Category Archives: Music

25 Days Of Christmas Songs: Day 21

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

durango-co-christmas

(Original source unknown)

My love for Motown is immense.  I have adored it since I was a kid, thanks to my parents.  They bought one of those K-Tel compilations which consisted of four albums of the Motor City’s greatest hits and the rest is history.

So many great songs and singers came out of that era, and to this day four of them are still on my list of favorite voices of all time:  Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, David Ruffin (lead singer of the Temptations) & Levi Stubbs (lead singer of the Four Tops.

Despite the fact that Motown gave us some of the greatest music ever made, so many of the holiday music recorded by those artists is hardly ever heard during the Christmas season.  With radio stations starting earlier and earlier every year to play holiday songs, I do not know how this era of music gets overlooked.  I listen to these four Christmas songs year round, and maybe after hearing them you will understand why.

marvin gaye     Temptations

Marvin Gaye (R) – The Temptations (L) (original sources unknown)

Stevie Wonderthe-four-tops-abdul-duke-fakir-levi-everett

Stevie Wonder (R) – The Four Tops (L) (original sources unknown)

Marvin Gaye:  “I Want To Come Home For Christmas“

Stevie Wonder:  “What Christmas Means to Me“

The Four Tops:  “Away In A Manger“

The Temptations:  “Silent Night”

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 20

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

snowmen-3

(Original source unknown)

This may be repetitive for those who follow me. but it is the truth:  I love Bruce Springsteen.  He is one of my heroes, my favorite singer/songwriter and one of the most decent people to ever come out of the music industry.  He taught me so many of life’s lessons, never tried to sugarcoat what was bad, has integrity beyond measure, is loyal and remembers his roots.

Sure he is not perfect, but from what I have seen from people in this life, he is pretty damn close.  I am thankful every day that I not only found him, but I understood him as well.  When I watched him on “Storytellers”, he said his album “Born To Run” was his invitation to his fans to come along for the ride.  Well, I accepted that offer and it has been one of the best parts of my life.

While other rock musicians are lending their music to big box stores for commercials, he continues to honor his legacy by playing his three hour plus concerts and finding new ways to bring his music to his audience.  Publishing his biography and giving us a glimpse into his mind when he was writing his songs is one example, and performing his Broadway show is another.

I saw that show tonight and, of course, the man did not disappoint.  He was his funny, charming, reflective and rocking self.  He talked about his life, his childhood, his family and his career.  In between his monologues, he played some of his music, including a song from an album he released about six years ago.  And it summed up our vicarious relationship perfectly, figuratively speaking:

“Darlin’ if you’re weary lay your head upon my chest
We’ll take what we can carry and we’ll leave the rest
Big wheels roll through the fields where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams.”

Thanks, Bossman, for the land of hope and dreams.  And for the ride.  And the music.  I will never be able to thank you enough for all of it.

bruce-merrychristmasbaby

Courtesy of Eric Meola

Bruce Springsteen:  “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”

Bruce Springsteen:  “Merry Christmas, Baby”

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you  🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 19

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

truck-with-wreath

(Original source unknown)

For most of the countdown, I have had trouble choosing only one song each day because I feel like there are so many great versions of so many holiday classics, I just want to share as many as I can with you.  And while this song is no exception in the amount of great renditions it has, for me there is only one.  Why?  Because that one is by Ray Charles Robinson.

I fell in love with his version the first time I heard in the 1989 movie “When Harry Met Sally” and it has been one of my all time favorite Christmas songs ever since.  In my heart he made this song his own the same way he did with “America The Beautiful“.  There is a reason why he was called “The Genius”, and it is clear in every note of every song he ever played.

ray 2

(Original source unknown)

Ray Charles:  “Winter Wonderland”

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 18

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

book-trees

Christmas trees made from stacks of books!!!  (Original source unknown)

Today’s Christmas song is a duet first introduced to the world in the 1949 movie, “Neptune’s Daughter”.  It starred Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban (yes, Fantasy Island’s Mr. Rourke & Star Trek’s Khan), Betty Garrett (a/k/a Archie Bunker’s nemesis Irene Lorenzo, Laverne & Shirley’s landlady Edna Babish or Sarah a/k/a “Mrs. Caligula” on the Golden Girls Season 7 Episode 13 “Old Boyfriends”) and one of my favorite people in the world, Red Skelton.  The four leads sang the version from the movie as two duets and it was magic.

After that, it was re-recorded over a dozen of times, and these are my top four faves:

Another 1949 version by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan:  “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”  (Just perfect!).

Louis Armstrong and Velma Middleton – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”  (This is from their nightclub act so the singing is peppered with jokes.  It was recorded in the early to mid 1950’s & it is fabulous!).

Elf

Leon & Buddy in “Elf” (courtesy of New Line Cinema)

From 2003 – Will Ferrell & Zoey Daschanel (from “Elf”):   “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”  (This is a really nice version from the movie, but for the film’s soundtrack she sings this with Leon Redbone.  In the movie he provides the voice of Leon The Snowman & as a bit of trivia, he sang the theme song to “Mr. Belverdere”).

From 2012 – Rufus Wainwright & Sharon Van Etten:  “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”  (This one has a nice easy piano bar kind of feel to it).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 17

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

img_20161206_1525021

Of course the music world is made up of all types of voices:  good, bad, in-between, God awful and so on.  But I think only a few qualify as beautiful, and this man’s voice is at the top of that list.

Whether it is opera, contemporary, holiday, pop or any other type of music you can name, this man sings it with his own unique style and interpretation.  And the fact that he sings most of his songs in two languages-Italian & English-well, that is a swoon-worthy bonus.

I love so many of his duets-and he has done several with such diverse artists as Celine Dion, Reba McEntire, David Foster, Mary J. Blige, Sarah Brightman, Ed Sheeran, Luciano Pavarotti and others.  But it is when he sings his solos that I find myself most enthralled by his voice.

In 2009 he released “My Christmas” and it instantly became a permanent part of my holiday music collection.  These two songs are my favorites from that CD.

andrea-bocelli-cieco

(original source unknown)

Andrea Bocelli:  “Angels We Have Heard On High”

Andrea Bocelli:  “Adeste Fideles“

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 16

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

christmas_village_streetview_640

(Original source unknown.)

Tall, dark, handsome & sexy are a few ways to describe this artist.  Unbelievably talented is another.  He paints, sculpts, writes, arranges, produces & performs great music for himself & other artists.  He also plays one mean trumpet.  He co-wrote “Wonderful World” which was initially made famous by Sam Cooke, sang one of my all time favorite Burt Bacharach songs ever (“This Guy’s In Love With You“) which hit #1 in 1968 and was the A of A&M Records which signed the The Carpenters in 1969.

This man had several hits in the 1960’s with his band, the Tijuana Brass (“A Taste Of Honey“, “Whipped Cream” and “Spanish Flea“, which is also known as “The Bachelor’s Theme” from The Dating Game).  On his own he hit #1 again in 1979 with “Rise” (also known to “General Hospital” fans as the song that was playing in Luke’s disco when he raped Laura) and #5 in 1987 with “Diamonds“, with one of his A&M singers, Janet Jackson, on vocals.

He has won all the awards, done all the shows and continues to make great music.  This year he treated us to two releases:  “Music Volume 1” came out in July with some really great new music as well as a lovely cover of the Beatles’ “Michelle” and an absolutely beautiful version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”

“A Christmas Wish” came out in the fall, and all of the songs are wonderful.  But I really like this one since it was originally recorded in 1970 by his old friends, The Carpenters.  I think it shows this man’s heart, loyalty and love of a good song.

kc1971alpert

Richard & Karen Carpenter with Herb Alpert circa 1971 (original source unknown)

Herb Alpert:  “Merry Christmas, Darling”

The Carpenters:  “Merry Christmas, Darling” (original 1970)

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 15

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello. Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

img_17421

Today’s post is basically a contradiction of every opinion I have given on Christmas music thus far.  That is because I feel that today’s song only has, or should only have, one singer.  This song is not covered nearly as much as other Christmas songs, and it does seem to have a wider appeal to country singers.  I do like Faith Hill’s version , but I still love the original the best.

Actually, I cannot even refer to it as the original version because the man who sang my favorite take on it was the second one to record it in 1964, but he was the one who made the song famous.  And millions of people have heard him sing it in “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” over the last 53 years.  Ironically, his character was not supposed to sing this song-it was originally going to be sung by Yukon Cornelius.  Given his character’s somewhat abrasive voice, I am glad the powers that be changed their minds and let Sam the Snowman sing it instead.  Otherwise, we would not have this man’s version for posterity.

burl ives 2

(Original source unknown.)

Burl Ives:  “A Holly Jolly Christmas“

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 14

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

country-living

(Original source unknown.)

There is no need for me to write a lot here because the legend behind today’s songs is none other than the King himself, Elvis Aaron Presley.  While “Blue Christmas” is probably his most popular Christmas song, it is obviously not his only one.  There are several Elvis Christmas collections, including  “Christmas With Elvis And The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra“.  That was released in October, 60 years after his first Christmas album’s release, 1957’s “Elvis’ Christmas Album”.

I already love the big band sound, but when it is combined with Elvis and Christmas music, it is heaven on earth.  I picked two because it is so hard to pick one of anything by Elvis.  The first song defines the big band sound I referenced above, while the other is such a fun tune that is sung in a similar vocal to that of “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear“.  Enjoy!!!

elvis-presley-feceb2b6-0462-428f-b5ec-944f9fe39705

Courtesy of Bettmann/Getty.

Elvis Presley :  “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”

Elvis Presley:  “Here Comes Santa Claus”

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 13

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

small-town-christmas

(Courtesy of Cape Night Photography)

There are a lot of people who like their Christmas music old school.  I can totally understand that, being the music purist that I am.  And I love those songs, too (well, most of them anyway.)  But then I started hearing different versions of holiday music thanks to TV shows & movies using newer recordings in the soundtracks, or from watching videos of  fresh covers during MTV’s heyday, or hearing them performed in more novel ways during Christmas shows and specials.  And I fell in love with the songs all over again.

For years I did not hear any other version of this song except the original one from 1942.  There is no denying it is beautifully done.  Heck, it is the best selling single of all time.  But there are many different definitions of beautiful, and if I never heard this interpretation, what a misfortune that would have been.  For anyone who loves his original version of “What A Wonderful World“, today’s song is for you.

louis-armstrong-4

Louis Armstrong (date and original source unknown)

Louis Armstrong:  “White Christmas”

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!

 

25 Days Of Christmas Music: Day 12

Posted in Christmas, Music by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown.

perfect-snowman

(Original source unknown)

When the original version of this song came out in 1958, the singer was only 13 years old.  For nearly 60 years it has been a holiday staple.  I like it a lot, but there are two covers of this song I enjoy as well.  Then I remembered my favorite version of this song, which I could not get enough of when I was kid.

I have included all four here today so you may choose your favorite.  But for me and the rest of the little girls who grew up thinking someday they would marry David Cassidy,  the Partridge Family version is dedicated to you.

Here is to our dreams of youth, and for getting the chance to relive them however briefly each time we hear one of these songs.  RIP Keith.  We all still love you!!!

Partridge 1

(Original source unknown)

Partridge 2

(Original source unknown)

The Partridge Family:  “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (1971)

Brenda Lee:  “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (original 1958)

Ronnie Spector & Darlene Love:  “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” from (1992)

Bill Haley & The Comets:  “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (1968)

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!