One of the most important aspects of the Christmas season is the music. Christmas is the only holiday that has its own brand of music. Sure, Halloween has "The Monster Mash" and New Year's Eve has "Auld Lang Syne." Christmas, however, has a whole slew of holiday music that is only appropriately played during Christmas time. These songs are only played one month out of the year, and they are played so incessantly that they become the soundtrack to the entire season. This is not essentially a bad thing, in that hearing Christmas music is a sudden and abrupt dropkick into the reality of the situation, a friendly reminder to start buying gifts for loved ones, start acting outwardly more pleasant and start paying the heating bill. Damn you, American Electric Power.
However, Christmas music can have negative connotations, as well. For example, when you're driving in early December and from out of nowhere, "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" comes on the radio, you will suddenly get the urge to careen your car off a cliff. Fortunately, this is Indiana, and there are no cliffs. Welcome to the Great Plains. Hearing that song reminds you that it has been 11 months since you last heard it, realizing that not nearly enough time has passed. It is entirely normal to think that you'd be willing to have Christmas every two years as long as it is assumed that "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is only played biennially as well. You may think that this is overly dramatic, but perhaps you have not fully contemplated the line, "There were hoofprints on her forehead, and incriminatin' Claus marks on her back."
A lot of debate goes into whether Paul McCartney or John Lennon was the more talented artist in the Beatles and who ultimately had the more successful career. Many generally tend to lean towards McCartney, but there will always those who concede that Lennon had the better Christmas tune. Lennon's song, "Happy Christmas," is a somber melody about Christmas being a time for change and a chance for new beginnings in a time of turmoil. Lennon says that Christmas is a time to throw aside petty differences and enjoy the holiday with loved ones. McCartney's effort, "Wonderful Christmastime," is a synthesizer-driven piece that inexplicably features children repeating the words "ding dong." Youtube the music video for "Wonderful Christmastime;" I guarantee you will not be disappointed (there are people, for no reason whatsoever, vomiting glitter). Too bad Ringo's holiday songs never took off.
There are some fun songs among the more traditional Christmas carols, as well. "Good King Wenceslas" is an example of a classic Christmas carol to which everyone knows the tune, but none of the words. This doesn't matter, because when you actually look at the lyrics to "Good King Wenceslas," they aren't really about Christmas. As far as anyone can understand it, the song is about firewood. "Ding Dong Merrily on High" is another example of a song with a tune but no discernible lyrics aside from the titular line. And I don't think there anybody who is still not entirely sure as to why so many Christmas songs feel the need to include "ding dong" in the lyrics. I've got nothing against a ding dong, but at this time of year I tend to gravitate more towards Christmas tree cakes. Little Debbie is actually a holiday godsend.
Two perennial favorites that get a lot of play are "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Here Comes Santa Claus." Both of these songs were recorded by Gene Autry, the singing cowboy. And I just can't get behind these songs, because I just can't get behind Gene Autry. I want my image of a cowboy to be having a gunfight at high noon, not singing about sleigh bells jingle-jangling on his rooftop.
Whatever your preference, get in a festive spirit and enjoy the Christmas music while it's here. But also remember that earplugs make a GREAT stocking stuffer, especially when the radio is playing Wham's "Last Christmas."
Write to Paul at pjmetz@bsu.edu
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