![\"120620-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/120620-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nEditor’s Note: Here in Virginia, our Governor has issued some additional emergency restrictions on his subjects. I will see whether or not they actually affect us, since we are following the usual Cold & Flu common sense precautions. I wear a mask to enter the the health facility before taking it off to swim, avoid other crowds, wash hands, blah blah. You know, the same common sense stuff that has got us through the last seventy years of personal Cold & Flu seasons. To think that our Republic was overthrown about this completely common phenomenon is pretty cool. To live in a place where the Governor feels like telling us, under penalty of law, how to live our lives is equally amazing. I have a strange sense of discontinuity, since we are doing what we have always done, but now the police (instead of Mom) are involved. Marlow is much more reasonable today, as he normally is. Let’s get with some seasonal sounds, and remember what Mom told us to do. Not the Governor.<\/p>\n
– Vic<\/p>\n
Author’s note: With our airwaves filled with seasonal sounds, here’s a brief personal look at the music. Many of the pop tune music videos are worth checking out on YouTube<\/p>\n
– Marlow<\/p>\n
Holiday Songs <\/p>\n
There are two aspects to end-of-year holy season songs — one of joyous celebration and one of solemn acknowledgment that humanity\u2019s falling required God to descend to this earthly plain to save us from ourselves. So at least for me classic holiday music comes in distinct varieties — Joy and Reverence. <\/p>\n
And so it goes with the #1s on my \u201cbest\u201d lists of seasonal songs. <\/p>\n
My two lists are topped with classics — Joy to the World and Silent Night. The first is instantly uplifting and always makes its singers and listeners feel happy. When performed by an orchestra and choir it is transcendent. The only song that matches it is the Hallelujah Chorus in Handel\u2019s Messiah, but as composed that song is really an Easter tune and is thus excluded from this list. Silent Night on the other end is spine chillingly amazing anytime it\u2019s performed by a group as it evokes the holiday\u2019s solemn nature. Its only competition is It Came Upon a Midnight Clear which evokes the same feelings for me. The amazing story of who created Silent Night and how it was created further pushes into the top spot.<\/p>\n
A few others on these two lists, mostly because I sang them at midnight masses decades ago, include — Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Adeste Fideles, Angels We Have Heard on High, and O Little Town of Bethlehem. <\/p>\n
American pop culture has graced us with many fine tunes: <\/p>\n
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! — it must be accompanied by the playing a tah-tinker, of course. <\/p>\n
Baby It\u2019s Cold Outside <\/p>\n
I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus <\/p>\n
Sleigh Ride (Ronettes version) <\/p>\n
WW II era\u2019s I\u2019ll Be Home for Christmas <\/p>\n
Ray Charles\u2019 Spirit of Christmas <\/p>\n
12 Days of Christmas, or as W calls it Twelve Days of Marlow (to be detailed at a later date) <\/p>\n
Chuck Berry\u2019s Run Rudolph Run<\/p>\n
The Christmassy parts of movie soundtrack from Die Hard <\/p>\n
Santa Baby \u2013 my parents had Eartha Kitts\u2019 version in seasonal heavy play back in the day. <\/p>\n
Sock it to me, Santa by Bob Seeger <\/p>\n
Fairytale of New York \u2013 not exactly a member of either above category. <\/p>\n
Robert Earl Keen\u2019s Merry Christmas from the Family \u2013 its lyrics and music video alone should get REK into the Country Music Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a late arriving set of lyrics that should serve as the CDC\u2019s 2020 holiday pandemic celebration humbug guidance theme song — Christmas in the Room by Sufjan Stevens: <\/p>\n
No travel plans, no shopping malls
\nNo candy canes, no Santa Claus
\nFor as the day of rest draws near
\nIt\u2019s just the two of us this year <\/p>\n
No silver bells or mistletoe
\nWe\u2019ll kiss and watch our TV shows <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll come to you, I\u2019ll sing to you
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\nI\u2019ll dance with you, I\u2019ll laugh with you
\n\u2018Til it\u2019s Christmas in the room <\/p>\n
No traffic jams, no ice and storm
\nFar in the house the fire is warm
\nNo Christmas tree, no great parade
\nIt\u2019s just an ordinary day <\/p>\n
No parties planned, no place to go
\nIt\u2019s just the two of us alone
\nAnd in the house we see a light
\nThat comes from what we feel inside <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll come to you, I\u2019ll sing to you
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\nI\u2019ll dance with you, I\u2019ll laugh with you
\n\u2018Til it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\n\u2018Til it\u2019s Christmas in the room <\/p>\n
Oh, I can see the day when we\u2019ll die
\nBut I don\u2019t care to think of silence
\nFor now I hear you laughing
\nThe greatest joy is like the sunrise <\/p>\n
No gifts to give, they\u2019re all right here
\nInside our hearts, the glorious cheer
\nAnd in the house we see a light
\nThat comes from what we know inside <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll come to you, I\u2019ll sing to you
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\nI\u2019ll dance with you, I\u2019ll laugh with you
\n\u2018Til it\u2019s Christmas in the room <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll come to you, I\u2019ll sing to you
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\nI\u2019ll dance with you, I\u2019ll laugh with you
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\nLike it\u2019s Christmas in the room
\n——- <\/p>\n
Personal seasonal earworm songs include anything sung by chipmunks, AC\/DC\u2019s Be My Mistress for Christmas, John Lennon\u2019s Happy Xmas (War is Over), Paul McCartney\u2019s Wonderful Christmas Time, Feliz Navidad, and the lowest of the low \u2013- The Little Drummer Boy. <\/p>\n
Okay, okay, okay, up front I\u2019ll admit there are certain Yule season songs that enervate me. A select few are even further beyond the pale of execrable gadget tunes like those %#!?@ Chipmunk songs. <\/p>\n
The Little Drummer Boy\u2019s monotone and somewhat dirge-like sound lock my jaws tight. That is why it\u2019s my top pick for \u201cturn that crap off\u2019 upon hearing its opening bars. In addition to its funereal pace and somber notes, its constant use of the lame \u201cpa-rum-pum-pum-pum\u201d lyric phrase and rhyme are like fingers scraping on Sister Archangela\u2019s 3rd grade Immaculate Conception elementary school classroom\u2019s chalkboard. It\u2019s four long minutes of P-R-P-P-Pum on that damn one-note drum. When I remember its origin story, it makes sense — a young drummer boy named Aaron is orphaned after \u201cdesert bandits\u201d (jihadis) kidnapped, roasted and ate his family\u2019s sheep herd, killed his parents and burned down their humble house. <\/p>\n
Now some have countered that there have been redeeming versions and covers of the original. I will confess there are two covers that are quite respectable and listenable — Johnny Cash\u2019s from 1970 and Joan Jett\u2019s 1982 rock version. Two \u201cso bad, they\u2019re good\u201d versions are Leonard Nimoy\u2019s and Dwight Shrute\u2019s. <\/p>\n
I will not forward links to any of the above bad songs\u2019 versions unless witnessed and signed liability releases of your author are provided me in triplicate for any ensuing mental, intellectual, physical or emotional distress, temporary or long term. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PS: Count on Elvis\u2019s Blue Christmas getting seriously heavy 2020 Plague Christmas play chez Marlow.<\/p>\n
Copyright \u00a9 2020 From My Isle Seat
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Editor’s Note: Here in Virginia, our Governor has issued some additional emergency restrictions on his subjects. I will see whether or not they actually affect us, since we are following the usual Cold & Flu common sense precautions. I wear a mask to enter the the health facility before taking it off to swim, avoid […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-island-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20522"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20525,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20522\/revisions\/20525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}