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.

“Oh, the weather outside is frightful”: “Let It Snow” by Glee

Photo: Pollo

This nod to sitting smugly by the fire while the tempest rages outside was penned back in 1945. It was a modern song, mentioning newfangled things like popping corn. (Funny, I thought the Native Americans did it way back.)

Today, in Denver, the snow is falling (finally! –the first we’ve had this year), and it is nice to be sitting inside cozy and warm, though we are making scones instead of popping corn.
Glee has a jazzy version on Freegal.

When it comes to other versions, the question is who doesn’t have a version out. There are over a dozen pages of artists; here is just a sampling:  Johnny Mathis, Doris Day, Harry Connick, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Wynton Marsalis, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Jessica Simpson, Kenny G., and Dean Martin. If you are in a country mood, you can listen to Martina McBride, Tanya Tucker, or Austin band Asleep at the Wheel.

If you are in a really different sort of mood, you can listen to the Christmas Jug Band (they whistle the tune—reminds me of the Andy Griffith theme), or you can hear it sung in Polish by Moje Vanoce.

I came across a music box version by Mic Musicbox that I like. It sounds different from all the others.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

Photo: Pollo

According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the best-selling single of all time, selling 50 million copies. You can download it from Freegal and make it 50 million and one.

After my teenage daughter and I heard it on the radio, this is how our conversation went:

ME: That’s Bing Crosby singing.

HER: What? I thought his name was Bill or something.

ME (after some thought): No, you’re thinking of Bill Cosby. The comedian. Very different from Bing Crosby the singer. He was known for being smooth and debonair.

HER (after some thought): Mom, how smooth and debonair can he be? He calls himself BING. It’s like he’s a second-rate search engine.

ME: Sigh.