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These five Christmas Songs have something in common – can you figure out what it is?
1. Santa Clause Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen Version
2. Grandma Got Run Over By The Reindeer
3. Jingle Bells
4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) – multiple versions including the John Denver / Muppets Version.
5. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
Did you figure it out?
Answer: They all have the Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! motif in them.
Did I miss any?
Christmas trees are a unique product in that it is a compliment to hear that your artificial tree looks like a natural tree, and it is a compliment to hear that your natural tree looks like an artificial tree.
Sometimes I leave it up to me blogging readership to help me determine how off base I am. Maybe you can help me here.
So yesterday I was listening to a very serious commentary piece on NPR about the sad practice of extreme hazing which exists in the community of very high quality marching bands in the US. Apparently, new members are regularly and sometime brutally physically beaten as a part of being accepted into the band.
And despite the seriousness and sad nature of the story, I found myself laughing out loud after a three words sentence in the article.
The author was telling about how, in an interview with a band member, he had heard of “how she’d been attacked, time and time again, by the older flutists.”
And then the commentator said*, “That’s right. Even flute players.”
And as I was listening, unfortunately due to my odd sensibilities, all of the indignance and horror that I had been feeling flew away. Because after hearing that sentence, I was was expecting the commentator to continue:
“I mean, flute players are usually dainty, right? They dress in flowing gowns and don’t so much march as flow when they are out on the field, even when the band is playing a cover of a disco song. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would have thought that a stern look in the eye was as violent as a floutest could ever get. But this is how far these bands have fallen. Even the high woodwinds have been corrupted.”
But no, he went on to describe more of the psychological damages created by this practice.
Meanwhile, I continued chuckling. So . . . shameful, right?
* I know that in the transcript, it says “Yes. Even Flute players”. But if you listen to the audio, he clearly says “That’s right”.
These nine songs have three things in common. What are the commonalities?
Two of the three are fairly obvious, the third is not so much
1. “O Come O Come Emanuel”
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel shall come thee, O Israel
2. “Christmastime” (From the Charlie Brown Christmas)
Christmas time is here,
happiness and cheer,
fun for all
that children call
their favorite time of year.
3. “My Favorite Things”
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.
4. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.
5. “What Child is this?”
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
6. “How Great Our Joy”
How great our joy (great our joy) Joy, joy, joy (joy, joy, joy)
7. “Carol of the bells”
Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,
8. Pat-a-Pan
God and man today become
More in tune than fife and drum,
So be merry while you play!
9. Fum, Fum, Fum
On this joyful Christmas Day
Sing fum, fum, fum
Did you figure it out?
Here are the traits these nine songs have in common:
1. All of them are songs you might hear at Christmastime.
2. All of them have lyrics dealing with Joy, Wonder and Happiness.
Those are the more readily apparent commonalities. Here is the one less noticeable, and more ironic.
3. All* of them are in a minor key.
Did I miss any that should be in the list?
In any case, never let it be said that a minor song is never happy. Especially in the month of December.
* Okay, if you want to be picky, “Christmastime” is at least non-major.
