CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST

Hello everyone. Or shall I say ho, ho, ho? I’ll just leave it at hello since there are never any cheap jokey references in my blog. As we draw near to the holidays, I have decided to regale you with my musical cunning, knowledge, grit, and some other buzz words that are big these days with my kids….such as cappin’ and drip. For context, cappin’ means that you are lying, while drip is, apparently a good thing. Here’s an example: “Dad, stop cappin’, I know we aren’t having cookies for dinner. But your new shoes are drippy.”

Well, I have always been hip to the street cred, so below, I share with you my current Christmas playlist chocked full of pure deliciousness for your ears after you have been downed by Whamageddon (look it up, it’s a thing), or have simply had enough Mariah forever. I have left notes, some humorous, some not, next to my track selections. You and your family can thank me later as you listen to the Moeschen Holiday Playlist of 2023. It is imperative that you listen IN the following order. You see, song/track order used to be a thing before the evils of digital streaming and downloads. But that whole topic is for a future blog. Enjoy, and Merry Everything from my family to yours. If you’re on the nice list, I’ll burn you a CD. (Mr. Huebner still has his right?)

1. Spoken introduction to set the mood: Clark W. Griswold monologue from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. This sums up how we all feel about everything. Embrace your anger.
2. Must Be Santa – Mitch Miller. This record was a favorite in my house when decorating the tree. Big booming vocals as you can almost feel Mitch and his gang drinking spiked eggnog during the takes to coat the vocal cords. Love it.
3. Christmas Music – Schoenberg. Time to get serious on this playlist. This gorgeous classical piece features a countermelody of Silent Night. I learned about countermelody in college and then heard what countermelody is not supposed to sound like the following quarter century while working with middle school band kids. Good times. Track today Patty?
4. In Dulci Jubilo – King’s College, Cambridge UK. Another piece that I studied and sang in college. A holiday classical classic and the King’s College Choir is haunting. This track will help you calm down while consuming 9,000 calories a day during the weeks of December.
5. Fantasia on Greensleeves – Vaughan Williams. Greensleeves, AKA What Child is This? has always been one of my favorite melodies. I think it is beautiful and the variations on it with the flute and strings here are pure art.
6. My Favorite Things – John McLaughlin version. Someone on the internet wrote: “This tune is Christmas enough.” I agree, and I need a bridge tune from Greensleeves so here it is.
7. O Christmas Tree – A Charlie Brown Christmas. Classic. When Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz chose jazz composer Vince Guaraldi to score his TV special, the powers that be at ABC blanched and said “WE are not comfortable having jazz music underscore a children’s cartoon. It won’t work.” They were wrong as this album has become one the of the best selling Christmas recordings of all time and has been added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. The google machine tells us that: The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.”
8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Dexter Gordon Quartet. Jazz. Good. Stretch your ears a little.
9. Ella Wishes You a Swingin’ Christmas – The whole album is awesome, but her pure silk voice on Jingle Bells never fails to delight. Of course I will have some more figgy pudding. Bring it right here! Look up Jingle Bells or just put the entire album on your playlist since Ella never sang a weak track in her life. Goddess and a Queen wrapped up into my 5th bowl of said figgy pudding. I need my own internet radio show. It would be drippy.
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – BNL and Sarah McLachlan. What a little pop gem this track is. Nice harmonies. This little rendition was recorded in 2004 and has become a holiday radio fave. Well done you Canadians, well done.
11. Blue Christmas – The Porky Pig Version. I’ve never been a big Elvis guy, but 50 million Porky Pig fans can’t be wrong. This is hilarious, as my neighbor Tom would say…..hilarious. I think it was recorded for a radio show somewhere because during the kazoo solo there are people losing it in the background and you will too. Make sure to share this one with your grumpy relatives. You’re welcome.
12. What Christmas Means to Me – Stevie Wonder. I’m not going to lie. I first heard the Hanson version of this Motown Christmas tune and I was pleasantly surprised. I will also tell you that I heard it during the first year of the pandemic as I was out with the wife and kids buying our Christmas Tree. While we shopped on the lot of trees looking for the perfect one, this song was playing outside on the speakers. I like it. Stevie Wonder shouldn’t ever be in the same sentence as Hanson but I’m guessing they paid the man big dough to cover the track. Stevie didn’t even see it coming. Ho! Ho! Ho! (ok, one cheap joke)
13. Happy Xmas -War is Over – John Lennon. I’ve always loved this song, even when I found out that he ripped off an old English fold tune named Stewball and lifted the chord changes wholesale. It’s John Lennon. He can do whatever he wants. Also, he won the Christmas song battle with Paul as I feel that Paul’s Christmas tune is a boiling cauldron of human feces. Never mind an internet radio show, I’mma write for Hallmark.
14. Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid. Well, really Bob Geldoff who has owned us all since he was the star in the movie adaptation of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Bobby assembled a cast of who’s who of 80’s music BEFORE We Are The World to raise money for Ethiopia. All of the artists sung and played for free, and the track was recorded in one day. Brings you some spirit although I still cringe when I hear Bono belt out the line: “Well, tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you.” Ouch. Where do I donate?
15. O Holy Night – Pavarotti version. This is my favorite carol of all time. In 1992, a few days after Christmas, I attended the wedding of my drum teacher (you read that right….Bless you Jim Lattini) and there was a choir in the church loft that sung this and I wept at its beauty. I have listened to hundreds of versions of the tune over the years, but when Pavarotti opens his mouth, heaven pours out. Light the Christmas Tree and turn off every other light in you house. Sit comfortably, look at the tree and listen to this version. You will weep also.

Stay safe, stay awesome and stay tuned. Please share your top holiday songs from your life and memories with me. I love talking music with everyone…