Christmas song #12:

Burl Ives--A Holly Jolly Christmas



This isn't actually the one I'm familiar with. The one I'm familiar with is from the Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer soundtrack, which is much more orchestral than this version. Actually, there's two versions, as it appears at the end of the overture on the soundtrack, as well as its own 80 second long version.

But I'm posting his non-Rudolph soundtrack version, basically because I can (and because it allows me to post about other Rudolph soundtrack songs that holds no interest to anyone but me.) This is the hit--I suppose you could call it--from his Christmas album Have A Holly Jolly Christmas. Not sure why he included the "have" on the album title and not the song title, but there you go.

I don't know if I'd really listen to him any other month, but Burl Ives has this folksy charm to him that makes me question if anyone could ever really dislike him. He would make the perfect type of uncle--you're not wanting to see him all the time, but you always enjoy it when you do... just because he's so damn affable. And this is the song equivalent of that--and quite literal in its jolliness.

I think it helps that Burl Ives also sort of looks like Santa Claus. You know, it gives the song more realism... or something.