Why is it that most novelty holiday songs have disappeared from the radio? Growing up in the ‘80s & ‘90s, I heard plenty of songs like “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”, Bob & Doug McKenzie’s “Twelve Days of Christmas”, Seymore Swine’s “Blue Christmas”, “The Chanukah Song”, dozens of Bob Rivers parodies, and many others. Now none of them are on radio playlists anymore. The only novelty songs I hear now are “The Chipmunk Song” and “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. Even my wife notices this and wants to know why radio doesn’t play funny Christmas songs these days? Any idea why this is? Have people in general lost their sense of humor? When was it decided that people only wanted serious Christmas songs?
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Where are the novelty songs?
- Thread starter RMarino
- Start date
I've heard Adam Sandler's Chanukah Song occasionally on Classic Hits over the years during the week of Chanukah, which is late this year.
As for the others - it's kind of like watching an old sitcom. You listen now and it's just not funny like it may have been when it was newer. It's not that folks have lost their sense of humor. It's that today's holiday music audience doesn't find Seymore Swine and Bob Rivers as funny as past generations did when those songs were newer.
As for the others - it's kind of like watching an old sitcom. You listen now and it's just not funny like it may have been when it was newer. It's not that folks have lost their sense of humor. It's that today's holiday music audience doesn't find Seymore Swine and Bob Rivers as funny as past generations did when those songs were newer.
That sounds like the definition of “losing your sense of humor” to me. What was funny to me 30 years ago is generally still funny to me, and last I checked, I’m still “today’s holiday music audience.”
Now if you’re saying that those songs don’t fit the humor of a younger audience because radio only wants Millennials and Gen Z listening, I can understand that that. But then why aren’t there newer novelty Christmas songs played?
One thing you'll note is that the Christmas format is a lot peppier now than it was 10 years ago, with a lot fewer crooners and a more women artists. In particular, I'd have trouble putting Porky Pig's "Blue Christmas" or "I want a Hippopotamus" into rotation with the modern Christmas hits.
"Blue Christmas" isnt being played anymore in any version, probably because all of Elvis is gone from the radio.
"Grandma" is a different problem. Listeners don't find it funny, they find it annoying:
"The most annoying Christmas song"
www.nytimes.com
I can only wish the Chipmunks and "War is Over" were to also be shuffled to the archives.
"Blue Christmas" isnt being played anymore in any version, probably because all of Elvis is gone from the radio.
"Grandma" is a different problem. Listeners don't find it funny, they find it annoying:
"The most annoying Christmas song"
How the Wackiest, Most ‘Annoying’ Christmas Song Became a Hit
It started with a novelty songwriter stranded on a snowy night. Decades later, listeners still can’t get his tune, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” out of their heads.
I can only wish the Chipmunks and "War is Over" were to also be shuffled to the archives.
The year before last when driving to the Family gathering at St. George Island, there is a stretch in South GA (going cross country) where all I could pick up was urban or country stations. The country stations were playing "Grandma" Elvis's Blue Christmas, "Chipmunks". Different stations but after the second time of the Chipmunks, My son threatened to go ear buds and stream. I gladly compromised and turned off the radio and we just talked.
I don't know where you're getting this from.
I'm hearing Elvis on the one station I listen to in the car that still sounds good, and maybe on another one that has some good songs. That includes Christmas and the rest of the year.
@PTBoardOp93 was making a general statement and doesn't listen to the same stations as you.
I wouldn’t call it peppy. I just spent a week listening to iHeart’s Christmas format on Mix 100.7 in Tampa. I heard more than enough crooners with generous helpings of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and others. There wasn’t much in the way of tempo. Once in a while I flipped over to WDUV, which is also in Christmas mode. It was mostly the same but with a few more medium tempo songs that Mix didn’t play. But I wouldn’t call either one “peppy.” Quite the opposite actually. Maybe a few novelty songs would help.
He didn't say few stations played him. He essentially said no stations did.
Though I still get a kick out of Bob Rivers, some of the humor is dated *how old do you have to be "one goes out, they all go out" light strings)?. Same with Bob and Doug McKenzie. SCTV (though a favorite of mine) was decades ago. These songs are still shared on social media. Radio, not so much.
I believe the technical term is "aged out of the demographic"
Sorry, but haven't kept up with the times to see if there's been (many) released during this millenium.
It's not by Porky Pig (Mel Blanc) but rather by Denny Brownlee, originally performed on the John Boy & Billy morning show on WBCY in Charlotte in 1984 (hence the laughter in the background). It was released on a 45 in 1985 under the name "Seymour Swine And The Squeelers".
If you still have one of those 45s, they're now worth anywhere from around $40 to $150:
...back in de day, "Grandma" would get heavy negs in the callout, and would come in #1 in the requests....One thing you'll note is that the Christmas format is a lot peppier now than it was 10 years ago, with a lot fewer crooners and a more women artists. In particular, I'd have trouble putting Porky Pig's "Blue Christmas" or "I want a Hippopotamus" into rotation with the modern Christmas hits.
"Blue Christmas" isnt being played anymore in any version, probably because all of Elvis is gone from the radio.
"Grandma" is a different problem. Listeners don't find it funny, they find it annoying:
"The most annoying Christmas song"
How the Wackiest, Most ‘Annoying’ Christmas Song Became a Hit
It started with a novelty songwriter stranded on a snowy night. Decades later, listeners still can’t get his tune, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” out of their heads.
I can only wish the Chipmunks and "War is Over" were to also be shuffled to the archives.
What about a mashup, “Grandma Got Run Over By Dominic The Christmas Donkey” 😂
I heard "Jailhouse Rock" on a station that mostly plays 60s and 70s and sometimes 80s. It's locally programmed and has a lot of local advertisers.
I have a copy on cart. Not sure where it came from. I found it when I was cleaning out a storage unit.
Doubt John Boy and Billy could afford the rights to Porky Pig
Not a big fan of "Grandma....," but it definitely lent itself well to parodies. This one is a favorite of mine, although this particular version has slightly altered lyrics from what I remember:
This one has lyrics the way that I remember them, but this one is pitched too high:
This one has lyrics the way that I remember them, but this one is pitched too high:
I like Adam Sandler's "Thanksgiving Song," and it is just not Thanksgiving unless/until I get to hear it. The funniest part was when he had to ask the audience not to clap!
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