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.

"There's a tree in the Grand Hotel": "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" sung by Dean Martin



Photo:  Eritfpdsw20

This bouncy little song was written by Meredith Wilson in 1951. If his name (yes, Meredith was a man's name back then) sounds familiar, it's because he wrote the music for The Music Man.

The story goes that he was staying in Yarmouth, Novia Scotia, looking out at "the tree in the Grand Hotel," --and presumable one in the park as well.

If Dean Martin isn’t your style, you can find versions by Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Johhny Mathis, Michael Buble, & Alvin & the Chipmunks on Freegal.

“Fly Me to the Moon”—a Song for Neil Armstrong.



Neil Armstrong on the moo  Photo: NASA

 Freegal has hundreds of versions “Fly Me to the Moon,” a song that seems appropriate for the man who became fascinated with flying when he first went up in a plane. It was 1936—and he was 6 years old.

You can find versions by Rod Stewart, Kenny G., Tony Bennett, The Boston Pops, Perry Como,  Judy Garland, and Johnny Mathis.

If you like your “Moon” a little different, check out versions by The Alliance (acapella), The Toadmortons (rock), Bulgarian National Radio (big band), Laurie Berkner (childrens),  Ernie Penfold (Hawaiian guitar), or Milana Misic (Finnish pop).