said he didn’t even hear trains let alone the few wordsThe ladies maybe sayin’ about himShe freaks and tells her closest friendThat she’ll never love againBut she’ll never, no not everLive without him

Wouldn’t believe it, if you seen itOh, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopA lotta mayhem, woh oh oh yeah

She said he didn’t mean a thingSo she threw her diamond ringOut the window of a black cab in CamdenHe couldn’t take it, what she did,So he threw a hissy fitAnd he took it out on anyone at random

Wouldn’t believe it, if you seen itOh, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopA lotta mayhem, woh oh oh yeah

Dinning sound, lights spinning round,Some mother’s sonGotta fight or got to run run run runRun run run run run

Ten pints and then he starts a fightAnd he lands himself a nightIn a cell wearing gray pants and bruisesTwelve mates bangin’ on the door,Oh the back up vans galoreNever saw such a street full of losers

Wouldn’t believe it, if you seen itOh, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopA lotta mayhem, woh oh oh yeah

Mayhem doo doo doopYeah, mayhem doo doo doopA lotta mayhem doo doo doopA lotta mayhem oh yeah

Oh mayhem

…