Friday, December 10, 2021

Holiday


The richness of Christmas pop lies in the extreme variety of genres (EVERY genre has a Christmas song), the themes (Christmas in space, Christmas on a surfboard, Christmas in hell, Christmas sex, etc) and the way songs that aren't Christmas songs are turned into Christmas songs. In the past we had Christmassy songs growing into full blown spruces (Jona Lewie's 'Stop the Cavalry', 'Fairytale of New York' by The Pogues, standards like 'Jingle Bells', 'Baby It's Cold Outside' and 'Let it Snow'), then we had songs that had little or nothing to do with Christmas getting a merry overhaul ('White Winter Hymnnal' by Fleet Foxes, Frankie Goes to Hollywoods's 'The Power of Love', Dolly Parton's 'Hard Candy Christmas' and Paul McCartney's 'We All Stand Together') and now we have songs that are a far cry from Christmas getting tapped as standard holiday fare. Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' is an example, Hiss Golden Messenger tried CCR's 'As Long As I Can See The Light' on for size (and it worked) and recently, She & Him even went as far as re-christening Madonna's 'Holiday' into a Christmas song.
Ska punk band Half Past Two is taking She & Him's example up a few notches by releasing four covers of songs named 'Holiday' under a Christmas EP moniker. And HELL YES this works. Madonna, Green Day, Vampire Weekend and Weezer, bien etonnee de se trouver ensemble on a seasonal album. Best version, is this V'Weekend cover:

4 comments:

Stubby said...

FYI, Half Past Two's Weezer "Holiday" cover appears on the NYOP Ska and Punk seasonal comp from On The Upbeat, "Arose Suck A Clatter". https://ontheupbeat.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-upbeat-presents-arose-such-a-clatter-2021

Guuzbourg said...

Sure? Can't see it. Which track?

Stubby said...

Track 16

Guuzbourg said...

Need to get my glasses checked