'Tis the season when What The Riff?!? delves once more into the Christmas standards, classics, covers, and originals that make Christmas Rock! Fan of the show Vann Mathis joins us for this one. **(NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.)
Believe it or not, we've made it to the Christmas season 2020 - and for some of us, its about time! We hope your Christmas is a good one, and hope you get a chance to listen to some of these Christmas Songs that Rock on this Rabbit Hole episode!
“Step Into Christmas” by Elton John
This original song by John and Taupin has become a standard since it was originally released in 1973 as a single, and as a bonus track on the Caribou album.
“Gabriel's Message” by Sting
A cover of an obscure Basque folk carol based on the Annunciation by the archangel Gabriel that Mary would be the mother of Jesus— sung as only Sting could.
“Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24” by Trans Siberian Orchestra
You know Wayne will bring us a rocking song and this instrumental number by former members of Savatage is no exception.
“Sock It To Me Santa” by Bob Seger and The Last Heard
This rocking Christmas tune from the 60's reminds us that Bob Seger has been in the music business for quite a while.
“Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade
This non-album release in 1973 from Slade may not be that well known in the United States, but it is amazingly popular year after year in the UK.
“Christmas Is the Time to Say 'I Love You'” by Billy Squier
Squier dropped this original Christmas hit in 1981, and launched a video on MTV using many of the MTV VJ's of the day in starring roles.
“Back Door Santa” by Jet
Let the double entendres roll with this blues-based rocker.
“Christmas on the Bayou” by Lonnie Brooks
We drift into the bayou blues with this New Orleans-style cut from Alligator Records.
“Christmas Fais Do Do” by Marcia Ball
And we're staying on the Bayou for this zydeco tune. A Fais Do Do is a Cajun dance party. A Christmas tradition in Louisiana is building bonfires on the levees.
“Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'” by Tinsley Ellis
Bruce brings this cover of Albert King's 1974 blues Christmas riff. Atlanta's own Tinsley Ellis performs this version. Bill Murray and George Clooney performed an interesting version of it that you can catch on youtube as well.
“Don't Believe in Christmas” by The Sonics
Rob brings us this tune by the Tacoma, Washington-based group The Sonics. It was developed back in 1965 - in less than 24 hours when they were asked to do a live show with other rockers.
“Christmas in Dixie” by Alabama
This has become almost a Christmas standard in the South. Fort Payne, Alabama's finest call out a number of locations around the US, and especially focusing on locations in the southeast in this 1982 original.
“I'll Be Home For Christmas” by the Carpenters
This 1978 cover goes back to Bing Crosby in 1943, when it was written to honor servicemen away from home during World War II. We hope that if you aren't able to make it home for whatever reason, you will know that you are home in your dreams, and in the dreams of your loved ones.
LAUGH TRACK(s):
“O Holy Night” by Eric Cartman
And this is the point where we ruin your memories of a classic Christmas hymm by taking you to the South Park version.
“The Chimney Song” by Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio
"There's something stuck up in the chimney and it doesn't move around, and it's been a week since Christmas..."
“Silver Bells” by Paul Simon, Billy Joel, and Steve Martin
Rob closes us out with this rare item spontaneously created by Joel, Simon, and Martin. I'm not sure how Paul Simon and Billy Joel kept going when Steve Martin gets going on his monologue about what Christmas means.