tomswift2002
Well-Known Member
Check out this video! Both Carpenters Christmas albums are mentioned.
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Yes - they didn't include the single of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". That really disappointed me.Were there any performances, arrangements, sequencing spots that you thought couldāve been improved?
Yes, especially if you saw the title on the track listing and got excited that it was there, took it for a spin only to realize, that wasnāt the single version.Yes - they didn't include the single of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". That really disappointed me.
Well I can see why they didnāt include. As an experimental one-off ballad it works fine, but for Christmas Portrait and even An Old-Fashioned Christmas itās the slowest song, because itās got the jazz shuffle going in it. Whereas the other tracks really are not jazz tracks; even Merry Christmas Darling moves at a slightly faster speed than the 1974 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.Yes - they didn't include the single of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". That really disappointed me.
Yes - they didn't include the single of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". That really disappointed me.
Home for the Holidays is a great song, and that assessment has nothing to do with the lyrics mentioning eating pumpkin pie in Pennsylvania...or pining for the sunshine of a friendly gaze...I forgot that one, actually too. I get that they wanted all ānewā recordings but that song was made for whatever their first Xmas album would be.
Also, Home for the Holidays shouldāve been on the the first one. Iām surprised that such a mainstream, much loved classic didnāt make the cut.
Not a fan of the lyric?Home for the Holidays is a great song, and that assessment has nothing to do with the lyrics mentioning eating pumpkin pie in Pennsylvania...or pining for the sunshine of a friendly gaze...
On the contrary I love the lyrics! They are very literate and yet as "down home" as you can get - I live in PA & my wife's pumpkin pie is, as the PA Dutch are fond of saying, scrumptious! I guess I didn't convey the meaning I intended, which is that my love for pumpkin pie doesn't influence my assessment of the song's high musical value (especially as arranged/sung by the Carps) - sort of a play on words that fell flat...and when's the last time we heard the word pine in a song - or actually pined for something?Not a fan of the lyric?
Home For The Holidays was originally written as a Thanksgiving song.Home for the Holidays is a great song, and that assessment has nothing to do with the lyrics mentioning eating pumpkin pie in Pennsylvania...or pining for the sunshine of a friendly gaze...
That makes sense now. I love how āpineā makes the song feel old-fashioned. When you hear this you can feel the warmth of that home, smell the pumpkin pie, and the whole cozy vibe she pines for.On the contrary I love the lyrics! They are very literate and yet as "down home" as you can get - I live in PA & my wife's pumpkin pie is, as the PA Dutch are fond of saying, scrumptious! I guess I didn't convey the meaning I intended, which is that my love for pumpkin pie doesn't influence my assessment of the song's high musical value (especially as arranged/sung by the Carps) - sort of a play on words that fell flat...and when's the last time we heard the word pine in a song - or actually pined for something?
I never realized that it doesnāt really have to do specifically with Christmas, but it works better for it because the spirit makes home worth traveling to even more.Home For The Holidays was originally written as a Thanksgiving song.
Weirdly, or not (?), I wrote a song with pine in it:On the contrary I love the lyrics! They are very literate and yet as "down home" as you can get - I live in PA & my wife's pumpkin pie is, as the PA Dutch are fond of saying, scrumptious! I guess I didn't convey the meaning I intended, which is that my love for pumpkin pie doesn't influence my assessment of the song's high musical value (especially as arranged/sung by the Carps) - sort of a play on words that fell flat...and when's the last time we heard the word pine in a song - or actually pined for something?
When you think about it, there are a number of songs we listen to at Christmas that really donāt mention Christmas. āJingle Bellsā was originally written for Thanksgiving, āWinter Wonderlandā is another song thatās about a winter romance, āFrosty the Snowmanā has no mention of Christmas although the Rankin/Bass cartoon and song added Santa into it, and changed the last line from ābe back again somedayā to ābe back on Christmas Day.I never realized that it doesnāt really have to do specifically with Christmas, but it works better for it because the spirit makes home worth traveling to even more.
This is true, but the songs that you mention are winter/holiday related and the most important, widely celebrated holiday of that season is Christmas. Songs about snow, cold weather, religious redemption, etc are evocative of the time around and of Christmas. I think people living in parts of the world/America (a place where so many of Xmas tunes are recorded) where itās always warm can respond positively to songs that donāt match their external environment. More places than not where Christmas is celebrated itās colder than warmer, I would imagine.When you think about it, there are a number of songs we listen to at Christmas that really donāt mention Christmas. āJingle Bellsā was originally written for Thanksgiving, āWinter Wonderlandā is another song thatās about a winter romance, āFrosty the Snowmanā has no mention of Christmas although the Rankin/Bass cartoon and song added Santa into it, and changed the last line from ābe back again somedayā to ābe back on Christmas Day.
āLet It snow, Let It snow, Let it snowā, āBaby, Itās Cold Outsideā, āLittle Altar Boyā & āAve Mariaā are other Christmas songs that are not about Christmas.
"My Favorite Things" works as a Christmas song mostly because it gradually came to be performed in that setting over the years (on albums, TV shows, radio playlists) - it's a conditioned association and not a natural one - I'm not sure Oscar Hammerstein had a conscious intention to associate it with Christmas when he penned the lyrics (would have to research that), but I highly doubt it - maybe it's parts of the lyrics like "brown paper packages tied up with string" or "snowflakes that fall on my nose and eye lashes" that evokes the Christmas spirit (definitely not dogs biting and bees stinging) - in the movie/play it's used by Maria to calm the children during a severe thunder storm, but one can easily imagine an entirely different setting for it, one involving everyone gathered around a very large ornately decorated Christmas tree in the mansion's music room, etc.But then again Iām one of those guys who says that My Favorite Things works as a Christmas song. Maybe not intended specifically as such, but again some lyrics are evocative of the holiday and itās about getting into a mindset of happy thoughts to not feel sad (we know that the season brings about depression for so many, how nostalgic elements can bring about highs and lows of mood; the best vocal cover of it is given by Barbra Streisand whoās arrangement and vocal captures a harrowing darkness about remembering things that perhaps can never again rekindle an inner flame of warmth and joy. If only Karen did a vocal with a similar moody arrangement...).
There had to have been some kind of conscious Christmas connection when it was written. Julie Andrews at least thought so when it was performed on the Gary Moore Christmas show in the early 60s.
I guess youāve never heard the Australian Jingle Bells?This is true, but the songs that you mention are winter/holiday related and the most important, widely celebrated holiday of that season is Christmas. Songs about snow, cold weather, religious redemption, etc are evocative of the time around and of Christmas. I think people living in parts of the world/America (a place where so many of Xmas tunes are recorded) where itās always warm can respond positively to songs that donāt match their external environment. More places than not where Christmas is celebrated itās colder than warmer, I would imagine.
And Iām shocked that Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving tune. I never knew that the sound of jingle bells could be associated with anything but Christmas. If thereās one sound that is itās unquestionably those bells.
But then again Iām one of those guys who says that My Favorite Things works as a Christmas song. Maybe not intended specifically as such, but again some lyrics are evocative of the holiday and itās about getting into a mindset of happy thoughts to not feel sad (we know that the season brings about depression for so many, how nostalgic elements can bring about highs and lows of mood; the best vocal cover of it is given by Barbra Streisand whoās arrangement and vocal captures a harrowing darkness about remembering things that perhaps can never again rekindle an inner flame of warmth and joy. If only Karen did a vocal with a similar moody arrangement...).
There had to have been some kind of conscious Christmas connection when it was written. Julie Andrews at least thought so when it was performed on the Gary Moore Christmas show in the early 60s.
Quirky? Thatās the last thing Iād describe that version as. Itās played totally straight, which is why it works. I know Barbra had that kookie, ironic humor in some 60s songs but I donāt hear it in this. It may not have worked on this album (which is largely about the uplifting and/or ethereal music contrasted with her melancholy bringing it down to earth) but I absolutely could hear her pulling off an amazing vocal for the song in that style. Whether she would have initially liked reworking the song is another story."My Favorite Things" works as a Christmas song mostly because it gradually came to be performed in that setting over the years (on albums, TV shows, radio playlists) - it's a conditioned association and not a natural one - I'm not sure Oscar Hammerstein had a conscious intention to associate it with Christmas when he penned the lyrics (would have to research that), but I highly doubt it - maybe it's parts of the lyrics like "brown paper packages tied up with string" or "snowflakes that fall on my nose and eye lashes" that evokes the Christmas spirit (definitely not dogs biting and bees stinging) - in the movie/play it's used by Maria to calm the children during a severe thunder storm, but one can easily imagine an entirely different setting for it, one involving everyone gathered around a very large ornately decorated Christmas tree in the mansion's music room, etc.
And no, I can't imagine Karen ever doing an arrangement of it as dark or brooding or moody as Streisand's - that kind of twisted quirkieness was Streisand's thing and definitely not Karen's - it would have been totally out of character for her, and totally out of place on their Christmas albums - I'm sure she would have balked...
I guess youāve never heard the Australian Jingle Bells?
But still, for most of the world they could be singing those songs until the end of February. And in the case of āAve Mariaā, itās a recital of the Catholic Hail Mary, which I believe is said all year long at Catholic masses.
Perhaps I can shed some light on this one. The "Hail Mary" prayer (or "Ave Maria") is a recitation of the Annunciation in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:26-38) where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and informs her that she has found favor with God to bare his son, the savior. The first half of the Ave Maria is a recitation of this Gospel passage (in part). The second half of the song (and the prayer) is a petition to her to pray for us "now and at the hour of our death." And before Harry shuts this down as not relevant to the discussion at hand, I think the connection is obvious. It's part of the "Christmas" story...where "the reason for the season" starts. At first, I, too, thought it an "odd" Christmas song; but in actuality, it is quite relevant and directly related to Christmas.But still, for most of the world they could be singing those songs until the end of February. And in the case of āAve Mariaā, itās a recital of the Catholic Hail Mary, which I believe is said all year long at Catholic masses.
You know, I donāt think Karen sings the word, āpineā anyplace in āHome For The Holidaysā. I think she sings, āWhen you long for the sunshine of a friendly gazeā. But I could be totally wrong.That makes sense now. I love how āpineā makes the song feel old-fashioned. When you hear this you can feel the warmth of that home, smell the pumpkin pie, and the whole cozy vibe she pines for.
You are not wrong!You know, I donāt think Karen sings the word, āpineā anyplace in āHome For The Holidaysā. I think she sings, āWhen you long for the sunshine of a friendly gazeā. But I could be totally wrong.