Recently in Letters to Mistletunes Category

Anybody recognize this song?

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Ronnie stopped by and placed this question in comments. I figured it might not be noticed there, so I promoted it to its own post. You can respond in the comments to this post or by the e-mail link at the right. Not sure if the reference to "Oh What a Night" is the Four Seasons tune or not -- my trip into Google didn't turn up anything that looked like it was.

Please help me identify a Christmas song: It is a male voice in the genre of "Oh Holy Night" but with a male/female twist. He wants this to be a night to remember as he sings "Oh, What A Night." It has a great saxophone in the middle of the song. It has a shuffle beat and is a great dance tune. Help! It was played several times over a Miami station this weekend -- but never identified. UPDATE: Howard Cogswell thinks you're actually talking about the very famous tune of that title by the Dells -- which is why nobody here came up with anything sooner, because it's not a Christmas song. (I just played "Oh What a Night" before I wrote this, and Ronnie has described it to a T.)

"All I want for Christmas is your heart"

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Caity Karczewski complimented us for providing Robin Farren with a forum, and now she'd like a little help with two songs she keeps hearing from the speakers overhead. I thought the second sounded like Colbie Caillat but I played that one and it wasn't even close. And no, I wasn't familiar with "Wizard Rock" either, but it sounds like a cousin to "filking," in which folk singers do sci-fi song parodies. Add your guesses to comments or you can e-mail the site.

1. The first sounds like an early 2000s low-fi band, a few young male vocalists singing "Christmas is my favorite holiday" in a sort of off-key, upbeat pop/rock sound. (I don't know if you are familiar with 'Wizard Rock' [bands whose music is based off of the Harry Potter series] but they sound like the wizard rock band Gred & Forge.) Their chorus is simply a repeated "Christmas is my favorite holiday."

2. The second song is a sugary female vocal, and she sings, "Meet me tonight by the mistletoe" then she says something like "move in fast and kiss me slow," and then: "I'll make this clear right from the start, all I want for Christmas is your heart." It is really catchy and I'd love to get a hold of it. I would be ever so grateful if you knew who these artists were. UPDATE: Credit Howard Cogswell with the answer to this one. It's by Cheryl Aranda, and you can buy it on Bandcamp for $1. You can stream it first, of course.

Hey Linley, check this out

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I've often been amazed at the things that gather the most interest at this site -- and how some things posted long ago suddenly attract interest from someone. Several years ago Linley Logan wrote to the site asking for some information about an old jazz and blues Christmas compilation on Stash Records, a label that started sometime in the 70s and specialized in antique blues and jazz. The company ceased to exist before the CD era, but hobbyists interested in that kind of music still consider the label's reissues as touchstones.

As you no doubt expect, I don't know much about that era of music, but I posted the question and gathered some information that I posted as an answer to the letter. Today, all these years later, Vinessa writes in with the full roster off the vinyl album. As Bob Bailey originally noted, the cassette version had a version of "Silent Night" as a bonus track, but no info has popped up about that song.

SIDE A
  1. Merry Christmas: Lightning Hopkins (voc. el g); Donald Cooks (b); Connie Kroll (d). 29 July 1953
  2. Santa Claus Blues: Clarence Williams' Blue Five; Louis Armstrong (c); Charlie Irvis (tb); Don Redman (cl); Sidney Bechet or Buster Bailey (sop); Clarence Williams (p); Buddy Christian (bj); Eva Taylor (voc). 8 October 1928
  3. Santa Claus, Bring My Man Back: Ozie Ware with Duke Ellington's Hot Five: unknown (t); Barney Bigard (cl); Ellington (p); Billy Taylor (b); Ozie Ware (voc). 30 October 1928
  4. Santa Claus Came In The Spring: Putney Dandridge and His Swing Band: Red Allen (t); Ben Webster or Teddy McRae (ts); Teddy Wilson (p); Lawrence Lucie (g); John Kirby (b); Walter Johnson (d); Putney Dandridge (voc). 2 August 1935
  5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Harry Reser and His Orchestra: unknown personnel, except for Tom Stacks (d, voc). 24 October 1934
  6. Christmas Night in Harlem: Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra: Don Goldie, Charlie Teagarden (t); Jack Teagarden, Jack Fulton (tb); Benny Nonacio, John Cordaro, Chales Strickfadden, Frank Trumbauer (reeds); Roy Bargy (p); Mike Pignatore (bj, g); Art Miller (b); Herb Quigley (d). 17 April 1934
  7. Winter Wonderland: Ted Weems and His Orchestra: Art Weems, Andy Secrest (t); ete Beilamn (tb); Dick Cunlifee, Rosy McHargue, Parker Gibbs, Red Ingle (reeds); Jack O'Brien (p); Cliff Covert (g, vn); Country Washburn (b); Ormand Downes (d); Gibbs (voc). 11 November 1934
  8. Jingle Bells: Benny Goodman and His Orchestra/The Rhythmakers: Pee Wee Erwin, Nate Kasebier, Jerry Neary (t); Red Ballard, Jack Lacey (tb); Toots Mondello, Hymie Schertzer, Art Rollini, Dick Clark, Benny Goodman (reeds); Frank Foeba (p); Allan Reuss (g); Harry Goodman (b); Gene Krupa (d). 6 June 1935
SIDE B
  1. Swingin' Them Jingle Bells: Fats Waller and His Rhythm: Herman Autrey (t); Gene Sedric (ts); Fats Waller (p, voc); Al Casey (g); Charles Turner (b); Slick Jones (d). 29 November 1936
  2. Merry Christmas Baby: Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra: Walter Williams, Bennie Bailey, Duke Garrette, Ed Mullins, Leo Sheppard (t); Al Grey, Bennie Powell, Jimmy Cleveland, Lee Higaki (tb); Bobby Plater (as, arr); Jerome Richardson (as); John Board, Custis Lowe, Lonnie Shaw (ts); Ben Kyard (bar s); Milt Buckner (p); William Mackel (g); Roy Johnson (b); Ellis Bartee (d); Sonny Parker (voc). 27 October 1950
  3. Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney: Ella Fitzgerald: instrumental and vocal group backing including Charlie Shavers (t); Hank Jones (p); John Collins (g); Roy Brown (b); Charlie Smith (d). 26 October 1950
  4. Cool Yule: Louis Armstrong and the Commanders: Louis Armstrong (t, voc); Billy Butterfield, Andy Ferretti, Carl Poole (t); Lou McGarrity, Cutty Cutshaw, Phil Giardina, Jack Satterfield (tb); Hymie Schertzer, Al Klink (reeds); Bernie Leighton (p); Carmen Mastren (g); Sandy Block (b); Ed Grady (d); Camarata (arr, dir). 22 October 1953
  5. 'Zat You, Santa Claus: same as above
  6. Christmas in New Orleans: Louis Armstrong with Benny Carter's Orchestra: Louis (t, voc); Manny Klein, Pete Candoli, Vito Mangano (t); Trummy Young, Si Zentner (tb); Skeets Herfurt, Harry Klee (as): Babe Russin, Don Ruffel (ts); Billy Kyle (p); Arvell Shaw (b): Barrett Deams (d); Benny Carter (arr, dir). 8 September 1955
  7. The Night Before Christmas (A Poem): Louis Armstrong, a capella, 1971.

A plea for a song identification

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Linda Boden wants to know what song this is. I'm stumped myself, so drop a line to the blog or just answer in comments.

I'm trying to figure out the artist who performs a particular Christmas song. I heard this song last year on the muzak at my part-time gig, Kmart, and they're playing it again this year. It sounds an awful lot like the band Cutting Crew, as the vocals are similar and it's that genre of music. I have Googled the discernable lyrics every possible way, and I come up with bupkis. Might you know this song? It's a male singer, slightly effeminate/breathy delivery. Begins with acoustic guitar, and the first two lines are:
"Holly, ho ho ho.
I'm bathing in the glow."
Remainder of the chorus is still a mystery to me, as it's a bit mumbly and it's hard to tell an entire big-box retail store to shush so I can listen. UPDATE: Answer's in comments. Thanks, Ken!
 
Chorus:
"So it's Christmaaaaas/
So it's Christmaaaaaaas,
Happy Holiday.
Why can't I feeeeeeel....
something?"
 
I realize this is probably not much to go on, but it's driving me nuts. I stumbled on your site in my searching, and thought it would not hurt to ask.

Candidate for this site's theme song?

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Or is it just this humble author's theme song? Mark Jeffery sent in the link to this video, which is by Mojochronic, the guy who brought us "Yuletide Zeppelin." I'm open to the possibility, take a look and see what you think:

 

A pauper's version of the holiday

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Patrick Duff asks us about something he heard somewhere:


I've heard a Christmas song called "Christmas in the Workhouse" where a line in the middle of the song is "someone shouted balls!" I've found various poems online, but no actual songs. Do you know of any audio recordings for this song?

Don't remember ever hearing this either as a song or a poem. I did unearth a copy of what Patrick's talking about, however. The lyrics are correct, and it would make a heck of a song, perhaps as a Celtic stomp, maybe as a flat-out punk shouter. This website presents it without attribution; other sites say it was Rudyard Kipling, still others say it's never turned up with Kipling's name attached. It did appear in a TV movie, "The Gathering," in which an incomplete version was recited by Ed Asner. If anybody knows about this poem being set to music, let the rest of us know in comments or in an e-mail to the site.

No drinking while leading Santa's sleigh

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Another question comes our way from cbrs34, who asks,

A few years ago I heard a parody version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" done to the sound of George Thorogood's "One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer" and haven't heard it since. Not able to find it anywhere. Any ideas?

None whatsoever, but I'd love to hear this done myself. Readers, chime in via comments or by e-mailing the site.

Rub-a-dub-dub, a Christmas song in her tub

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Kim Skidmore e-mails the site to ask us:

Do you by any chance know who sang a reggae Christmas song with the following lyrics? 

All I want for Christmas is to rub it
To scrub it...not to love it.
All I want for Christmas is to rub it
Rubbing it at Christmas time...

I remember having it on a home made tape which I got as a teenager while living in Belize and have since lost. I'd love to find the song again and have tried Googling it to no avail.

I put the magical Mistletunes spin on a Web search and was able to scare up "Rub-a-Dub Christmas" by Sugar Minott, which is a riff on "Sleigh Ride" but doesn't contain the lyrics above. I also found "Rub-a-Dub Christmas" by Phillip Fraser, or at least two-thirds of it, also a reggae tune that's missing the lyrics we're looking for. I'm throwing the floor open for nominations.
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