FOR THE RECORD, AND THE LIKE
Either heaven or hell has continuous background music piped in; which one you think it is tells a lot about your personality. –Bill Vaughan
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I rarely listen to radio, and spend as little time Christmas shopping in stores as possible. Even so, I hear Christmas music almost everywhere I go, from dentist office to automobile service waiting rooms. If my reaction to much of this music makes me seem ‘ear-itably’ Scrooge-like, my reaction to that characterization is “Bah! Humbug!”
For example, after hearing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” (not one of my favorite Christmas songs to begin with) for the umpteenth time this month (and a million times over the years), I’m dreaming of receiving ear plugs for Christmas (or sooner, if Santa wants to get a head start). I admit I once owned a recording of the song, but I evicted it from my record collection long ago….unfortunately, to no apparent avail.
Nevertheless, there are far worse outrages in the world, and there are a number of numinous Christmas songs which earn “Likes” from the likes of mistermuse. You won’t be hearing from me again until Dec. 30 (no post on Dec. 25), so I thought I’d include a few of those songs (with a little help from YuleTube) in my early Merry Christmas wishes to you:
painkills2 2:01 am on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
mistermuse 7:50 am on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
Love it!
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painkills2 6:18 pm on December 20, 2016 Permalink
Harry Connick, Jr. has such a sexy voice. Just ask any female in the room. 🙂
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 9:53 pm on December 24, 2016 Permalink |
Crazy about Bailey the unknown reindeer, and love the orchestra – but I am at least one of “the females in the room” who is NOT crazy about Harry Connick, Jr. – or at least his choice of arrangements like this one and his Sinatra-like styling. MUCH prefer the original.
I wish everyone a very Merry anyway, no matter what you love to play in the background.
xx,
mgh
LikeLiked by 2 people
painkills2 4:59 am on December 25, 2016 Permalink
Boy, you sure are picky. I’m not a fan of Harry Connick, Jr., but you can’t deny that the man is sexy personified. However, the video is really about the dog. When was the last time you had so much fun? And a Merry Christmas to you. 🙂
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 11:54 am on December 25, 2016 Permalink
lol – Watching that dog play in the snow made my night! I love the sheer joy with which puppies play. My little guy would be totally buried in a foot of snow, however – I’m not sure I could find him in that much. Merry Christmas (sorry we disagree about Harry – more for you!)
xx,
mgh
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don Frankel 7:49 am on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
Here’s my favorite.
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mistermuse 7:49 am on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
Love it!
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arekhill1 1:16 pm on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
I have gone on enough about the assault on our eardrums by Christmas music every year so that my views on the subject are well known. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be “Greensleaves,” because the lyrics don’t mention Christmas at all and additionally, it is usually rendered as an instrumental.
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mistermuse 5:52 pm on December 20, 2016 Permalink |
Some might question how I don’t like “I’m Dreaming of A White Christmas” while a song in a similar vein (“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”) is one of my favorites. The answer is that (to me) the former is banal and the latter is bittersweet (especially considering that it was written during WW II and must have struck a chord with many a soldier overseas — same with “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”). So I guess taste in music (Christmas or otherwise) is all in the ear of the beholder.
P.S. “Greensleeves” is one of my favorites too.
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BroadBlogs 8:36 pm on December 21, 2016 Permalink |
You picked up some great ones! Merry Christmas!
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mistermuse 9:49 pm on December 21, 2016 Permalink |
Thank you. May Santa be as good to you as I hope he is to me. 🙂
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BroadBlogs 6:07 pm on December 28, 2016 Permalink |
And a happy new year!
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Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, MCC, SCAC 3:00 pm on December 24, 2016 Permalink |
LOL – Even though I have collected Christmas music for decades, the kind I call “Mall Music” is pretty dreadful, IMHO (i.e., the kind of Christmas tapes that loop endlessly, even in small local stores – it must drive the employees MAD!).
Even worse are the insipid offerings that I’ve heard on more than a few “all Christmas on Christmas Day” Radio stations that want to give their employees the day off. They have turned me off to anybody’s version of Frosty the Snowman – forever. I hope a few station managers will see this comment and use it to up their game.
Personally, I have jazz favorites (like the score to A Charlie Brown Christmas Special as well as some from jazz cats with a more traditional jazz bent), chorale favorites (like the almost boy choir sound of Christmas from Clare), Renaissance favorites, even a few “style” favorites (like the Temptations’ version of Rudolf the Red – which always makes everybody over 40 or so smile).
I like to separate the instrumentals that serve as a festive background in December at my house (like the beautiful renditions by The Piano Guys and a few of my favorites from Mannheim Steamroller) from *anything* with lyrics. I don’t want to hear more than a few of those more than once. They get rapidly tiresome, and I don’t drive my guests mad. In fact, most people have usually requested the sources. There are a ton of interesting Christmas offerings I wish got more play in public. BUT, as you say, “lovely” is in the ear of the beholder.
Great idea for a post. When I return from tonight’s Candlelight Service, I’ll go back to add it to my most recent Christmas post (unless I have a moment while waiting for my ride to arrive – but must jump into the bath NOW).
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
xx,
mgh
(Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMore dot com)
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
“It takes a village to educate a world!”
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inesephoto 5:06 pm on December 24, 2016 Permalink |
Thank you, never too much of a good Christmas music 🙂 Wishing you peace and joy, and all the wonderful thing for 2017!
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A different kind of Christmas Special from PorterGirl | ADD . . . and-so-much-more 9:10 pm on December 24, 2016 Permalink |
[…] A few musical favorites from MisterMuse and his Readers […]
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Lavinia Ross 4:46 pm on December 27, 2016 Permalink |
Bailey is great!
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