1) "Why would Goodwill so brazenly preempt Halloween, since the Halloween costume and decoration season has got to be a bonanza for them?"
2) "Alright Bri, brace yourself for the coming onslaught of cheesy Christmas music."
I'm not a big fan of Christmas music. Not all Christmas music - I think the Christmas songs in the Primary Songbook are wonderful, and I do enjoy singing well done choral arrangements of Christmas carols (especially if the carols are a little off the beaten path). No, I'm talking about the corny, drippy stuff heard in stores and on those corny "Lite FM" stations. I would be just fine if I never heard another pop singer's schmaltzy take on "The Little Drummer Boy," nor the insipid synthesizer adventures of Mannheim Steamroller.
Back in June, as I was crossing items off my Michigan bucket list, I took a day trip up to Frankenmuth to one of Michigan's top tourist attractions: Bronner's Christmas Store. It's the largest Christmas store in the world (think Cabela's, but with all kinds of crazy Christmas decorations) and I knew that by entering therein I would be inundated with cutesy Christmas music, so before the trip I created a musical antidote in the form of a playlist.Named "Obliquely Christmas," the playlist consists mostly of non-Christmas songs that just happen to make a passing reference to the holiday. For example, The Kinks' song extols the virtues of Australia, where "we'll surf like they do in the USA/we'll fly down to Sydney for a holiday, on sunny Christmas Day." Belle & Sebastian boast that "I don't love anything/not even Christmas." Brazilian singer Seu Jorge throws in the phrase "Feliz Natal" ("Merry Christmas") for no apparent reason.*
*The song "Rebel Rebel" is a bossa nova-style cover of a David Bowie classic, but Bowie's English-language original makes no mention of Christmas.
However, there are a few songs on the playlist that feature Christmas a little more prominently, but have some kind of twist. The Flaming Lips see the holiday as an opportunity to set the animals free at the zoo. Jonathan Coulton's "Chiron Beta Prime" is written in the form of an annual Christmas letter from a family that has been enslaved in a robot work camp on an asteroid.
So for those of you who, like me, cringe whenever entering a drugstore or supermarket during the Christmas season, I present "Obliquely Christmas**":
**Here are two more songs that I couldn't find in the playlist.com library:
• "Rael" - A mini-rock opera by The Who about a holy war in the fictitious kingdom of Rael
• "Seasonal Sweaters" - Marpizan (Homestar Runner's sometime girlfriend) pays tribute to Christmas knitwear
This playlist is currently very small and I'd love to expand it. If you can think of any other obliquely Christmas-related songs to add to it, gimme your suggestions in the comments.
P.S. - I've never heard Sufjan Steven's Christmas album. Any thoughts about it?
9 comments:
You started talking about unusual Christmas music and the first thing I thought of was actually Sufjan Stevens. I highly recommend his Christmas album -- it's just Christmassy enough that it feels holiday-appropriate, but, like other Sufjan efforts, is in a category all its own. Some of the tracks are beautiful and some are just odd ("Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!" comes to mind). My husband also is not a huge fan of Christmas music but loves this album. I say you should definitely check it out.
Just listened to "Come on! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!" Very fun. Adding it to the list.
Peter very recently told me about Chiron Beta Prime. Kind of fun to listen to it. ;)
Five for Fighting had an obliquely christmas song called Policeman's Xmas Party. It's kind of fun.
My other favorite is It's Snowing by Catchlove on the first Jingle Spells CD. If you can call wizard rock songs Obliquely Christmas...
First thought:
You call yourself Bri in your head??
Secondly, I love Christmas music year round and rarely tire of it. :)
Sufjan Steven's album=amazing, brilliant and redemptive. redemptive in the sense that it upholds the sanctity of christmas music, while reinventing it and is not as you put it "schmaltzy". Email me your address and I will send you a copy. It will change your life or at least I hope it will.
Obliquely Christmas: (At least they're on my Christmas compliations.)
*Jesus Walks - Kanye West
*7 O'Clock News - Simon and Garfunkel
*My Christmas List - Simple Plan
*Happy Christmas/War Is Over - John Lennon
Good Christmas Covers:
*Light of the Stable - The Chenille Sisters
*Mary Did You Know - Kathy Mattea
*Emmanuel - Jonatha Brooke
*The First Noel - Trans Siberian Orchestra
Oblique recommends:
"Blood Bank" by Bon Iver (there's snow and a Christmas morning creak on the stairs)
"Always Merry and Bright" by Sam Phillips
More outrightly-Christmas selections:
"Cold Dark Night," also by Sam Phillips
"Silent Night" by Over the Rhine. There are two Silent Night tracks on the album and the one I really like is the duet version.
And another plug for Sufjan Stevens and ditto to Jessica's comments. You should take her up on her offer.
Excellent playlist. I also have a hard time with holiday music, but for some reason I couldn't get enough of Christmas for Cowboys last year. Gotta love John Denver. Have you ever heard of Hem? They have some nice holiday songs, as do the Weepies. Sufjan is always a nice alternative to annoying Christmas music as well. If I think of any else to add, I'll let you know. :)
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