Music Is My Only Master: Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas! Merry New Year! Feliz Navidad! Prospero Ano Nuevo! Happy Kwanzaa! I hope you had a wonderful Chanukah! And, for the rest of us, happy belated Festivus!

I'm about to do my Christmas break. I actually meant to do another long post this month, but since the subjects have been deceased for many years, I think it can wait until January without doing any real damage. But until then...

Let's do some Christmas tunes!

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
This is my favorite traditional Christmas song and my favorite version of it. I used to listen to it on my dad's copy of A Motown Christmas (I have my own copy now that I'm grown) and I always dug how jazzy it is.

This is another lovely one from Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

When I lived down south, I used to hear this song at Christmas a lot. It's Robert Earl Keene's "Merry Christmas From the Family." Some would say this is a "white trash version" of Christmas, but to me, it just seems like a down-to-earth version of the holiday in America. Especially with the mention of "AA." Heh.

"Santa and His Old Lady" by Cheech and Chong
I am not ashamed to say that this has been my favorite Christmas song since I was a teenager.
And now, because of this tune, I know that Santa and his reindeer get around the world in one night due to "magic dust." *holds back a snicker*

If you really like irreverence, you can't go wrong with South Park's Christmas selections. I love Cartman's version of "O Holy Night," especially when he proclaims Christmas to be "the night when I get presents." Heh. And there is this version of the same song but with a cattle prod. And then, of course, there's "The Most Offensive Song Ever," sung by Kenny and Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo; if you never heard it, there is a definite and rather accurate warning in that title. There is an uncensored version sung solely by Mr. Hankey, but if you're trying to get into heaven, I wouldn't recommend listening to it. However, if you figure you're already going straight to hell, click away right here!

Merry Christmas everybody!
I wish you peace, love, safety, and good music!

EDIT: Holy crap! I forgot to post these other classics!

It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens; Mom's cookin' chicken and collard greens!

This song provides the sample for Run DMC's holiday rap classic. And if you think the title "Backdoor Santa" is suggestive, Clarence Carter had a hit years later with a tune called "Strokin'." Now that song is filthy. Just imagine your grandfather singing about how much he loves sex. Yikes. Then again, an older man bragging about how great his, ahem, "stroke game," ahem, is before Viagra existed may qualify as a Christmas miracle to certain segments of the population. Ahem.

Bruce Springsteen does a pretty good version of this, but Big O's rendition is the one that I grew up with. My favorite part: "Santa came down the chimney, half past three y'aaaaalll!"

I don't remember Kurtis Blow before he got his Jheri Curl but here he is rockin' his Teenie Weenie Afro and looking like Al Green performing "Christmas Rapping."