An overlooked (Christmas) cover tune CLXXIX

On this first Sunday of Advent, my thoughts have turned to "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," a hymn we sang in church frequently in the four weeks before Christmas.  I have yet to hear any radio station play the Karla Bonoff and Michael McDonald rendition of it.  Granted, "...Emmanuel" has a more downcast, solemn feel than most carols, making it difficult for pop stations to segue it with other Christmas tunes.

The contrast in vocal stylings might also be a factor.  Bonoff sings her verses with tasteful understatement.  McDonald, though, doesn't hold back.  I'm not critical of either approach because those styles suit each artist best.  Even if you're extremely familiar with McDonald's powerful pipes as a lead and backing singer, it's still a shock to hear him come roaring in for the first time during "...Emmanuel."  During an interview, Bonoff said that McDonald's voice blew out a microphone during their recording sessions.  I believe it, and I'm not critical of that.  When you have a voice that commanding, it's understandable that you'd use it fully.  

This Christmas season is still young, so maybe, I'll hear at least one station play it--and possibly segue it with Steve Winwood's "Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand." 

An overlooked (Christmas) cover tune CLXXVIII

Although I've always liked the carol, "Fum Fum Fum," I never expected to say, "This version cooks," about any rendition of it.  That's the case, however, with George Burton's take on it.  It starts off with orchestral strings as you might expect them to sound in a Classical rendition.  Shortly after that, however, the tune takes flight as a simmering jazz number, with Nancy Harms flying through the vocals.

Usually, when I hear "Fum Fum Fum," it's a choir singing a brisk rendition, enunciated crisply, and using a predictable arrangement.  Burton, Harms, and company, however, made me hear the tune in a new light--and as unexpectedly jazz-adaptable.  I've never declared that any other rendition swings, but this one does.

Persistent (Christmas) earworm alert CDIX

There's no law, I suppose, against playing "The Chipmunk Song" with a dash of grandeur.  Still, since hearing Vitamin String Quartet's version of it last night, I keep thinking, "'The Chipmunk Song' isn't supposed to conjure up images of elegantly dressed couples waltzing in a ballroom.  It's a novelty song for kids.  It isn't supposed to be prim and proper." 

Online radio sampler highlights CCLXXXVI (Thanksgiving edition)

Five of the better Thanksgiving-themed selections I've heard today:

KSKO (McGrath, AK) 

• Thanksgiving Theme-Vince Guaraldi Trio (This version focuses primarily on Guaraldi's piano playing, which sounds great, as always.  Also seek out the 2nd Reprise version by The Vince Guaraldi Quintet, which includes horns.)

WCLV (Cleveland, OH) 

• Claudio Monteverdi: Mass Of Thanksgiving (Taverner Consort & Players/Andrew Parrott, conductor) (Regal brass and strings underscore the vocals in this Baroque piece.)
• Frederic Hand: A Psalm Of Thanksgiving (Jayna Nelson, flute; Frederic Hand, guitar) (A placid guitar intro turns into hops and skips when the flute enters.  The piece then returns to its initial subtlety.)

WPFW (Washington, D.C.)

• I Give Thanks-Jerry Johnson (This May release is a compelling blend of rhythmic reggae, jazz saxophone, and vocals.)
• Fried Pies-Wes Montgomery (Melvin Rhyne's organ playing makes this sound like a Jimmy Smith track.  The organ, guitar, and drums give this jazz instrumental a bluesy flavor.)

Overthinking the obvious V

This afternoon, Green Park's "The Bug" came up during an iTunes shuffle mode session.  I reread the review of it I wrote last year.  As I listened, I thought, "Why does this backing track appeal to me so much?  There's something so familiar and laid-back about it."

Then, I realized, "Well, of course.  A section of it is basically Chicago's 'Colour My World.'  How did I not think of that when I wrote about it last year?" 

Sometimes, a familiar melody is so ingrained, it washes over you in a different context.

In memory of Jimmy Cliff

After reading about singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff's passing yesterday, I thought back to my college radio days and how often I turned to Cliff's music when I wanted to program a reggae segue on KCOU.  In my view, these are seven of his best tracks:

• I Want To Know (Who isn't curious about the origins of the universe?)
• Many Rivers To Cross (I've always liked how optimistically Cliff sings this.  When you approach a challenge this way, you're probably more likely to conquer it.) 
• Money Won't Save You (Fair warning about not being too materialistic.) 
• Sitting In Limbo (Good lyrics acknowledge the uncertainty that comes with major transitions in one's life.  Thea Gilmore's cover of this struck a chord with me in late 2005, when I was on the cusp of moving to a new residence but didn't know where it would be yet.)
• Waterfall (An appealing, almost bubblegum track not far removed from Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's sensibilities.  To me, it's Cliff's catchiest tune and the one I've listened to most in recent years.) 
• Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Idealistic lyrics about a striving for a harmonious world, undercut with a dose of reality.)
• You Can Get It If You Really Want (One of Cliff's best-known recordings, for good reason; it's a sunny, singable tribute to what one can achieve through hard work and perseverance.  I played this multiple times on KCOU, and it always improved my mood.)

Persistent earworm alert CDVIII

Six years after the passing of my cat, Sylvia, I'm thinking of one song repeatedly.  Mostly, I keep honing in on Rosanne Cash singing the title of her song, "Will You Remember Me?"  

I have no way of knowing what happens to us in the next life.  I'd like to believe, however, that our pets will remember us and reunite joyfully with us.  I'd also like to believe that we'll never be parted from each other again.  

In Sylvia's case, that would mean her latching onto me excitedly, the way she did when I said to the Humane Society adoption counselor in 2008, "I've found my cat."  It would also mean hearing her musical meow and steam engine purr once again. 

Will Sylvia remember me?  I can't prove it, but I'm betting on yes.

Online radio sampler highlights CCLXXXV

It's that twilight time of the year just before the holidays, so here are two recommended Thanksgiving tracks, two Christmas tunes, and two commendable tracks from 2025 that I've heard today:

KOSI (Denver, CO) 

• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-Percy Faith & His Orchestra (Appropriately, this rendition begins with a trumpet fanfare.  The clanging bells and stately strings make this a regal arrangement.  Also recommended: "Joy To The World," in which the word Joy could be underlined accurately multiple times.)
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-The Pretenders (A laid-back rendition at an unhurried pace.)

KWNK (Reno, NV)

• B61-The Westerlies (I never expected to hear Aoife O'Donovan's thoughtfully written song about isolation transformed into a brassy jazz instrumental, but it translates more successfully than I would have expected.)

WHCL (Clinton, NY)

• Thanksgiving Song-Mary Chapin Carpenter (Heartwarming lyrics about the necessity for gratitude.)
• Thanksgiving Interlude-Vince Guaraldi Quintet (Kudos to DJ Abby for playing three songs from the soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," which was finally released in 2023.  In just 30 seconds, Guaraldi and company make an ascending three-note keyboard pattern sound like an essential part of an inviting Thanksgiving.)

WKDU (Philadelphia, PA)

• Hymn-Nicholas Krolak (Krolak sustains a catchy bass riff for over nine minutes while the trumpeter and guitarist take off on flights of fancy.)

Persistent earworm alert CDVII

I'm far from the only person who has ever had "The Farmer In The Dell" as an earworm.  I might, however, be the only person who has ever imagined that song sung in the R&B/dance groove style of The Whispers.  All morning, I've imagined the backing track The Whispers used in 1979 for their version of "White Christmas" with "...Dell"'s lyrics on top of them.

It's a more plausible blending of genres than you might think.

Baffling popularity

Admittedly, I've acknowledged that the Ray Conniff Singers weren't wrong to have given "Carol Of The Bells" a grim interpretation in their rendition, "Ring Christmas Bells."  Still, I have to wonder why such a dark interpretation, which, as my brother showed me last year, resulted in a truly bizarre AI-generated video, keeps making the cut for Christmas radio playlists.  Are other versions of "Carol Of The Bells" not foreboding enough for the masses already?  Do adult contemporary radio listeners prefer "Carol Of The Bells" as it might sound performed by a choir of skeletons in a haunted house?

To my ears, the downcast tone and haunting scream near the end make "Ring Christmas Bells" an unappealing way to ring in the season.  Apparently, other listeners disagree, or I wouldn't keep hearing it every year.

FM dial scan highlights CCXCII

Five Thursday standouts:

WSIE 88.7 FM 

• Pretty World-Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (Vocally and instrumentally, there's an appealingly breezy idealism.)

KWUR 90.3 FM  

• Up And Down-Judi Singh (The piano and orchestra enhance the vocals compellingly.  This endearing pick-me-up could segue with "Silly" by Deniece Williams.)

KEZK 102.5 FM 

• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Andy Williams (The harpsichord backing is appropriate for a nostalgic song about Christmas.)
• Feliz Navidad-Jose Feliciano (I've written before about how this song just sticks to one basic theme.  Nevertheless, it speaks well of Feliciano that this is the only version I've ever sought out.  That's what happens when you sing joyously enough and make a song your own.  I'd have been surprised if I didn't hear this at least once since KEZK went all-Christmas last Friday.)

 K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2

• Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 (New York Philharmonic/Bruno Walter, conductor) (Tenderness in the strings and winds when appropriate?  Check.  Drama from the entire orchestra when it's necessary?  Yes.  A rousing finale, performed with the precise amount of convincing spirit?  Absolutely.  I know that a piece resonates with me when I start conducting it without realizing it for several minutes.)

SiriusXM highlights CLXII

I always enjoy listening to SiriusXM at this time of year.  The Christmas music channels are back, and as Thanksgiving draws closer, it's a pleasure to listen to seasonal and non-seasonal music.  Thus, there are a lot of standout tunes today.  Among them:

Bluegrass Junction

• Charleston Ramble-Andy Statman (Fast, dexterous fiddle and guitar playing.)

Carolina Shag Radio 

• Across The Street-Lenny O'Henry (This reminds me approximately of how Santana might have sounded if they'd started recording three years earlier and had Motown-style backing vocalists.  This early '60s track has hints of the vibe Santana established on "Evil Ways.")

Country Christmas 

• I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day-Suzy Bogguss (Bogguss's crossover country vocal stylings suit the sorrowful resolve of this carol well.)
• The Man With The Bag-Lee Ann Womack (Womack's upbeat commitment to this tune's spirit makes it the version I've listened to most.  As with Suzy Bogguss, Womack's vocals cross over from country to pop easily.)

Holiday Pops 

• Once In Royal David's City- Henry Gauntlett (A well-paced, tasteful choral and organ rendition.)
• Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow-The King's Singers  (If the vocal enunciation was any crisper, this rendition would sound a bit stilted.  Fortunately, it doesn't cross that line.  My go-to version of this is Pete Seeger's, as he straddles the line between sounding commanding and avuncular.)

Luna 

• Tenderly-Mongo Santamaria (Elegant saxophone, piano, bass, and percussion make this dance number stand up easily to repeated listening.)

North Americana  

• All In Good Time-Iron & Wine featuring Fiona Apple (I wish I'd known about this song when it was released last year.  It's a well-written, well-sung acknowledgment that some relationships aren't meant to last.)

Real Jazz 

• Ask Me Now-Thelonious Monk (This segues well with Monk's "Pannonica.")

Real Jazz Holiday

• Winter Wonderland-Neal Smith (An interesting piano fantasia interpretation with detours into a minor key.)

Siriusly Sinatra 

• Ghost Of Yesterday-Nancy Wilson (An elegant rendition of a tune best known to listeners in its Billie Holiday incarnation.  This would segue well with various renditions of "Good Morning Heartache.")

SiriusXM Chill 

• Sense Of Comfort-Nora En Pure (A graceful glide from a new age intro to a techno beat.)

SiriusXMU  

• Common Blue-Warpaint (A downcast yet catchy vibe permeates these direct lyrics about seizing the day by yourself until you feel sociable again.)

SiriusXMU Discovery  

• Anywhere-Ratboys (Upbeat indie rock with power pop sensibilities, released in advance of the band's 2026 album, "Singin' To An Empty Chair."  Julia Steiner's voice convincingly captures the zeal of someone who wasn't ready to pursue someone but is all in now.) 

Sleep Christmas

• Silent Night-Universe Mind (If you haven't heard this version, imagine "Silent Night" played as a lullaby on the piano, and this rendition likely won't surprise you.)

Watercolors 

• To The End Of The World-Pat Metheny Group (Metheny's trademark guitar playing against a backdrop that's not far removed from a chill track.  Also recommended: "The Girls Next Door," which is an even more atypical Metheny tune.)

Persistent earworm alert CDVI

After hearing it in the dental office today, the Elton John/Dua Lipa track, "Cold Heart," has been stuck in my mind.  I don't think it's just the rhythm or the extraction of a "Rocket Man" lyric that's giving it staying power for me, though.  I suspect it's because a fish in the exam room's aquarium seemed to be singing the lyric, "Cold, cold heart," at times, or at least lip-syncing to it.  The fish looked friendly enough, but perhaps the lyric, "Cold, cold heart," struck a chord with him; the hygienist said the office's aquarium caretaker had just stopped by and rearranged the house and rocks in his aquarium.

It makes sense that a fish's heart would harden in those circumstances.  After all, when someone rearranges your home without your permission... 

Knowing one's limitations III

About 25 years ago, a co-worker told me, "You should go line dancing with (a small group of co-workers) and me sometime."

I thanked her for the invitation but declined politely.  Line dancing just...isn't for me.  I played the bass for years, so I have a sense of rhythm going for me, but I still would have needed grace...and coordination...and general ability.

Aside from that, though... 

Persistent earworm alert CDV

I might be the only person on Earth whose persistent earworm for several days has been the placid, seasonally appropriate guitar of "The Orange Autumn Days" by Sean Watkins interspersed with the scream at the 7:45 mark of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

In my case, however, the scream isn't a defiant outburst.  It's my reaction to pain from a persistent toothache.  Medicine, thankfully, is making the pain less frequent, but every now and then, my views of Fall foliage are interrupted by a guttural "Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Actually, it's more like "Youcccccccccchhhhhhhh!"

I've been tempted to scream that multiple times over the past week, but I'm reluctant to disturb anyone.  There are times, alas, when one just has to settle for channeling his inner Youcccccccccchhhhhhhh!

Segue suggestion VIII

While listening recently to Donna Summer's 1989 comeback hit, "This Time I Know It's For Real," a realization struck me; I don't think I've ever heard any radio station play Rick Astley's 1988 hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up," before or after it.  That surprises me, as they're rhythmically similar enough to flow back to back.

In their original versions, Summer's tune is only a smidgen faster than Astley's, which serves the pairing well in either order.

Context? CDXII

I just heard an air break on an out-of-town, low-power FM station in which a DJ congratulated the hosts of the station's new shows for handling their first fund raising drive well.

"It isn't always easy to get on the mic and ask for money," the DJ said.

It isn't easy, and it wouldn't surprise me if that drives a fair number of would-be-adept music programmers away.  It's one thing to broadcast your favorite overlooked music to an audience.  It's another thing, however, to ask the audience to pay for that privilege.

Segue suggestion VII

Last night, while listening to Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela's "Ring Bell," I wondered if any radio station had ever played Paul Simon's "Was A Sunny Day" before it.  "Ring Bell," after all, sounds rhythmically compatible with "...Sunny Day" and continues the sunny vibe Simon established.

Persistent earworm alert CDIV

I must have a subconscious desire to lighten my mood in the midst of a less than perfect year.  Two days ago, the commercial jingle, "The grass is always greener on our side of the fence, Evergreen Lawn," wedged its way back into my mind decades after first hearing it and hasn't left.

A cheery jingle can feel amusingly incongruous during not-so-great times and mirror one's mood during sunnier moments, so I hope this one stays with me for a while.

Anticipating the first Christmas carol

What song will KEZK play first when it flips over to all Christmas music this month?  The station has posed that question to listeners on its website.  I have no inside knowledge of how the station will kick things off.  I like it, though, when any station playing all Christmas music for a long stretch begins with "Caroling, Caroling," in its Nat King Cole or Manhattan Transfer incarnations, or any other respectable version.

That's a logical way to convey, "It's all about the carols on our station," so we'll see if any station heeds my advice.

Linguistic bemusement XII

In the early 2000s, I was catching up on the phone with someone I'd known as a DJ who had become a program director.  At the end of the call, he said, "Well, young man, I'll talk to you later."

I was in my thirties at the time and thought, "'Young man?'  Where did that come from?"

Authority does strange things to a person. 

FM dial scan highlights CCXCI

This morning's highlights:

WSIE 88.7 FM 

• Marvin's Song-Stanley Turrentine (If I were programming a jazz station, I'd play Count Basie's "Mister Softie" before this.  These instrumentals have a compatible brightness and bounce.)
• Same Ole Love-Anita Baker (The energy and rhythm of this hit make it my favorite Baker tune.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Dog Years-Hannah Cohen (Wise lyrics about not being too rigid about planning out one's life, considering its unpredictability.)

KCFV 89.5 FM

• Moving On (So Long)-Blue October (This is a more modern way of conveying the resolve found in The Cyrkle's "Red Rubber Ball.")

KSHE 94.7 FM

• From Now On-Supertramp (Honest lyrics acknowledge that a fair portion of life is tedious.)

KLOU 103.3 FM

• Who Can It Be Now?-Men At Work (I appreciate this song more than I did when it was a hit and seemed to be played once an hour on the radio.  Lyrically, it concedes that everyone is entitled to be misanthropic if they so desire.)

Persistent earworm alert CDIII

Somehow, I doubt I'm the only person who livens up a mundane task such as taking out the trash by imagining the intro of Styx's "The Grand Illusion."

Regardless of how inconsequential the task is, I feel a sense of accomplishment when those opening chords come to mind.

The allure of shuffle mode LXXXVIII

I love it when the last note of a song glides right into the first note of another song, especially when both songs are acoustic tunes.  That happened Wednesday when iTunes shuffle mode paired "Crossing Muddy Waters" by Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan, just before they'd adopted their group name, I'm With Her, with Shawn Colvin's Acoustic Edition version of "Diamond In The Rough."

As much as I enjoy it when two lyrically similar tunes end up together by chance, it's just as satisfying to me when the equivalent of that happens from one instrument to another.

The allure of shuffle mode LXXXVII

Apparently, iTunes shuffle mode was in the mood yesterday for songs about the precariousness of relationships.  It paired two compelling vocals-with-acoustic-guitar tracks, Michelle Malone's "The Edge" with "Knife Edge" by Brooks Williams.  Both songs convey the honest yet hopeful message, "It won't always be smooth sailing, but we should still be together."  Both tunes are well-crafted gems.  Alas, I've only heard "Knife Edge" on the radio once, and I've never heard any station play "The Edge."

So many acoustic standouts get such limited exposure, unfortunately.

Persistent earworm alert CDII

A neighbor triggered this morning's earworm.  While walking her dogs, she passed by a church that had multiple signs saying, in essence, "Don't do this," "Don't do that," and "Property of the church."   She said it reminded her of the Five Man Electrical Band's song, "Signs."

I second that, especially considering the irony of a church that also has a sign inviting congregants to "build bridges." 

Persistent earworm alert CDI

When I voted in last year's presidential election, I felt hopeful.  I thought, "Surely, a majority of voters realize what's in their best interest and in the best interest of the general public.  Surely, they'll vote accordingly for the candidate who will improve the lives of those who need help."

Alas, that's not how the results turned out.

Today, I've been looking back on that first Tuesday of last November and thinking of the Traffic song, which is better known to many listeners in its Joe Cocker incarnation, "Feelin' Alright."  If you don't listen to the lyrics and just focus on the rhythm, it's catchy.  Lyrically, however, it's not particularly hopeful, and it's sometimes forgotten that songwriter Dave Mason's title actually includes a question mark.  I don't usually see it written as "Feelin' Alright?" even though it's technically correct.

So, am I "feelin' alright?"  Considering what this country has become and is attempting to become, no.  As Mason wrote, "I'm not feelin' too good myself."

Based on the attendance at No Kings protests, however, it's comforting to know that I'm far from alone. 

Blind vs. conventional auditions II

In the late '80s, I was auditioning for my third year in an after-school orchestra.  In the rehearsal room before the audition, I heard another bassist flying through his audition excerpts with ease.  I remarked to another bassist, "I think I just heard our new first chair bassist."  The other bassist replied, "Really?  But he was eighth chair last year."  I said, "Yeah, but if he plays as well at his audition as he did just now, I'll be surprised if he isn't named the principal--especially considering that they're doing blind auditions this year, unlike previous years, and won't have any preconceived notions about how to rank us."

I was right.  That bassist earned first chair that year, deservedly.  It's interesting, though, how heavily previous rankings factor into people's perceptions--and how strongly that justifies blind auditions.

Persistent earworm alert CD

I've never owned or driven a motorcycle, nor do I have any strong opinions about motorcycles or motorcycle riding.  Despite not having seen the commercial in decades, the jingle, "Kawasaki lets the good times roll," won't leave my mind this morning.

I wish I knew what sparked this jingle.  Considering that motorcycles have nothing to do with my life, my next persistent earworm might as well be about asparagus, bulldozers, or woodworking.

Changing just enough notes

This morning, I heard a sign that Christmas will be here before we know it.  I saw a commercial with musical accompaniment that reminded me right away of Vince Guaraldi's "Skating" but was different enough to be a new song.

I don't remember what was being advertised, but if I hear those telltale notes again, I'll know enough to exclaim, "There's that song that sounds sort of but not quite like 'Skating!'"

The advertisers would have more integrity if they'd used a new, entirely different song, but I don't blame them for being inspired by one of the best melodies ever composed for the piano.