Posted on 11/16/2005 10:37:04 AM PST by raccoonradio
The Thanksgiving turkey hasn't been stuffed yet, but it's not stopping Boston's all-oldies station WODS-103.3FM from breaking its format this Friday morning (11/18) thru the day after Christmas in favor of the sounds of the season. This is the third straight year WODS is going all-Christmas.
The holiday pop classics such as Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad”, Paul McCartney’s “Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time”, Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, Wilson Pickett’s version of “Silver Bells” and Chuck Berry’s “Run, Run Rudolph” among others will fill the air at WODS-FM for 38 days.
But as was the case last year(BRW 11/21/04), Oldies 103.3 will keep its specialty programming such as Sunday night's tradition Lost 45's, Sunday morning's Beatle Brunch and Elvis Only.
The foremost reason for the seasonal switch is that Jingle Bells rings the register. Most stations around the country(about 350 last year) that change to an all-Christmas format see a spike in ratings. Advertisers flock to these frequencies, betting that holiday songs remind listeners that the season is all about giv..errr..shopping.
Am waiting to see if this year they will do edits of our favorite songs:
I'd dreaming of a White Holiday Oh, Holiday Tree We Need a Little Holiday, Right This Very minute Away In A Shopping Mall The "Holiday" Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) Elvis: I'll have a Blue...Holiday...Without You
--' "Chri$tma$ has 2 s's in it, and they're both dollar signs"--Stan Freberg
>>The holiday pop classics such as
And the very sacred religious tones of "All I Want For
Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"
My fav: Santa Claus has got the AIDS by Tiny Tim
Do they play religious Christmas Carols like Silent Night, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Oh Little Town of Bethleham, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, Do You Hear What I Hear and Joy To The World?
The oldies station in the Twin Cities plays all Christmas songs as well.
I think it's great.
They do in Mpls/St. Paul.
Generally enjoy Christmas tunes.
(But that Paul McCartney one mentioned above is atrocious.)
Not too many, I would think. Mostly secular stuff...I would
think "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time",
"Christmas Wrapping" (The Waitresses), Alvin and the
Chipmunks ("I still want a hula hoop") etc would be much more
likely to be played by stations like this.
(Mr Scrooge and Bob Cratchit in Stan Freberg's
"Green Chri$tmas":
CRATCHET: Well, I guess you fellows will never change.
SCROOGE: Why should we? Christmas has two s's in it, and they're both dollar signs.
CRATCHET: Yeah, but they weren't there to begin with.
SCROOGE: Eh?
CRATCHET: The people keep hoping you'll remember. But you never do.
SCROOGE: Remember what?
CRATCHET: Whose birthday we're celebrating.
SCROOGE: Well, ....... don't get me wrong. The story of Christmas, in its simplicity, is a good thing - I'll buy that. It's just that we know a good thing when we see it.
CRATCHET: But don't you realize Christmas has a significance, a meaning.
SCROOGE: A sales curve! Wake up, Cratchet, it's later than you think.
CRATCHET: I know, Mr. Scrooge, I know.
I'm more offended by the fact that this starts earlier and earlier every year. What happened to the tradition day after Thanksgiving start?
That's too bad...
But then,just about everything that McCartney's been involved in since 1969 has been atrocious.
Don't forget Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.
There have been some, er, "Demented" Christmas tunes over the years.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer--Elmo and Patsy (also
by the Rovers)
Son of Santa ("Just got out of jail, nothin' gonna stop him")--Mojo Nixon
"I Found the Brains of Santa Claus Underneath My Bed"
"Santa Got a D.U.I."
"Santa and His Old Lady"--Cheech and Chong"
and how about that movie spoof on Mad TV, "Raging Rudolph"
(Good Fellas meets the Red nosed reindeer!)
It's been this way for years now. The day after Thanksgiving was & still is probably the biggest Christmas shopping day, but it is advertised and marketed like crazy starting in early November. In fact, the Christmas decorations are sitting side by side the Halloween stuff in October!
I could live out the rest of my life quite happily without ever hearing that awful rendition again.
They do in the Phila. stations and AC. I love it, and Merry Christmans is said often.
It's pretty impressive how he manages to remove all the joy from that silly tune while retaining all the inanity and injecting so much malaise.
I always liked:
Santa Can't Stay
by Dwight Yoakam
Cold tears fall from his eyes
As he turns into the night and walks away
Lucille runs outside
Just to see if there might be a sleigh
Little Bobby stares down
At the plate where cookies still lay
And tries to understand
Why momma said Santa can't stay
Chorus:
Momma said Santa can't stay
Said she told him that twice yesterday
Then a car just like Dad's
Pulled out and drove away
After mom said Santa couldn't stay
They both heard him coming
Saw Mom run down the hall and holler wait
Doug you're drunk don't come inside
I'm not joking I've had all this I can take
He threw a present really hard
That almost hit Mom's new boyfriend Ray
And yelled ho-ho lucky for you she's here
And said that Santa can't stay
(Repeat Chorus)
Same here in Houston!
They both heard him coming,
Saw Mom run down the hall and holler:
"Doug you're drunk don't come inside,"
"I'm not joking, I've had all this I can take."
He threw a present really hard
That almost hit Mom's new boyfriend Ray,
And yelled "Ho-ho, lucky for you she's here!"
And said that Santa can't stay,
Momma said Santa can't stay.
Said she told him that twice yesterday.
Then a car just like Dad's
Pulled out and drove away
After Momma said Santa couldn't stay.
Hey, Momma said Santa can't stay,
Said he might just have to beat the crap out of Ray.
Then a car just like Dad's
Peeled out and drove away, man.
After Momma yelled Santa couldn't stay
Momma said Santa can't stay.
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