MORE CHRISTMAS SONGS

There are so many good Christmas songs that would make good podcasts that I thought I'd write about a few more.  One that I think would be interesting is White Christmas. I know I mentioned it briefly last week but what I didn't know until a few days ago is that Irving Berlin, who wrote the song, was beset with tragedies. For one, his first wife contracted pneumonia during their honeymoon and died as a result. Another horrible tragedy is that his infant son, Irving Berlin Jr, from his second wife, died on Christmas day. That was something that affected him the rest of his life.

Another song could come from the album A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector. It is now considered a classic Christmas album. Sleigh Ride by The Ronettes is probably the most popular of the songs. When the album first came out it was a flop. It had the misfortune of being released on November 22, 1963, which is the day John F Kennedy was shot. I doubt Phil Spector would do the interview, although you never know. 

One last song that I think would make a particularly good podcast is I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause written by Jimmy Boyd. I had never heard of Jimmy Boyd, but apparently he was some kind of a child prodigy. He also has a great story. He wrote the song when he was a month shy of thirteen years old. It became an instant hit that sold two and a half million records in its first week. That was a big deal in the early fifties.  The most interesting part of the story is that the Catholic Church in Boston banned the record because it mixed sex with Christmas. According to news stories, Jimmy Boyd went to the Archdiocese in Boston and explained what the song was all about. The Catholic Church lifted the ban the very next year. I guess it took them that long to figure it out.

Like I said last week, I could go on. I was hoping to say that I have to do some Christmas wrapping. No such luck. Still need to do some shopping. I think i'm going to start using the Ringo hello and goodbye. Peace and love.