Saturday, December 10, 2016
Persistent (Christmas) earworm alert XLIII
For the past two days, Hagood Hardy's version of "Deck The Halls" has been stuck in my mind. Hardy's "The Christmas Album" contains possibly the most beautiful instrumental version of "Silent Night" I've ever heard. During its annual 36--in later years, 24--hours of Christmas music from 1985 to 1991, KYKY played both songs. Hardy's rendition of "Silent Night" moved me each time I heard it. His version of "Deck Of The Halls" elicited a different reaction from me. Whenever I heard it, I thought, "Was this featured on a TV variety show in some bygone era?" It's easy to imagine the singers dancing across a stage while dressed as candy canes or Christmas trees. It's difficult to take much of anything seriously after hearing it. Although I haven't heard it on the radio in 25 years, it's not a version that's easy to forget.