One of the most difficult things about surviving through the Christmas season is the inability to avoid Christmas music, whether at stores, in the car on the radio, at hotels, or pretty much anywhere. With so much airtime to fill, programmers get desperate for new sounds, to the point that you get stuck hearing Neil Diamond do something called "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," which if nothing else is theologically incorrect. I've got nothing against Christmas music - Barenaked Ladies' acoustic-shuffle version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" may be the best thing they've ever done - as long as I can control when I hear it.
I think it would be easier to take as well if other holidays were celebrated nearly as much in song, but they really aren't. While there are millions of Christmas songs out there, how many are there marking other holidays? Let's take a look:
New Year's Day
"New Year's Day," by U2
"Happy New Year," by Abba
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
"Happy Birthday," by Stevie Wonder
Valentine's Day
"Valentine," by the Old 97's
"Valentine," by the Replacements
Easter
"Zombie," the Cranberries
Fourth of July
"Saturday in the Park," by Chicago
"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," by Bruce Springsteen (but not Bruce's "Independence Day")
"Good," by Better Than Ezra
Halloween
"Monster Mash," by Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Election Day
"Election Day," Arcadia
Armistice Day
"Armistice Day," by Paul Simon
Thanksgiving
I've got nothing.
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6 comments:
Thanksgiving, "nothing"? How could you forget "Alice's Restaurant"?
Indeed, WXRT Chicago still airs it in its entirety at 11:00am every Thanksgiving, a tradition they have carried on for decades.
This is why we have comments.
"Valentine's Day," Bruce Springsteen.
Election Day: "The New World," X (or the Knitters, if you prefer).
Dan Bern - "Thanksgiving Day Parade"
Lou Reed, "Halloween Parade."
Van Morrison, "Almost Independence Day."
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