Monday, December 01, 2008

The Best Indie Rocker Christmas Song That Is Not An Old Standard, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' "Jingle Bell Rock" or "Run Run Rudolph"


So far today, the tally of Run Run Rudolphs and other overplayed/underliked Christmas songs is pretty low, but that's because I've only been listening to Christmas music for about 30 minutes now. During that time, I've heard one Run, Run Rudolph and one Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, plus a Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Why the reliance on standards and the three main Christmas rock songs, I keep wondering, when other songs do just as good at exemplifying how we'd like our holidays to go, and how they actually go. Other songs like today's song, The Best Indie Rocker Christmas Song That Is Not An Old Standard, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' "Jingle Bell Rock" or "Run Run Rudolph," which, despite being an indie rocker song, manages to capture both the Christmas-we-want and the Christmas-We-Get:

It's "Everything Is Gonna Be Cool This Christmas" by Eels:







How This Song Demonstrates A Classical Christmas (as shown in "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" & "A Christmas Carol"): The links are subtle but they're there -- Eels is making clear allusions to "A Christmas Carol." He sings: remember last year when you were on your own/you swore the spirit couldn't be found/december rolled around and you were counting on it to roll out. In that one set of lines, you've got "the spirit," -- as in ghosts, like Marley and the three Christmases, and you've got counting, and Scrooge ran a counting house. Plus, Bob Cratchit wanted to throw some more coal into the stove while working at Scrooge's counting house -- and it was Scrooge's penury at refusing him that favor that set events in motion, and in the song, Eels urges us to throw another log on the fire.

Hey, that's every bit as valid as all that symbolism junk they taught you about poems in 9th grade English class.

How This Song Demonstrates Our Actual Christmas (as shown in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation): "Well everybody's waiting for you down at the house" -- everybody like Cousin Randy and the Boss tied up in garland and that old Grandma who wrapped the cat, right? Plus, the sheer optimism of this song is matched only by the sheer optimism of Clark Griswold.

That's not Eels playing the drums, by the way. That's somebody named "Phil McKenna," and he really kicks butt on the drums, doesn't he? Phil's earned himself the second nomination today: The Best Drummer on The Best Indie Rocker Christmas Song That Is Not An Old Standard, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' "Jingle Bell Rock" or "Run Run Rudolph"


Prior Songs:

The Best Jazzy Hepcat Swinging Christmas Song That Is Not An Old Standard, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree', "Jingle Bell Rock," or "Run Run Rudolph."


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