"Silent Night" was first performed on December 24, 1818.  That's 200 years ago, today.  I know you needed to know this, so I'm telling you.  You're welcome ;-)

If you don't know the history of this beloved Christmas hymn, here's a nice article relating it.

Here are some of my favorite renditions that I listen to every year:

Inspired by Naomi Sarah (and because my cold is still addling my brain and I'm failing at writing anything more serious/strenuous -- it's taken me three days to write this post), I am going to share my favorite Christmas albums with you today.  The ones I own and listen to every year, waiting eagerly all through November for it to be the day after Thanksgiving and "legal" to listen to them.  (To be honest, though, sometimes I listen to one or two earlier, when Cowboy is not around to scold me.)

Because it's me, I'm doing this as one of my "ten favorites" lists.  And I know I'm cutting this pretty close to Christmas, but this might actually be good -- you  might be tired of the Christmas music you always listen to, and be ready for a change.  Maybe you'll find something new here you really dig!  Or be reminded of something you'd heard a long time ago and forgotten about.


1.  25th Day of December by Bobby Darin is, as you might expect from Bobby Darin, different.  He has a few traditional songs like "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night," but also a whole bunch of spirituals.  And the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy."  And a couple songs in Latin, which sounds very interesting when sung with a Bronx accent.  My favorite track is his bouncy "Go Tell it on the Mountain," but you can listen to the whole album on YouTube here.
2.  Elvis' Christmas Album by Elvis Presley is the first Christmas album I can remember listening to.  My parents have it on LP, and it became tradition (at my insistence as a tiny person) that we listen to it while decorating our Christmas tree.  I have it on CD and continue that tradition.  My favorite track is "If Every Day was Like Christmas," which Cowboy agrees is basically my theme song.

3.  My Kind of Christmas by Dean Martin is a much more recent acquisition for me -- I've only had it maybe three or four years.  Dino is my second-favorite singer, after Bobby Darin, and his effortless style on this compilation album is perfect for Christmas.  You can listen to the whole album here on YouTube, but the first song is my favorite, the cheerily seductive "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
6. An Andrews Sisters Christmas by the Andrews Sisters is a compilation of Christmas songs from them, including several with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.  It's perfect for when I'm in a nostalgic mood.  My favorite track is "A Merry Christmas at Grandmother's" with Danny Kaye.

7. When My Heart Finds Christmas by Harry Connick, Jr. is one of the first CDs I ever bought -- this might even predate my obsession with Bobby Darin :-o  Without a doubt, my favorite track is "Sleigh Ride" -- listening to a sample of this track at a store called Media Play over and over is what convinced me to buy the album as a teen.  You can listen to the whole album here on YouTube, too.
8. A Christmas Album by Barbra Streisand is another one I grew up with -- my mom had this either as an LP or an 8-track tape (do any of you know what that is???), and later we had it as a cassette tape we could play in the car too (miracle of miracles!).  I absolutely adore her juiced-up version of "Jingle Bells," and the whole album is here on YouTube.

9.  Ultimate Christmas Collection by Johnny Cash is another more recent favorite -- I think I bought this after we moved to Tir Asleen, so five years ago or fewer.  It has lots of traditional Christmas hymns and carols on the first disc, and then a second disc that's a recording from 1972 of Johnny and his wife June Carter Cash, his brother Tommy Cash, and a bunch of other country artists -- they share Christmas memories and stories and sing songs together.  My favorite track from the whole collection is "Away in a Manger," but I can't find that version on YouTube, so instead I'll share "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

10.  Christmas with the Rat Pack by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. is my newest favorite -- I just bought this last year when DKoren was visiting me.  It's a wonderfully mellow, happy collection of Christmas songs by the three of them.  It has overlapping tracks with my Dean Martin collection, so I'll chose a not-Dino song to share here.  I really like this version of Frank Sinatra singing "The Christmas Waltz."

And as a bonus, here's the Elvis Presley version of "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful," which is basically my absolute favorite rendition of any Christmas song ever.  It's pedestrian until 1:16, and then... blows my socks clean off.  But it's not on my favorite Elvis Christmas album, wouldn't you know?  But I couldn't not include it.  So I kinda saved the absolute best to share last.

SW from A Free Mind tagged me with this a while back.  Thanks, SW!  I looooove learning music lyrics, and both Cowboy and I can generally come up with a song to fit just about any occasion, occurrence, or situation.

(Created by Rose)

The rules: 
1. Thank and link back to the person who tagged you
2. Make a collage that represents your taste in music to go along with your post
3. List a song for each of the 10 questions (or make up your own) and include your favorite lyrics
4. Tag at least 5 other bloggers

So here's the collage I came up with that pretty well represents my musical taste.  Yes, Bobby Darin is on there twice because he is such a huge part of what I listen to.


A song that describes me perfectly:  "Happy" (Love Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)  Specifically, of course, I love the Bobby Darin version.
The happiest song I know:  "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."  Now THAT is true and lasting happiness!

A song that makes me want to dance:  "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis.  I love songs with super-complicated lyrics, which I find a fun challenge to learn.  I still haven't quite mastered this one even though I've been working on it, on and off, since that remix came out in like what, 2002?  I get tangled up in this part of the refrain:

Don't procrastinate,
Don't articulate,
Girl, it's gettin' late,
Gettin' upset waitin' 'round.

Favorite Tayor Swift song:  "Love Story" (I'm amused that this tag assumes everyone has a favorite Taylor Swift song.)(It's all Taylor Swift's fault.)

Favorite song from a movie soundtrack: "Finale" from Hans Zimmer's The Lone Ranger score.  I've blogged about this one a few times before, and yeah... it's pure joy for me.

An "I can't even" song:  the theme from The Big Country -- I can't describe it.  Just listen:
Favorite classical song:  "Pas des Deux" from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, possibly.  Or "Rodeo" by Aaron Copeland.  Or the "Lachrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem.  I love a lot of classical music.

New favorite song:  I have had the Postmodern Jukebox running on YouTube a lot lately, ever since Cowboy introduced me to it last week.  And I had never cared for Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" before, but the PMJ folks added this vamp that grabs hold of me and won't let go, and I have had it on repeat a LOT lately.

Favorite music video:  I've long loved the video for Bon Jovi's "It's My Life."

Favorite song from a musical:  "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly! never fails to brighten my mood :-)

Being something of a rebel, I have NOT included lyrics for each answer, and I'm also not going to tag anyone because I just tagged lots of people in my last post.  If you want to do this, you may consider yourself tagged by me :-)

Sara of A Free Mind tagged me with this.  I've fallen waaaaaaaaay behind in doing tags lately, though I hope to do a couple of the others I've been tagged with this month -- we'll see if I can scrounge the time.  But anyway, this seems to just require listing some things that make you happy in particular categories, which is quick and fun, so here goes!


Books:

everything by Raymond Chandler
the Sherlock Holmes books and stories by A. Conan Doyle
the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout
the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery
the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books by Laurie R. King


Words:

dream
yearn
enchant
persnickety
selbstverstaendlich (it's a German word that means "obviously")


Movies/TV:

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
The Lone Ranger (2013)
And Now Tomorrow (1944)
Gunfight in Abilene (1967)
all the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies


Scents:

cinnamon
coffee
lavender
lemon
fresh dirt


Songs:

"Mack the Knife" sung by Bobby Darin
"Cracklin' Rosie" sung by Neil Diamond
"All Star" by Smash Mouth
"Windy" by The Association
"A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley (JXL remix)


Misc:

daydreaming
the bubbly, bouncy feeling when a story idea is throwing sparks
brownies
daffodils
morning snuggles with my little mice





And I hereby tag anybody who's feeling happy, who's feeling glum, who's feeling bored, or who has been searching for something to blog about.  All be happy!

Last month, I made myself a new CD to listen to in the mornings while I make breakfast.  I love to listen to music while I cook (and pretty much any time at all, but especially while I cook), and I'd been cycling through a bunch of CDs that had bouncy, upbeat tracks, but I'd spend time every morning walking over to the CD player to skip to a cheerful song.  And then I decided that was ridiculous, and I should just put all those songs on one CD!

Sometimes it takes me an insanely long time to realize obvious things.

So anyway, I have been loving my new "morning mix," and I decided today I would try to share it with you!  Only not all 22 songs at once.  I thought I'd break this up into 3 or 4 posts, and find all the songs on YouTube when possible, and then you could bounce around to cheerful music too :-)

Or raise your eyebrows and look askance at my musical taste.  It happens.  I'm used to it.

The very first song is called "How Great" and performed by this Christian group called Branches Band, which sang at our church a few months ago.  I bought four of their albums, I liked them so much!  Alas, this song isn't available on YouTube, but you can check out their website here and their YouTube channel here.  It's a bouncy, praise-ful song that involves a ukelele, and I really wish I could share it with you.

The second song is the theme from a movie called Bandolero! written by Jerry Goldsmith.  I love whistling, I love westerns, so yeah, makin' me happy.



Next is Bobby Darin's classic rendition of "Mack the Knife."  You knew Bobby would be here, right?  This is my absolute favorite song he sang, so here it has to be.



Then we have this peppy remix of a little-known Elvis song, "A Little Less Conversation."  I love songs with complicated, difficult lyrics, which this has in spades.  Also, this song makes me dance.  Perfect for draggy mornings, as long as I remember to put my coffee cup down before I start to dance.



Up next is one of my favorite Piano Guys songs:  "What Makes You Beautiful."  I have come up with secret lyrics to this, known only to me, and so trite and silly that if I told them to you, you would probably stop following my blog.  But anyway, it's a bouncy, happy song.



Last one for today is "Good to Go" by John Corbett.  I don't remember anymore how I found this song, but it was back in Wisconsin.  I think I stumbled on his album at the library or something.  Anyway, although it's got a few Roman Catholic overtones I mildly object to, I love the message of being thankful for your life.

I have a new rule for myself. I'm only allowed to go in the Media Warehouse once a month. Because every time I go in there, I buy vinyl. Yes, last night I went there to rent the Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection and ended up buying Elvis Sings Flaming Star as well.

It's not that I'm a huge Elvis fan. I like his music, sure, but he's not one of my top five favorite oldies artists. But, you see, when I was very little -- three our four years old -- I fell in love with Elvis' Christmas Album, which my parents had on LP. I would listen to it over and over (still do, only on CD now) and stare at the back cover, which had little pictures of other Elvis albums from the era. And one of those other albums was Elvis Sings Flaming Star. Even though I couldn't read, I knew I wanted to hear that record. Why? Because he's wearing a cowboy hat on the cover, of course! And to my tiny-Hamlette eyes, he looked a lot like James Dean's character Jett Rink from the movie Giant, with whom I was already in love by that point.

So last night I went to the Media Warehouse solely with the purpose of renting the Pink cartoons. But I had to check to see if they had any new Bobby vinyl, of course. They didn't, but the Elvis section caught my eye and I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be cool if... nah, they'd never have it."

But they did!

So I spent a joyous night wearing my Pink Panther "Cool Cat" t-shirt and Pink Panther slippers, listening to an Elvis album I've wanted to hear for 23+ years, and watching classic cartoons starring the only pink thing I really like :-) I maybe anti-pink, but I'm pro-Pink Panther!