Hasn’t been a stellar year for CDs. Well, rather than blame the output, I’ll blame myself. It hasn’t been a year I’ve spent hunting or gathering or submerging myself in new music. Whereas, in any given year, I’d hear hundreds of new releases, I’ve barely reached the one hundred mark in 2009. And the copious amount of hours spent between my headphones didn’t result in too many glorious moments. Except these. Here are my twenty favorite moments of musical bliss for the year…the beauty…followed by the beasts…
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LA BELLE
1 K’Naan – Troubadour
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2 Amadou & Mariam – Welcome To Mali
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3 Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night
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4 Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night
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5 Leonard Cohen – Live In London
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6 Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
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7 Antony & The Johnsons – The Crying Light
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8 Marianne Faithfull – Easy Come Easy Go
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9 Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
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10 Melinda Doolittle – Coming Back To You
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11 Girls – Album
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12 Nirvana – Live At Reading
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13 Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel – Willie and the Wheel
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14 Nellie McKay – Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute To Doris Day
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15 The xx – The xx
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16 Pearl Jam – Backspacer
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17 Miranda Lambert – Revolution
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18 The Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
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19 The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
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20 Mos Def – The Ecstatic
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ET LA BETE…
1 Mariah Carey – Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel
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2 Bon Jovi – The Circle
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3 Rob Thomas – Cradlesong
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4 Chris Cornell – Scream
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5 Eminem – Relapse
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6 Rascal Flatts – Greataest Hits Volume 1
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7 Chris Brown – Graffiti
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8 Asher Roth – Asleep In The Bread Aisle
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9 U2 – No Line On The Horizon
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10 Timbaland – Shock Value 2
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Hopefully it’s not too much to ask for a better 2010~
A peculiar thing happened as I sat down to write the list of my favorite films of the decade. I first thought to pick 10, but that wouldn’t do. Then I listed 15. Nope. 20? Uh uh. I couldn’t stop. As someone who could stream-of-consciously pontificate ad nauseum, I finally disciplined myself to halt at 25 (…or so). And since that was frustrating enough, I realized to list them in order of preference would clearly be more of an arduous task, so I figured, screw that. Let me take the easy way out and list them alphabetically. You know, the easy way out.
Now, that’s not to say I don’t have one particular favorite – I didn’t need a proverbial gun pointed at my head and told “Pick one, boy, or imma gon’ shoot you” to state that PAN’S LABYRINTH, without hesitation, is it. No film has haunted me more, both visually and viscerally, than Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy. It’s one of the most remarkable films of all time. That was the easy part. But what’s a wannabe critic to do?
At first, I wasn’t going to boast such lofty platitudes as to state “I’m a critic”, but then realized, “Hey! I guess I am!”But really, who isn’t? If you have an opinion, or some basic knowledge of craft, you are a critic (hat I am not is a film expert). Film, like music and all arts, is a personal experience, and opinion is individualistic, and what effects/affects one’s soul might alter over time and differ from the friend who sits next to you.
It’s strange cataloging such a vast amount of cinematic experiences for a whole 10-year span when you consider I haven’t even chosen a Best of 2009 list yet. I haven’t finished watching some end-of-year releases. And while I’m looking forward to the unseen, I can’t fathom that any of them could live up to the two revelatory experiences that I did see in 2009 that join this “decade favorite” shortlist – the glorious UP, and Kathryn Bigelow’s THE HURT LOCKER. The former joins the Pixar Parthenon (whose first 11 minutes alone – which include a four-minute soliloquy quietly detailing a love affair from the genesis at childhood to marriage to old age to the inevitable - are some of the most joyful and heartrending moments ever put on-screen and are proof enough of its addition here), while the latter should finally eliminate the Academy’s long-standing history of misogyny; in over eight decades, only three other women have ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar (Lina Wertmuller in 1976 for SEVEN BEAUTIES, Jane Campion in 1993 for THE PIANO and only a few years ago, Sofia Coppola for 2003s LOST IN TRANSLATION)with no wins. After deservedly bestowed with just about any and every critics award for Best Film and Best Director, that long-festering Oscar scar should be healed and the award should go to Bigelow. And she’ll deserve it.
One thing I noticed while compiling my favorites was how similar my list was in comparison to many other published lists. Though I don’t remember Spike Lee’s great 25TH HOUR receiving that many rave reviews upon initial release (which at that time I found curious – when I saw the film I immediately elevated it to Lee’s high echelon of masterpieces alongside DO THE RIGHT THING and MALCOLM X), I’m happy that here, at the end of a decade, the film makes multiple showings on various Top 10s. Better late than never, I surmise. Other notables were expected (e.g. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, PAN, ETERNAL SUNSHINE) while others’ inclusions I was happily surprised with (who knew so many admired MINORITY REPORT, A.I. and David Fincher’s greatest film, ZODIAC as much as I did?). Others made my list that I couldn’t find on anyone else’s with a fine-tooth comb, accolades notwithstanding (THE DESCENT – the scariest horror film of the decade, and IN THE BEDROOM, a master class in acting by its cast). See, art is subjective.
On most ‘best’ lists that you’ll read is David Lynch’s MULHOLLAND DRIVE. I’m usually allergic to Lynch’s trash-pretending-to-be-art oeuvres (most notably the dubiously honored yet detestable BLUE VELVET andWILD AT HEART), and after viewing this confounded curiosity back in 2001, my feelings hadn’t changed. Perhaps a second viewing is in order to at least try to understand the trifecta of critical, hipster and geek appeal. Or maybe I have better things to do…
A major exclusion on my list (but whose inclusion on most critics lists is not so startling) is Martin Scorcese’s THE DEPARTED. Scorcese’s remake of Alan Mak and Andrew Lau’s 2004 INFERNAL AFFAIRS told a solid story, sure, and his direction is flawless, which we could/should always expect from the greatest director alive. But I could not get past the embarrassingly cringe-inducing Jack Nicholson performance. If it’s true that he’s played The Joker for about 20 years now in one form or another in every film since Tim Burton’s gorgeous-looking yet sterile BATMAN (and it IS true, since I’m the one who said it), then his Frank Costello was a compendium of every one of those over-the-top performances he’s given since that film – and for a great actor who has (mostly) coasted on his legend rather than his art these past 2 decades, that’s saying a lot (Oscar be damned, AS GOOD AS IT GETS was pure Lifetime Movie Of The Week. And if you mention THE BUCKET LIST I will get violent). THE DEPARTED is not Scorcese’s best – though certainly not a clunker, but I can’t help but feel his Best Director Oscar was a consolation prize for the multiple he should have won for a lifetime of masterful moviemaking (who can deny that he was robbed for TAXI DRIVER, GOODFELLAS, or RAGING BULL?).
As I’ve written, I could have continued the list with another 25+ titles but with PAN’S LABYRINTH as my favorite film of the past 10 years, the proceeding, alphabetized 25 (…or so) could be listed in any sequence. Without agenda, or really much of a formula in my decision-making process, these are the films I gravitated toward more and more, and those which left an indelible heart-print on some subconscious or conscious level. I won’t say these are the “best” films of the decade (I’m not always comfortable making such proclamations) but they are my favorites. I also won’t be so audacious to claim that my favorites are any better (or not) than yours.
Remember, art is subjective.
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25th Hour (dir. Spike Lee 2002)
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A.I. (dir. Steven Spielberg 2001)
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Almost Famous (dir. Cameron Crowe 2000)
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Brokeback Mountain (dir. Ang Lee 2005)
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Children of Men (dir. Alfonso Cuarón 2006)
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City Of God (dirs. Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund 2002)
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The Descent (dir. Neil Maarshall 2005)
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The Diving Bell And Butterfly (dir. Julian Schnabel 2007)
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Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (dir. Michel Gondry 2004)
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The Hurt Locker (dir. Kathryn Bigelow 2008)
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In The Bedroom (dir. Todd Field 2001)
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The Incredibles (dir. Brad Bird 2004)
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Kill Bill Vol I & II(dir. Quentin Tarantino 2003/4) (I’m counting as one – so sue me – and someone on YouTube was smart enough to mash-up the two trailers)
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The Lives Of Others (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 2006)
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Million Dollar Baby (dir. Clint Eastwood 2004)
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Minority Report (dir. Steven Spielberg 2002)
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No Country For Old Men (dirs. Joen & Ethan Coen 2007)
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Once (dir. John Carney 2006)
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Ratatouille (dirs. Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava 2007)
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Spirited Away (dir. Hayao Miyazaki 2001)
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There Will Be Blood (dir. Paul Thoman Anderson 2007)
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Up (dirs. Pete Docter & Bob Peterson 2009)
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Wall-E (dir. Andrew Stanton 2008)
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Y Tu Mamá También (dir. Alfonso Cuarón 2001)
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Zodiac (dir. David Fincher 2007)
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A quick P.S. if you will…
There are pangs of guilt for leaving off other favorites that I’ve loved over the years, like the brilliant Romanian 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, AND 2 DAYS (2007) by director Cristian Mungiu, Todd Haynes’ astonishing Douglas Sirkian homage FAR FROM HEAVEN (2002), Gus Van Sant’s great 2008 biography of Harvey MILK, the best “monster movie” of the decade, Joo-ho Bong’s great THE HOST, Richard Linklater’s magical 2004 sequel BEFORE SUNSET, Ang Lee’s exhilarating 2000 martial arts epic CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON or Miranda July’s 2005 masterwork ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW. So let it suffice to say – all worthy.
And this is not to mention the acclaimed films I never even watched these past years that made many critics lists, including ADAPTATION, LOST IN TRANSLATION, GOSFORD PARK, SIDEWAYS, THE CLASS, CACHE. If you ask me the reasoning behind my flippancy for these much-discussed, mostly applauded works, I won’t have a satisfying reply.
(This is pretty much a repost from last year’s New Years wishes, only the dates have changed and I added a little more verbiage to reflect its relevence…)
ABBA, the eternal androids from Sweden – whose music will survive any imminent nuclear holocaust – has arguably the most popular ‘pop’ New Years song (that I can think of off the top of my noggin) with the appropriately titled “Happy New Year”. Without grasping the irony in its seemingly cheerful lyrics, most who hum along don’t realize it’s a depressing, dark and sarcastic tribute to the impending year, and decade, in question. Don’t believe me? Read the lyrics HERE.
While listening to the song recently, especially the last verse before the chorus…
But is it REALLY a HAPPY New Year, ABBA?
Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It’s the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we’ll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of ‘89
…I wondered why they hadn’t thought to record multiple versions that would be played every end-of-decade, almost guaranteeing the relevance of the song (although 2019 doesn’t rhythmically or melodically fit into my rambling discourse…) and their timelessness.
Hum away, enjoy. But, me? I can’t think of a more glorious way to ring in 2010 than with the Queen of, well, everything, and the late, great Billy Preston, side by side at the piano, elatedly serenading you and me with “Auld Lang Syne” (from David Brenner’s 1980s talk-fest “Night Life”).
It instills in us the hope that, perhaps if we really try, we could swiftly forgo a most tumultuous 2009 – and any distress the Aughts as a whole might have emanated – and truly believe in ourselves the possibility of a most sanguine new year. After all…
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don’t we might as well lay down and die
You and I
Reality (and logic…and truth…and common sense) gives Creationism a bad name.
***That persnickety genius John Lennon was a very spiritual (religious?) man, which goes to show that just because you’re one of the greatest songwriters in history doesn’t automatically mean you’re always the smartest…
…Jeffrey wishes you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! HAPPY KWANZAA!!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! Whatever your religious or non-religious affiliations, whichever your spiritual or secular proclivities…it is a time of love and retrospect and soul-searching.
On this 12th day of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas, I give to you my favorite non-traditional Christmas song of them all, a surreal, haunting meeting of two great singers from two disparate generations singing about something so universal.
And what better memo for mankind during the holidays – especially while living in these hellish economic days – than the basic message of “Little Drummer Boy”? Consumerism has ruled – thus nearly ruined – the holidays for eons, and everyone’s inherent knee-jerk obligation is to spend money to exhibit their devotion for their loved ones…charging credit cards, racking up bills, emptying wallets, the worry that it’s never enough, or the fear that begets guilt that the receiver won’t like it. It’s maddening, really. Life shouldn’t be that hard-pressed.
But one needn’t spelunk their dwindling pockets to showcase their declarations. All one really needs to show how they feel about those they love is to play their own drum.
And “Peace On Earth” is a glorious counterpoint…
Peace on Earth, can it be Years from now, perhaps we’ll see See the day of glory See the day, when men of good will Live in peace, live in peace again
Every child must be made aware Every child must be made to care Care enough for his fellow man To give all the love that he can
Peace on Earth, can it be
I pray my wish will come true
For my child and your child too
He’ll see the day of glory
See the day when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again
Perchance life can’t be simplified in such idealistic terms, I know. Perhaps “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” speaks the words of a naive person who wishes to see the world thrive in peace, and love to rule humanity. Perhaps.
Sadly, it isn’t love that makes the world go round – it is money, greed, hatred, intolerance.
But sometimes the simplest of expressions are words to live by…and hope is a dream we can’t afford to lose.
…Jeffrey gave to you…Stevie Nicks’ version of “Silent Night”…
“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Stevie’s house, not a Gypsy was stirring…”
Stevie’s haunting reading of “Silent Night” was recorded for the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS charity album in 1987, the first (and the best) in the long line of Christmas albums benefiting the Special Olympicsproduced by long-time Stevie fan, producer and now chairman of Interscope records, Jimmy Iovine.
AVSC consists of some wonderful holiday tracks (including Eurythmics’ enchanting “Winter Wonderland”, the Pointer Sisters’ jovial “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” (featured as my 7th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas), Bruce Springsteen’s fantastic “Merry Christmas, Baby” and Run-DMC’s classic “Christmas In Hollis”, accompanied by an even better VIDEO), and needless to say to anyone who knows me – at all - the Stevie Nicks reading of “Silent Night” is amongst my very favorite Christmas recordings.
This sterling version (with two-hit wonder Robbie Nevil lending his vocal) was performed live on the “A Very Special Christmas” TV special that aired on CBS in 1987. Hosted by “Fame” actress Nia Peeples, it featured some of the album’s artists performing their tracks. The show closed with “Silent Night”. When Stevie sings with her long-time backup singers Lori Perry-Nicks and Sharon Celani, the result is always stunningly ethereal, and here is no exception…blending with Robbie’s call-and-response, this live version is actually more exquisite than the recorded version, and sweeps you away into another dimension.
Open your eyes, and you see a Rock ‘N Roll queen sing in celebration. Close your eyes and you are encompassed by the beauty of the song, the luxurious harmony, and the spirit of the holidays.
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As an added bonus, here Jimmy Iovine talks about Stevie’s recording
Me, rockin’ the 80s pornstache, dressed as Santa, dazzlin’ the audience with OH, HOLY NIGHT
…Jeffrey gave to you…“Oh, Holy Night” by…well, just about anyone, really.
From the most classic voices in history (Mahalia Jackson, Donna Summer, Luciano Pavarotti) to the artists I adore, to those I ordinarily can’t stomach (Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey), rare is the version of “Oh, Holy Night” that I don’t succumb to (not to get my Scrooge on, but putrid recordings that do come to mind – say, Jessica Simpson’s, Il Divo’s, Danny Gokey’s, Celtic Women’s – are not the norm, but rather musical anomalies better left to the art of sign language).
The song is, in my opinion, not only the most beautiful carol of them all, but one of the greatest melodies ever written, hence one of histories greatest songs. And, lest I am accused of hypocrisy again, I’ll reiterate what I wrote in my 1st Day of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas post:
…some decry or belittle my passion for Christmas and its seasonal tunes – I’m often accused of hypocrisy; “How? You’re an atheist – a non believer!! Blah blah blah!!!” Fair enough (those same town criers say the same because of my love of gospel), but as I alluded earlier, it’s the spirit (yes) but also the ideal of the holiday, and what it should bring out in mankind. It often fails, apparently, but there’s no harm in the yearning. So, I love religious carols too, despite the doctrine.
So, it’s not the lyrical content of “Oh, Holy Night”, but its rapturous melody, and more importantly, the ideal of its dogma. It’s a beautiful thing to believe in such fairytales, and if it makes one human being a more contented soul, then who am I to negate its effect/affect?
It also unearths a wave of emotional stimuli from the core of my very soul. I was honored to perform the song back in 1984 during my High School’s annual winter concert (I wrote a little about that same night HERE). When the solos were being issued weeks earlier, a lesser voice attempted to acquire it, but Dr. Morris wouldn’t even entertain that notion. She knew it was my favorite song, yes, but more importantly, and for the better of the show, she knew – steadfastly and adamantly – that not a single body in the entire school would be able to resonate on this canticle as I would…she knew my voice better than even I understood and there wasn’t a scintilla of a second thought in her decision that I would sing this solo.
So, come showtime, with the chorus as my own personal backup choir, I took to the stage…in my Harley Davidson MC boots, my Rock ‘N Roll hair, my 80s pornstache, and dressed as a nearly-clean shaven Santa (I had, at this point, removed the fake white beard), I stood before the packed auditorium and sang out to the masses. And it was magical…my voice, like a clarion, singing in the night as my classmates wept, and the audience roared to a thunderous standing ovation, and as I glanced over to a teary-eyed Dr. Morris I knew then that it was, undoubtedly, a highlight of my High School “career”. (Update – As my brother Sean reminded me, the powers that be made me change “Christ” to “He”, as in “Oh night, when HE was born..” I had forgotten that bit of history. Thanks, Sean!)
I don’t write these words as a man putting his ego to pen, or as a braggart seeped in self-aggrandizement. I write these words merely as an emblem of a simpler time…and of the influence that the song had in my life.
I was recently bestowed a gift from a friend and a genuine celebrity. Back in October, my friend Jim Cantiello, for an MTV News piece, was interviewing David Archuleta of “American Idol” fame. Jim asked David to go caroling throughout the company to a few people who were fans, and one of those visits was to me. When Jim arrived at my office, David asked which song would I like him to sing and without hesitation I told him that I’ve been listening to his recent holiday release and his version of “Oh Holy Night” so it would be an honor for him to sing that to me. Well, words can’t describe the emotionality of the moment – here was this young man, so humble and authentic, with a voice that rang through my mind like an angel on earth, singing “Oh, Holy Night” to a mere mortal like me, in my dark little cavern of MTV. In a word, celestial! (You can watch Jim and David’s MTV Carol extravaganza HERE)
Feast your ears on these various incarnations of this most heavenly hymn. Believer or non-believer, atheist or a theist, sinner or saint, “Oh, Holy Night” is undeniable.
Patti LaBelle’s transcendent 1990 Johnny Carson performance
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Mahalia Jackson’s definitive version
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The Queen with the Fifth Beatle
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The incomparable Donna Summer from Solid Gold’s Christmas Special
…Jeffrey gave to you… A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR!
Greater minds, critics and philosophers have waxed philosophic about this monumental holiday masterpiece far more judiciously and with more wisdom than I ever could attempt, that anything I can possibly write would be an infinitesimal contribution. But, what I can and will say – before I let you sit back and let the music envelope your very soul – is that on a personal, intrinsic level, no holiday collection ever released has brought me such innate elation for so many years. From the very first notes of Darlene Love’s “White Christmas” to the last refrain of “Silent Night”, this is a most fantastic brew of classic Rock and Soul voices, Spector’s legendary Wall of Sound and the spirit of the holidays. 30 years after first listen, it continues to warm my very soul.
A few fans uploaded all the tracks as various viral videos on YouTube but who knows how long they’ll last before the YouTube and Warner Bros. Nazis yank them for their own megalomaniac needs. In fact, the last cut on the album, “Silent Night” performed by Spector’s artists, is non-existent in any form. But, even minus that track, it’s an exhilarating listen. So, without any more pontificating, here is (most of) A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU.
Tk 1 Darlene Love – White Christmas
Tk 2 The Ronettes – Frosty The Snowman
Tk 3 Bob B. Sox & The Blue Jeans – The Bells of St. Marys
Tk 4 The Crystals – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
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Tk 5 The Ronettes – Sleigh Ride
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Tk 6 Darlene Love – Marshmallow World
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Tk 7 Ronettes – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
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Tk 8 The Crystals – Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
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Tk 9 Darlene Love – Winter Wonderland
Tk 10 The Crystals – Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
Tk 11 Darlene Love – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Tk 12 Bob B. Sox & The Blue Jeans – Here Comes Santa Claus
…Jeffrey gave to you…Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “The Power Of Love”.
Yeah, I’m cheating here, I know, because when the song was released on FGTHs debut WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME album back in 1984, I’m not sure the birth of Jesus Christ was on the minds of the same songwriters whose first hit single from the album was the world-wide #1 (banned in the U.K.) gay sex anthem “Relax” (the anti-war “Two Tribes” was their second consecutive #1).
But, make no mistake, “The Power Of Love” is one of the great love songs of the 80s, and it became one of the great Christmas songs of all-time almost by fiat. Master video pioneers Godley & Creme (whose classic “Cry” video immortalized the morphing technique later popularized by Michael Jackson’s “Black Or White”) shortened the original album track by two minutes, added a nativity theme to commemorate its December #1 status, and a Christmas classic was born.
The staggering sweep and scope of the song itself lends well to the ideal of the holiday, although lyrically, it’s a head-scratcher to juxtapose (but in the world of music video, how often is the text paralleled to the visual?)
Lead singer Holly Johnson’s opening lines of the song were cut from the video, yet are kept within the song (the hauntingly beautiful imagery of “I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampires from your door…”). At times broad-voiced and nasal, his odd vibrato mixed with an unwavering passionate yearning – he propels the ballad into classic territory on aesthete alone. His delivery is chill-inducing.
I can’t imagine that Frankie Goes To Hollywood ever resented “The Power of Love” becoming synonymous with Christmastime; while it was their third #1 smash in as many releases, it could have lived and died at that, to be scattered amongst the thousands of #1s throughout history as a fond memory (also, I’m not sure who else besides me elevate this to ‘classic love song’ status). But, thanks to Godley & Creme, this near-perfect masterpiece is an annual seasonal staple.
The Pointer Sisters recorded “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” for the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS charity album
…Jeffrey gave to you…“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” by the Pointer Sisters, one of the most joyous versions of the song.
And what a wonderful song it is to capture the holiday week and the buoyancy after New York’s first big snowfall…outside my window, kids are playing, snow plows are rumbling, dogs are scrambling. Some folks are grumbling and others are whining about the weather, as if the fact that it’s December never entered their stream of consciousness mumblings.
I’d say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it hasn’t snowed in NY on Christmas in years. But it definitely feels like an old-fashioned kind, the Christmases that they wrote about in songs, though rarely seen here in New York nowadays.
“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is a grand ol’ tune, of course, and everyone young and old can sing the hook. Overplayed and over-covered by hundreds of performers, sure, but still a staple for any Christmas collection. My favorite renditions, though, are those not performed in the more traditional, original arrangement, but the funkier, more soulful approach that adds more to the fundamental bliss of the lyrics. The Pointer Sisters version, from the first – and still best – volume of the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS series of charity releases benefiting the Special Olympics, is possibly the most jubilant of versions and probably my favorite.
Their arrangement is pretty much a cover version of the Crystals reading from the classic A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR (look for a special posting about this soon),the greatest Christmas CD of all time. Other artists reinterpreting the Crystals classic include the awesome Jackson 5 cover from their classic THE JACKSON 5 CHRISTMAS ALBUM, and the great Bruce Springsteen live track so often played during the holidays.
But it’s the Pointer Sisters, and A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS as a whole, that’s put into heavy rotation at my home every holiday.
The Pointer Sisters peformed the song live on the Johnny Carson show to promote the album~
So, come showtime, with the chorus as my own personal backup choir, I took to the stage…in my Harley Davidson MC boots, my Rock ‘N Roll hair, my 80s pornstache, and dressed as a nearly-clean shaven Santa (I had, at this point, removed the fake white beard), I stood before the packed auditorium and sang out to the masses. And it was magical…my voice, like a clarion, singing in the night as my classmates wept, and the audience roared to a thunderous standing ovation, and as I glanced over to a teary-eyed Dr. Morris I knew then that it was, undoubtedly, a highlight of my High School “career”. (Update – As my brother Sean reminded me, the powers that be made me change “Christ” to “He”, as in “Oh night, when HE was born..” I had forgotten that bit of history. Thanks, Sean!)
