• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Christmas Turkeys 2012

K

ka2xuk

With at least two stations in our area playing nothing but Christmas music since Thanksgiving, it's time to roll out my annual "Christmas Turkeys" thread. This is strictly subjective and all are invited to include their own nominations for "Christmas Turkeys of 2012".

There are two kinds of Christmas Turkeys. The A List is for songs that just totally and absolutely suck. The B List is for those Christmas evergreens that have long ago turned brown and dropped their needles...songs that are just burnt to a crisp from too much airplay.

Here are my nominations:

A List:

1. "The Christmas Shoes". Popping up every year like a turd in a punch bowl, this gem ranks with "The Hungarian Suicide Song" for being depressing. Christmas is supposed to be a joyous holiday.

2. Another song in a similar vein (I forget the title/artist) about a cat that freezes to death on Christmas Eve...ideal for your Christmas party! Who writes this dreck, anyway?

3. Anything by Mannheim Steamroller. Their astringent, electronic sound is truly fruitcake for the ears. Like fruitcake, it only comes out around the holidays. And, like fruitcake, it's an acquired taste.

4. Most selections by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, an outfit that serves up a nauseating blend of two totally incompatible genres of music, classical and hard rock. Some things are just not meant to be combined, like sardines and egg nog or pizza and milk. Quite a few people do like TSO, as they have an annual concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena every year around Thanksgiving. But then, there are also people who eat deep-fried pickles at the Bloomsburg Fair every year. Yum!

B List:

1. "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy. It wasn't bad the first time I heard it. After the 1,000th time, it does get a bit old.

2. "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano, who repeats "Merry Christmas" in Spanish over and over. I think I get the point. This song, too, gets old after 1,000 spins.

What are your suggestions?

Phil G.
 
My suggestion is you pay more attention to the old expression, 'To each his own.'
 
on the #2 list.."Santa Baby". just pull the damm plug on that one. also, "Baby It's cold outside". listen to the lyrics and it gets pretty close to date rape...."the neighbors might think...say what's in this drink?" also, "jingle bell rock". it's just time to put that one to bed.
 
Hey Phil G! I can honestly say I agree with ALL of them! Just dreadful...although I never heard the "dead cat in the snow" song. TSO is the worst...a bunch of hair metal guys who found a way to become relevant again after grunge (remember I think they're first release was around '94 or '95). Never got the appeal...never will.

I'll add a couple. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney. Now those who know me know I worship Macca. I can listen to RAM or VENUS AND MARS for days on end. But that holiday tune is just him being lazy. I think he even admitted that once. But I'd still love to have the royalty check from just that ONE tune in his entire catalog. Probably bought him and Linda a swimming pool or two.

"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Springsteen. Again, I don't mind the Boss. Give me THE RIVER or NEBRASKA and I'm happy. But as soon as I hear those opening piano chords along with the jingle bells, I have to abandon all hope.

Oh well...happy holidays to all!
 
the real christmas turkeys i must say are the on air people, not the music.... and the real TURKEYS are the g.ms..and the p.ds ,, may there chesnuts roast on an open fire..
 
My veins don't go athrob over specific songs. Instead, I regard the overall avarice behind the campaigns as :
a) pimping, at best
b) legalized prostitution, the middle ground
c) brainwashing, at worst.

Irrespective of the playlist, though, frozen or fried, as long as the impersonal PPM markets have stations such as WBEB Philly, WLTW NYC and WALK Long Island doing double-digits for the book, this will be the radio version of a dull journey every year -- and with rotten weather. Bu$iness i$ bu$iness, after all.

One question is, 'Why don't MORE stations do it?'
Yeah, the A/C stations are the logical places. And in recent times, Oldies stations have hopped aboard. But you'd figure that an outfit like WBBR (which certainly could use the listeners) would hop aboard for a while, with its zipper and its cash register open. Every single one of the Disney stations has more elves listening than actual documented listeners, so they'd be wise to start some early decorating, too. Some Hot A/Cs of second-tier stature might be a logical default outlet. Perhaps some Classic Rockers with lukewarm numbers can rub their hands at the hearth, as well. Maybe even WWV could see an increase in listenership. They have an awful lot of dead air.

*If* there is one tune in particular reserved for personal rancor here, it wouldn't be a matter of the melody or the artist being offensive. It's more the anithesis of the message. Yes, we 'need a little Christmas'. But we don't need a little Christmas shovelled down our throats every three minutes for a whole month.

Robert Stack's character in the movie 'Airport' went into some catharsis about Christmas at his home having been 'a living hell'. I can only imagine what it's like being a jock at one of those premie A/C stations at this time of the year.

(Aww, K2AXUK, I sort of like the Mannheim Steamroller :- )
 
Aramondo said:
My suggestion is you pay more attention to the old expression, 'To each his own.'
Click to expand...

Didn't you read the statement "This is purely subjective" at the beginning of my post? Some people love Mannheim Steamroller...just as some people love to eat prunes or a nice helping of liver and onions.

What songs can you recommend for the "Turkeys" lists?

Phil G.
 
Phil:
I agree completely with Manheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The former is quasi-intellectual Muzak; the latter, a poor attempt to recreate "progressive rock," which I didn't like the first time around anyway. Paul McCartney has done some tremendous material over the years -- "Wonderful Christmastime" isn't on the list. Dreck and double dreck! "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" should be banned from the radio permanently. I can stand “Jingle Bell Rock” on occasion, and I really liked Hall and Oates a lot in their heyday. But their version of it is awful. "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano – please, enough already! I’m a big Bruce fan and while I don’t hate “Santa Clause Is Comin’…,” I’ve heard it enough. Besides, his version of Charles Brown’s “Merry Christmas Baby” is better. And while some may think it blasphemous, I’ve never liked “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting….).” I realize some great singers have tackled it and done it well, but I’ve just never cared for the song. Maybe it’s my upbringing.
 
The Christmas Song.....in1981 I was working at a station in Washington DC and I got to interview Mel Torme ,who wrote the song. I asked him if he ever gets tired of singing, or even hearing, the song and his answer to me was..."do you ever get tired of putting money in the bank"? good answer.
 
Let me add "Holly Jolly Christmas" to the list. Burl Ives went out of style with whitewall tires and and spinner hubcaps...Can't stand the song, especially after the 200th spin...
 
I probably should create a C List for songs that aren't really Christmas songs, but have been categorized as such by PDs because they mention winter, even though they never mention Christmas. These songs themselves aren't necessarily bad songs...just misplaced. Some examples for the C List:

1. "My Favorite Things", various artists, both vocal and instrumental. This came from the musical "The Sound of Music" some 50 years ago. It does not mention Christmas or any other holiday, although it does mention "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes" and "doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles". Some artists mispronounce the word "schnitzel", which means "cutlet" in German. Wiener Schnitzel is breaded veal cutlet, usually served with egg noodles and a slice of lemon. No, it is not part of a traditional Christmas dinner in German-speaking countries.

2. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (mentioned above). Again, no mention of Christmas. This song was once played all year 'round on standards stations.

3. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm". A stretch, as this song does mention December...but not Christmas. It, too, was once played all year 'round on standards stations such as the now-defunct WNEW in New York.

Hey, using this logic, shouldn't the classic rock stations be playing "Don't Eat Yellow Snow/Nanook Rubs It" by Frank Zappa? How about it, Rock 107 and WHLM-FM? Go ahead...I DARE you to play it!

I realize that the pickings are rather slim for all-Christmas formats. A friend of mine who once programmed an all-Christmas format on a station that normally played AC music once described Christmas music as "15 titles done by 300 artists".

Phil G.

Phil G.
 
I have ALWAYS wondered how in the world "My FAVORITE THINGS" ever became a christmas song? It has absolutly nothing to do with Christmas.
"
 
<< I know WNAK has been off the air for years now, but I am still haunted by this ghost
of Christmases past: >>

I still have nightmares about that song and all the requests we used to get for it. I knew I shouldn't have clicked on that link, but I couldn't help myself.

Reminds me of the late, great Chuck Tedrow, who adamantly refused to play requests if he didn't like the song. When I would relieve him on Mother's Day, he would usually say something to the effect of, "Didn't take any requests today. If you play one then every other listener who ever had a mother is going to call up and ask for one too."

Regards,
Brad Patton
WNAK Weekender 1992-2007
 
"15 titles done by 300 artists".

HA! Funny but accurate! But you're right, none of the three songs you mention are Christmas songs at all. In fact, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" came from a Dick Powell / Ritz Brothers musical film in 1937 called "On the Avenue" which had nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas.
Another one is "The Bells of St. Mary," which is quasi-religious, but is not a Christmas song at all. But when it used to get airplay (and I think there are 300 versions, though I like the Drifters' version best) it was always at Christmas.
But I agree with you Phil, the most mystifying is "My Favorite Things." Great song, terrific standard, lots of great versions of it (Julie Andrews' is probably the one we know best), but not the least bit Christmas oriented in any way, shape or form. So, it's a Christmas song? HOW??!!
 
Phil,

I did this!!! I played Yellow Snow (I think Mike nay did too) at least once during the 1994 Christmas season on 97.9!!

My new Christmas season memory...Watching Fox the other night, kids laying around the living room, Xmas tree in the corner on, fell asleep, woke up, looked up at TV, first thing I saw was LA's mug! Whew!! (just kidding of course, LA)!

KF
 
Kevin Fitzgerald said:
Phil,

I did this!!! I played Yellow Snow (I think Mike nay did too) at least once during the 1994 Christmas season on 97.9!!
Click to expand...

Would you have an aircheck of that? I'd LOVE to hear it!

Phil G.
 
Turds in the punchbowl...Phil, you are the goods!!!


Oldies4ever
4th annual Warmland The mighty 590 reunion, August 10, 2013
At the Pocono Drag Lodge, Bear creek...
 
Phil

I wish I had an aircheck (any 97.9 Mtn. aircheck for that matter)! I think I still have the paper logs from that year...that's about it!
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom