One of the Worst Christmas Songs Ever Written--Redeemed

I make no secret of the fact that, for me, Christmas is not a holiday.  It's a lifestyle.  I love Christmas.  A lot.  But just because I love Christmas, isn't a good reason for liking everything about Christmas.  One part of Christmas I don't like?  The Little Drummer Boy.  It's an awful song.  I don't know why so many people like it. Or least, I didn't know. 

I have spent many years collecting versions I like to determine what was wrong with most versions.  With our four case studies, I have learned the key to a good rendition of The Little Drummer Boy.

Exhibit A:  Bob Seger version.

This version of The Little Drummer Boy is completely tolerable, and even a little likeable at times (in the right place at the right moment).  

Pay no attention to the pictures, because that movie is another thing that makes The Little Drummer Boy awful.



Exhibit B:  Manheim Steamroller version.

I actually like this version. 




Exhibit C:  Glee version



When I heard this on my Pandora, I was working on writing something in Microsoft Word.  I switched my screens to see who was singing the version, because I really liked it.  I don't like Little Drummer Boy, and I don't like Glee.  But, apparently two wrongs do make a right.

Exhibit D:  David Bowie/Bing Crosby version



Even though I don't like Little Drummer Boy, this song is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  Period. 


So, what do these case studies teach us on how to make The Little Drummer Boy a good song? 

1) Speed it up. This is shown by Exhibit B, and somewhat Exhibits A and C
2) Hold out the vowel on the rum-pa-pum-pums, not the consonants.  Exhibits A, C and D show us that we are not a herd of bees, and no one wants to hear a herd of bees.
3) Have a nice clear voice.  Exhibit C and D
4) Have some other words in there:  Exhibit D
5) Alternatively, take the words out entirely.  Exhibit B.

And that is how to make The Little Drummer Boy good.

Comments

p said…
Tori Amos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsEfyjVGNUk largely for the interpretive piano variations.

would be my vote for best version though I like Bing and David pretty well too. Bob Seger doesn't make my cut on this one.
November 20, 2014 at 7:08 AM
p said…
You should hear this version of It Came Upon a Midnight Clear as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FoQqrAyPKM

Skip to 1:15 where the music starts.
November 20, 2014 at 7:17 AM
Hannah said…
I liked her piano rendition, but I kind of wished she wouldn't have sung. She's not a bad singer, but I think it would have been better as a piano solo.

And like I said, Bob Seger makes it tolerable.

That It Came Upon a Midnight Clear is really, really pretty.
November 20, 2014 at 3:01 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Over-analyzing Disney Movies: The Little Mermaid--Why Eric is White.

Image
I have recently noticed a trend of just purely over-analyzing Disney movies.  In this category, I also include the fascination with photoshopping Disney characters to swap genders, races, or eras, as well as making princesses have "realistic" body shapes (which is something I could write a whole other post about, and it wouldn't be pretty.  Spoiler alert:  I find it to be one of the most unempowering trends of recent years).  However, I sometimes wonder at how much people are reading into Disney movies.  Today, I'm going to over-analyze their over-analysis. I recently read that the fact that Eric is a white prince is a representation of how we white-wash racial expectations for our children.  I'm not even sure what that sentence means.  It seems to have a lot of buzz words.  But I'm going to show you today, using evidence from the film, why Prince Eric is, in fact, the correct color. (I will, however, say that Eric is the only Disney prince who legitimatel
Read more

Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!

James Joyce is my kind of guy. He made puzzles that I like to think are just for me. He was a great lover of languages, and he is sometimes called the father of a literary technique called polyglotism. This is when you insert other languages in there. Just 'cuz. So, in James Joyce's wonderful story, "Eveline" there is a phrase that nobody knows what it is. Even to this day. "Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!" Many people believe it to be corrupted Irish Gaelic. Needing a break from homework, I have approached this by taking the words and then transliterating them into Irish Gaelic, trying to create Irish Gaelic that would be spoken by someone of this status in this time in Ireland. Nationalist, but not educated enough to actually understand all the ins and outs of the language. I came up with two possible phrases that I find very probable. And I'm not pretending to solve the mystery. If Joyce experts over the years have not discovered the mean
Read more

What does it mean to be a Russell?

Image
As many know, most European families (not all, but most) have a coat of arms, a crest, a motto, all that good stuff. So, I decided to look a bit into what being a Russell means. And maybe I'll do the same for Hatches, because I am a Hatch too. The last name Russell is Scottish and means "Red-headed" and derives from the Norman name of Roussel. The Russells are a well-respected Highland Scot clan, complete with Scottish crest and tartan: The motto on the crest "virtus sine macula" means "Virtue without blemish." As Scotland incorporated more and more into England, the Russells became nobility in that world as well, and were thus presented with a coat of arms: And yes, the motto written on that one is "che sara sara." You've got to admit, that's pretty gosh-darn cool. It really does mean "Whatever will be, will be." And in honor of that:
Read more