To Parody or Not To Parody: "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

When I heard Straight, No Chaser’s version of “12 Days of Christmas” on the radio, I wondered if it would make sense to anyone who had not seen the video.

I love how this a capella groups takes a fairly monotonous song (admit it, you were ready for it to end at 5 golden rings) and segues to “Carol of the Bells” and, finally Toto’s “Africa.” (By the way, “Africa” is available on Freegal.)

Sadly, Straight No Chaser does not have any songs on Freegal. But Freegal does have all kinds of versions.

If you want something traditional, look for Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Andrews Sister, Perry Como, Burl Ives, or Ray Conniff.

If you want something a little different, you can look for Destiny’s Child, who for some reason cuts the days down in “8 Days of Christmas.”

 This song seems especially susceptible to being toyed around with. (You know that if anyone wants to do a spoof, this is the easiest one.) If you want a punk version, look for a group called Splodge. If you want a hip-hop version, look for Hip-Hop Kids (their album is titled Yo, It’s Christmas.)

And if you wanted it twisted, Twisted Sister has a version, too. Enjoy.