Christmas Song #4

Tomorrows might not show up until the late night... or the early morning the next day. Going to go see a production of A Christmas Carol, and I don't know what tomorrow's schedule will be like aside from that. I mean, I might just get it done in the morning tomorrow as well... but uhh, to allow myself some leeway...

SONG #4:

The Ventures--Jingle Bell Rock



To be honest, I've never really liked this song. It always sounded to me like a song that would attract some boring rocker that wanted add an "edge" to the holiday season, except completely failing to do so, because it's kind of a boring song.

This one kicks, though. I'd like to think it's because the version lacks the vocals, and that the reason the song bothers me so much was that everyone who sung it screwed the rest of the song up. It's probably just that The Ventures can really play, though.

So they were an instrumental surf rock group from Tacoma, Washington, and may be most famous for their recording of the theme music to Hawaii 5-0. I had heard the above song and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (which is below) before listening to the album. Which is where I realized that The Ventures did something really cool. They took popular rock songs of the day (or just their own songs) and combine it with a Christmas track.

So, for example, I believe for the above song, they laid their own version of "Memphis Tennessee" (originally by Chuck Berry) as the basis for a version of "Jingle Bell Rock." Or, taking The Beatles' "I Feel Fine" as the basis for the below song. Or "She's Not There" serving as the basis for "What Child Is This" (although here it's called "Snow Flakes"...)

At first I thought it was kind of funny how the riff for "I Feel Fine" was just completely stolen without remorse, but as I listened to the album it became kind of brilliant. And something that shouldn't really work as Christmas music, but does very well...

Some of you might be tempted to call the songs a "mash-up."

But, since we're in the holiday spirit, where the Ventures have taken these classic pop songs and wrapped them up anew with a Christmas bent, I propose that we call these songs "regiftings."

Yeah, that's kind of stupid.

I'm sticking to it.

BONUS SONG:



EXTRA BONUS SONG BECAUSE I LISTENED TO IT AGAIN AND IT SOUNDED REALLY NICE AND REMINDS ME OF HOW GREAT THE ZOMBIES ARE: