Holly Jolly Jingles: Exploring the World of Christmas Songs with the Beer Brothers
Nov 29, 2023
The Beer Brothers
Ever wondered why you can't help but sing along to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" every holiday season, or why "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" sparks such festive controversy? Buckle up, fellow Christmas music enthusiasts, for an episode that is sure to have you humming along as we, the Beer Brothers, navigate the enchanting world of Christmas songs. We swap stories about our favorite classics, with Chris waxing lyrical about Frank Sinatra's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and Greg sharing his admiration for "O Holy Night" and the ever-popular "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Tune in as we also share a hearty laugh over commonly misheard lyrics and the nostalgic feelings these tunes invariably stir.
But hold onto your elf hats, it isn't just about the classic carols. We venture into the realm of modern songs and some more contentious choices. Discover why Mariah Carey's hit doesn't top our list of modern favorites, and join the debate about the likes of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and the infamous "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". And yes, we also dish on our least favorite Christmas songs, sprinkling a dash of humor into the mix. Whether you're a fan of traditional carols, non-traditional tunes, or just good old Christmas cheer, this episode promises a lively and engaging discussion, all served up with a side of festive spirit!
Ever wondered why you can't help but sing along to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" every holiday season, or why "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" sparks such festive controversy? Buckle up, fellow Christmas music enthusiasts, for an episode that is sure to have you humming along as we, the Beer Brothers, navigate the enchanting world of Christmas songs. We swap stories about our favorite classics, with Chris waxing lyrical about Frank Sinatra's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and Greg sharing his admiration for "O Holy Night" and the ever-popular "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Tune in as we also share a hearty laugh over commonly misheard lyrics and the nostalgic feelings these tunes invariably stir.
But hold onto your elf hats, it isn't just about the classic carols. We venture into the realm of modern songs and some more contentious choices. Discover why Mariah Carey's hit doesn't top our list of modern favorites, and join the debate about the likes of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and the infamous "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". And yes, we also dish on our least favorite Christmas songs, sprinkling a dash of humor into the mix. Whether you're a fan of traditional carols, non-traditional tunes, or just good old Christmas cheer, this episode promises a lively and engaging discussion, all served up with a side of festive spirit!
Speaker 2:
The Beer Brothers proudly present the best of a podcast about the best of everything, from the mundane to the ridiculous. Just three buddies sitting around the car table talking about things that absolutely matter to no one.
Speaker 1:
We have reached the greatest time of the year. It is Christmas time, november 29th. We're close, man, we're close. Christmas is right around the corner.
Speaker 3:
We do have a tree in our podcast.
Speaker 1:
We do we do? So? We're going to have some Christmas themed episodes coming up over the next few weeks and we're going to tackle one tonight. The first one we're going to talk about are how about Christmas songs, the best of Christmas songs? I'm Mark, I'm Chris, I'm Greg, and Greg says that may be all that he shares in this episode. That may have been it.
Speaker 3:
You're welcome, hey, really.
Speaker 2:
I'm like.
Speaker 3:
George Costanz I hit the high point. It's time to leave.
Speaker 2:
Before we get into this episode, number one, I want to thank everybody who's left us feedback and ratings on our podcast. If you would please continue to do so, yep. Also encourage other people to follow us. We've got a lot of people downloading right now and we've got some good opportunities on the table for sponsors, so we really appreciate everybody doing that. And finally, boys, I want to ask you before we get into the song Yep, do you guys, did you guys, get your mail already today?
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
Did you get your employee invite for the Christmas party for the self-checkout employees at Walmart?
Speaker 1:
I did not.
Speaker 2:
I got my Kroger one today. Oh good, I just want to make sure you get it, okay.
Speaker 3:
All right, all right, did you see? Now you're going to start unloading trucks at Kroger.
Speaker 2:
That doesn't surprise me Moving on Christmas songs.
Speaker 1:
Now, we can go a lot of different ways with this. We can talk traditional Christmas songs, we can talk more modern Christmas songs, it doesn't really matter, we can just kind of jump all around. Chris, why don't you start us off? Give us your first traditional. Let's go traditional first Traditional, first Traditional first Yep, hmm, this is last Christmas by Wham.
Speaker 2:
Country. No, that's almost close. That is the worst song ever. We can do that one too later. My best and my favorite traditional Christmas song ever, and I've written it down here because it's a topic because you're old, you can't remember. Well I can't read what I wrote either. I absolutely love. I'll Be Home for Christmas, okay.
Speaker 1:
Which version Version.
Speaker 2:
So I like the Frank Sinatra version. Yep, okay, I think the original version was sung by I can't remember who, but I like the Frank Sinatra version. You know, that's a song I can hear on the radio and I'll even listen to it on purpose.
Speaker 1:
Frank's version is really good, yeah, it is.
Speaker 3:
His version could be everything's good.
Speaker 2:
Everything Frank's saying was fantastic. But you know, I love that song and it's just one I can listen to and it just that's a song I hear and I kind of think back, you know, when I was a kid not that I heard it then, but you think about, and I'll be home for Christmas. It's not a sad song, I mean, it's a happy song, but it just kind of brings the emotion it sounds sad, it does.
Speaker 2:
it brings the emotion of the holiday season out and you know, guys, I mean, let's face it as excited as kids get with Christmas, you know those of us who have lived long enough to see, you know life and death and you think back on all the the sad things and the happy thing. You know Christmas is the time to reminisce and to think back of those and you know that's a song that just kind of does it for me. I think it's a great Christmas song.
Speaker 1:
Well, let's, we're going to have several fun facts. So let's do a fun fact on that one. Okay, and this is really more of a lyrical fun fact.
Speaker 2:
There's a.
Speaker 1:
There's a pretty famous lyric in that, in that song that's always missung. It's one of those that's. You know. Hold me close, oh, tony.
Speaker 2:
Danza yeah, exactly, yeah, so um tiny dancer, Greg for you.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so after is that a song here's? Here's the fun fact After police have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree it is not under the tree. Under me it is on the tree Because back in the day you used to put presence on the tree.
Speaker 3:
That must have been before my time.
Speaker 1:
That was back in my day Back in the 30s, so in the 30s we used to listen to it on the. You know, I had the cranked phonograph, Just for the record.
Speaker 2:
my presence is on your couch right now.
Speaker 1:
So uh, so yeah, that's a, that's an interesting and they did it because now you put presence under the tree.
Speaker 2:
So which does a Frank Sinatra version? I think he sings under the tree. He says on oh, wow.
Speaker 3:
So is that your favorite one when you were a kid too?
Speaker 1:
In mash. By the way, when Alan Alda is going crazy because he, he was, he can't sleep. That's one of the. He sings the little snippet of that and he sings it what's on the tree?
Speaker 3:
What's my?
Speaker 2:
mash, one of the greatest TV shows.
Speaker 3:
Never watched it one second.
Speaker 2:
Is. Is Colonel Potter on that one.
Speaker 1:
No, that's a that's still a Henry Blake one. See, you'd like Blake, I like Potter.
Speaker 2:
I got you or labels.
Speaker 1:
Get back into traditional Christmas songs.
Speaker 3:
Yep, my traditional I got. I got one that's an adult favorite of mine and one that was a kid favorite of mine. That's traditional Christmas songs. So my adult favorite was oh Holy night Classic, Everybody loves it. My kid favorite one was Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer Also a classic, Hated the show. Oh, I love the show. It was on last night. My wife loves the show, my daughter loves it. I can't stand it.
Speaker 1:
Yukon Cornelius.
Speaker 3:
But both of those would be my favorite from when I was a kid, rudolph, that, that was the song it was always on TV, so that's when you knew it was Christmas time.
Speaker 1:
All right, well, I'm going to have a difficult time doing just one, so I'm going to do a few Sure Um, burl Ives version of have a Holly, jolly Christmas. That's a happy song.
Speaker 3:
He's the singer who I like the Red Nose reindeer.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, every time I hear that song is great.
Speaker 3:
Do you listen to Mixmus on 94.5?
Speaker 1:
So right now on my presets in my, in my car I've got Mixmus on there but I've also got on series 6M. I've got holiday traditions, jolly Holly, Um, there's one more.
Speaker 2:
So if you're having a party with people, holly and jolly yeah, yeah, Um hallmark, hallmark, christmas radio.
Speaker 1:
I've got like five. I only listen to Christmas songs I do. I do?
Speaker 3:
I can tell you I've not listened to any of this, Really like it gets in the way of PGA tour radio. Well, that's, that's, that's really there's not many songs on it, so anyway, drying what else?
Speaker 1:
People actually on the radio talking about golf, which fantastic. No, no on this backswing.
Speaker 3:
Right here You're talking too loud. It'll be like yeah, it's got a four foot putt, it's going to break left to right and to put us back.
Speaker 1:
So anyway, it's in the hold. So I said, holly, jolly Christmas. I'm going to go into another Frank Sinatra song. That's my favorite Christmas Frank Sinatra song. It's a little lesser known one mistletoe and Holly. You all, you all know that. Who are they? Where are they from?
Speaker 3:
Oh my gosh, by golly, it's time for mistletoe and Holly it's so mistletoe and Holly from Lama.
Speaker 1:
No, they're not a good opportunity.
Speaker 2:
Thumper, this would be a good opportunity to tell everybody it's Christmas, to be a good gift, to tell them the Lama story that sounds great.
Speaker 3:
No I don't think so. This is not the right episode for that.
Speaker 1:
So, all right, mistletoe and Holly, now I'm going to go. Frosty the snowman. That's a good one, that's a good one by Jimmy Durante, the traditional Frosty the snowman.
Speaker 3:
Now that's another show like Rudolph the Riddler's reindeer. That's when you knew it was Christmas. Love it, yeah. Now I like frosty the snowman better than Rudolph, yep.
Speaker 1:
And now I've got to add one more. Oh OK, we need a fun fact first. Fun fact.
Speaker 2:
Jimmy Durante had a famous sign off every time he was ever on television. What did he say before he got off the show? Would it be?
Speaker 1:
Ha cha, cha cha cha, cha.
Speaker 2:
No, good night, mrs Calabash, wherever you are OK.
Speaker 1:
well, there you go.
Speaker 3:
That's funny. What was his good fun fact.
Speaker 2:
What was he known for? His large proboscis, very large proboscis, yes.
Speaker 1:
So, yep, I got to go. One more traditional.
Speaker 2:
My goodness, I thought, is this he me?
Speaker 1:
now.
Speaker 2:
It's the best. Is he taking over me? This is my thing.
Speaker 3:
My gosh. Is he going down the list of 78?
Speaker 1:
I think he is. I'm just going to say it by saying Bing Crosby, White Christmas. Melekelikimaka is the thing to say On a bright Hawaiian Christmas day.
Speaker 2:
So I love that song version of by Jimmy Buffett. Yeah, also good. But I do love the version you're talking about from the movie National Ampun's Vacation. Thank you, christmas Vacation.
Speaker 3:
And that's going to be a Christmas movie coming up, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:
And so let's do a fun fact the ladies that sing on the Bing Crosby version. What are their names?
Speaker 2:
Wasn't oh Mary.
Speaker 3:
No, no, no.
Speaker 2:
Rose Mary Clooney one of them. Nope, oh, Bambi.
Speaker 1:
The Andrews sisters.
Speaker 2:
Andrews sisters. Are they from Lyman? No, they are not from.
Speaker 1:
Lyman, just south of there.
Speaker 2:
Oh, south of Lyman, all right. So my number two traditional, before we get into more modern Yep Is have yourself a merry little Christmas. Yet again, I like the Frank Sinatra version, but it was originally Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 3:
I love Frank Sinatra, but it was originally.
Speaker 1:
It was originally written for.
Speaker 2:
Judy Garland, yes.
Speaker 1:
And I've heard her version on holiday traditions and it's good, it's good.
Speaker 2:
But Frank Sinatra, yeah, I love Sinatra.
Speaker 1:
You can almost hear Judy Garland's glass sloshing with whiskey. She's singing that Well.
Speaker 2:
Have you ever watched Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra?
Speaker 1:
Absolutely. Come on. And, by the way, dean Martin has a really, really good version of another classic Christmas song and some people argue about this. Grandma got run over by reindeer. It's a little controversial. No, yeah, yeah, baby, it's cold outside baby, it's cold outside. Dean Martin's version of that song is great.
Speaker 2:
Baby, it's cold outside. You're not singing along with no, I'm not.
Speaker 3:
I don't know what that song is.
Speaker 2:
I Really can't stay, see that's yeah exactly. I want to go home, but you're holding me here and I can't go on my hostage in your house.
Speaker 1:
It's a pretty much I.
Speaker 3:
Will, that's a little awkward in the movie elf.
Speaker 2:
Okay, you've seen the movie sitting in the. She's in the shower and he's.
Speaker 1:
That's a great song.
Speaker 2:
I should just turn this but you know that, but that's so ridiculous that it was ever made that way.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I agree, I agree, All right the movie elf has been on in my house. Yeah, I love it. So what, what?
Speaker 1:
else we have.
Speaker 2:
He's an angry elf.
Speaker 1:
He's an angry.
Speaker 3:
I think I'm ready to move on to the worst Christmas songs.
Speaker 2:
Okay last. Christmas. No, we got to go to, not, we got to go to non-traditional.
Speaker 3:
Okay, do I do not, are non-traditional. Yeah, grandma got run over by reindeer.
Speaker 1:
Elmo and Betsy fun song. Yeah, fun so yeah, yeah, I agree you know what I gotta tell you.
Speaker 2:
I put that song up there with the porky pigs, blue Christmas, I can't stand.
Speaker 3:
Or the dogs barking, I can't stand it I got, I got another one, that I got another one in this one though.
Speaker 1:
Okay.
Speaker 3:
The 12 days of Christmas redneck edition with Jeff Fox, where.
Speaker 1:
I mean lights working 12 pack of bud.
Speaker 3:
Let him wrestling takes. That sounds a good time, to me, that's not like next Thursday.
Speaker 1:
Going back to my childhood, had a record of they had records in your childhood.
Speaker 3:
Oh yeah, Wow those real thick ones.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, um Christmas, christmas time is here.
Speaker 3:
I'm for joy time, for I'm for cheer chipmunks, oh yeah. I had that. I had that. I'm for love, loved that I'm 45.
Speaker 2:
I did, I'm not that old either.
Speaker 1:
I had the, the album with a bunch of other songs that they sang to, so, yeah, that was a good one, because they did also. All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.
Speaker 3:
That's another good one. Yeah, that's a good.
Speaker 2:
Non-traditional yeah, what about you, chris? Non-traditional for me. I've kind of I've already told Mark and Mark's not happy with me on either of them, but I think my number one by far is that spirit of Christmas by Ray Charles. If you've seen national impunes vacation, it's when Chevy Chase or Clark Real nice Clark is sitting in the attic after you get locked inside of it.
Speaker 2:
He's wearing his aunt's clothing. Watch the old home movies, right? That spirit of Christmas, ray Charles, is just great. It makes your reminisce all the way back. I think my number two, I know is that non-traditional. That's very non-traditional because you don't hear it on yet it rock or Christmas rock, right number two for me. I know that Mark hates this one because he's told me a thousand times picking ones he hates, I am okay with. Merry Christmas. Subtitled war is over by John Lennon, and I'm not Yoko.
Speaker 1:
I love John Lennon, I love the Beatles. Not a big fan of the song, well, and Paul McCartney never was either, as Paul McCartney once said in a Fun-facced interview. Paul McCartney said well, john, war isn't over. You know, he sounds just like Paul McCartney exactly now now understand.
Speaker 2:
I like the tune, I like the words. I don't like what he's talking about. Yeah, you know he was. It was an anti-Vietnam, it was a protest song. And then number three for me. Let's see it's, it's, it's. I'm down between Christmas and Hollis by Run DMC. Mm-hmm, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Please come home for Christmas. I like the Eagles version.
Speaker 3:
I hate the Eagles man.
Speaker 2:
Clearly you're not a golfer. Obviously, you're not a golfer and what famous movie are we referring to? The big Lebowski?
Speaker 3:
absolutely the most quotable one of the most. Second-only second only smoky in the program, that's true. All right, what about Christmas?
Speaker 1:
so we hate okay last Christmas by wham done okay, I would say any version of the 12 days of Christmas just drives my what about the redneck version? Any version. It's the OCD and me kicks in and after I hear yeah, hey, I got it the first time I got it. You don't have to tell me 14 more times or 12.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, they do now.
Speaker 3:
What else? You got mine is the song I hate the most, and it may not even be just Christmas that I hated it. Maybe the song I hate the most okay is Mariah Carey all I want for Christmas. I can't take it.
Speaker 1:
Nope.
Speaker 3:
It's really bad.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I would agree, not a fan, but I've given mine and you've given yours. I want to jump back in with one. That is not hated by me, but I just thought it really be hated by others.
Speaker 2:
It's a non-traditional that is it called Christmas in Lima?
Speaker 1:
No, another non-traditional one, that's good. Okay, the Beach Boys.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, run, run, rudolph.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, well, the way up north, where the air gets cold, there's a tale about Christmas that you, we've all been told. Yeah, yeah, it's a little Saint Nick Christmas comes this time each year little. That's great, that's right.
Speaker 2:
Beach Boys are who does run, run Rudolph, like that song. Oh Barry, chuck, what's Chuck Berry always say?
Speaker 3:
Before he says one, two, three, four, what does he say? Pay me my money.
Speaker 2:
That's right See that's. I like that one to run, run, it was good.
Speaker 1:
Well, that was fun boys. Hey, don't forget give us feedback.
Speaker 3:
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Speaker 2:
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Speaker 1:
The best of is available on all formats. Wherever you listen to podcasts, be sure to catch our next episode. You never know what or who will be the best of next. Have a great day, everyone.
