Cynthia Closkey's blog
Merry Christmas! My musical advent calendar is at its end; here at last is my favorite holiday song. 1. Joy to the World (Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir) I love a good gospel choir. And I’m as susceptible as anyone to the "money note" moment of a modern pop song — you know, …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Number 1, let heaven and nature sing”
The final few of my favorite holiday songs. Last night we looked at the more cynical side. Tonight we tug on heartstrings. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Judy Garland) There’s a nice history of the origin of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the entry on …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Number 2, let your heart be light”
John Cleese has updated the classic holiday poem: For a reading of the original text in an original manner, please also enjoy Henry Rollins’s interpretation of "The Night Before Christmas."
An alternative interpretation by Straight No Chaser, a men’s a capella group from Indiana University.
We’ve nearly made it through the month-long countdown of my favorite holiday songs, and now we come to the best of the best. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 3. Merry X-Mas (To Whom It May Concern) (Miles Davis with Bob Dorough) In 1962, at the age of 36, Miles Davis was already a music …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Number 3, all the paper, tinsel, and the folderol”
Another day clicks by and we draw ever nearer to Christmas — and to the end of the countdown of my favorite holiday songs. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 5. The Christmas Waltz (Nancy Wilson) “The Christmas Waltz” is another beautiful song that not a lot of artists seem to take on. I can’t …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Numbers 5 and 4, with waltzing and romancing”
Bit of a hard day today, so I will hold my holiday countdown post until tomorrow. Fortunately, I have a treat to tide you over, sent to me by frequent commenter Erich Maria. It’s a video of Mitzi Gaynor singing "We Need a Little Christmas" — but it’s more than just that: NBBRJs6YCE4 From an …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown tangent: We need a little Christmas, and skating lessons”
Continuing my countdown of my favorite holiday songs. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 6. Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber) (Hoodoo Gurus) You young’uns may not know about the Hoodoo Gurus. Back in the mid- to late-80s and into the 90s, a wave of Australian bands enjoyed success in the alternative rock world. Men …
Only six shopping days ’til Christmas — but seven songs to enjoy. Here’s the next tune in my highly-subjective holiday music countdown. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan) There’s not a lot complicated about my affection for this version of "God Rest Ye Merry …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Number 7, O Canada!”
I realize some people are weary of holiday music by now — particularly those who work in retail and have been listening to it since well before Thanksgiving. But we’re getting to my very favorite songs now, and the best is yet to come! (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.) 8. Step Into Christmas (The …
Continue reading “Holiday Music Countdown: Number 8, the admission’s free”