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Universal commercial Christmas songs ?

CapMan

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 18, 2022
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Commercial radio in the UK switches into Christmas mode during December with non-stop Christmas pop tunes. They play tunes that are very familiar to most here and I guess they are Christmas anthems of a sort.

It got me wondering what commercial radio in the rest of the World does at this time of year - are there French Christmas classics, or Peruvian, American, Polish, Australian ...

Does "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by Wizard get air time outside the UK, or "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard, "Last Christmas" by Wham...
 
Flappie is a classic here.


It was Christmas morning, 1961,
I remember it so well.
My rabbit hutch was empty,
And mother told me not to go into the shed.
And if I played nicely, I’d get a treat.
She didn’t know where Flappie could be either;
She’d ask Dad, but since he was busy
In the little bike shed, I was told to spend an hour
Searching carefully for Flappie.
Surely he was somewhere on the grass.



But I had closed the hutch so well, hadn’t I?
Just like I did every night.
I had even gone back the night before.
I don’t know why I did that.
I had stood by the hutch for so long, as if I knew
What I now know.



It was Christmas Day, 1961.
We searched for Flappie—Father,
Who searched right along with me.
By the trees and the water,
But not in that little bike shed,
Because he couldn’t possibly be in there, right?
And I shook my head no.



We searched together, together until coffee time.
The family gathered around the coffee, but I didn’t want any.
I thought of Flappie and how cold it could freeze at night.
My head bowed silently, fat tears of grief.



Because I had closed the hutch so well, hadn’t I?
Just like I did every night.
I had even gone back the night before.
I don’t know why I did that.
I had stood by the hutch for so long, as if I knew
What I now know.



It was Christmas Day, 1961.
There was noisy eating, but I didn’t care much for it.
I thought of Flappie, my own little Flappie.
Where was he wandering? I couldn’t eat a single bite.



Then after the soup, when the main course was served,
My father said in his most amusing voice:
“Look, Youp, there’s Flappie now!”
And I can still see the silver platter,
And there he lay, in three pieces.
For the first time, I saw my father as a terrible man.



And I ran upstairs, screaming and stomping.
I cried for an hour on the bedspread.
I stood at the top of the stairs one more time, shouting,
Screaming that Flappie was mine!



For a long time, I stood by the window,
But the hutch stood there, abandoned.



It was Boxing Day, 1961.
Mother remembers it so well: Father’s bed was empty.
And I told her not to go into the shed.
And if she played nicely, she would get a treat.
 
I pretty much hate Christmas music written after 1900. White Christmas is oleaginous. Don''t get me started on Mariah Carey. Darlene Love's Christmas song is pretty good, but it's an exception. The Mel Torme Chestnuts song is like a Hallmark movie. Give me The Coventry Carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel, and the standards Jewish kids like me were forced to sing in school in the '50s. Singing in the high school chorus gave me respect for the trad carols. I loved the bass parts as abstract music.
 
Commercial radio in the UK switches into Christmas mode during December with non-stop Christmas pop tunes. They play tunes that are very familiar to most here and I guess they are Christmas anthems of a sort.

It got me wondering what commercial radio in the rest of the World does at this time of year - are there French Christmas classics, or Peruvian, American, Polish, Australian ...

Does "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by Wizard get air time outside the UK, or "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard, "Last Christmas" by Wham...
In Charleston, SC, some radio stations (FM) go Christmas.
I noticed in some places, overseas, some people start the karaoke of Christmas songs in October (from walking by their homes).
So, it's different in different places.
I pretty much hate Christmas music written after 1900. White Christmas is oleaginous. Don''t get me started on Mariah Carey. Darlene Love's Christmas song is pretty good, but it's an exception. The Mel Torme Chestnuts song is like a Hallmark movie. Give me The Coventry Carol, O Come O Come Emmanuel, and the standards Jewish kids like me were forced to sing in school in the '50s. Singing in the high school chorus gave me respect for the trad carols. I loved the bass parts as abstract music.
H'mm answer to a question not asked.
 
Commercial radio in the UK switches into Christmas mode during December with non-stop Christmas pop tunes. They play tunes that are very familiar to most here and I guess they are Christmas anthems of a sort.

It got me wondering what commercial radio in the rest of the World does at this time of year - are there French Christmas classics, or Peruvian, American, Polish, Australian ...

Does "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by Wizard get air time outside the UK, or "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard, "Last Christmas" by Wham...
Silent Night seems to be covered by many from many different places (it was written within a long walk of where I was born, many years ago).
And played in a large # of places in multiple languages (both on commercial radio & otherwise).
 
In Charleston, SC, some radio stations (FM) go Christmas.
I noticed in some places, overseas, some people start the karaoke of Christmas songs in October (from walking by their homes).
So, it's different in different places.

H'mm answer to a question not asked.
Wasn't the question relating to bad Christmas music?
 
Wasn't the question relating to bad Christmas music?
Commercial radio in the UK switches into Christmas mode during December with non-stop Christmas pop tunes. They play tunes that are very familiar to most here and I guess they are Christmas anthems of a sort.

It got me wondering what commercial radio in the rest of the World does at this time of year - are there French Christmas classics, or Peruvian, American, Polish, Australian ...

Does "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by Wizard get air time outside the UK, or "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard, "Last Christmas" by Wham...

I looks to me like it's about what Christmas music is played elsewhere.
I particularly mentioned Silent Night as I thought that it might fall into the category of trad carols that you mentioned.
No matter how you interpret the English, it's not about which Christmas carols do you despise (no matter the reason),
BUT about what is being done on "commercial" radio at this time of the year around the world.
I'm celebrating Hanukkah at this time of the year also (my mother is a 90 year old survivor of WWII in Austria).
But these things have NOTHING to do with the question.
On that note, I'm out, so that this can continue on it's proper trajectory.
 
One reason I don't listen to commercial radio I suppose. Hallmark holiday music, meh.
 
Commercial radio in the UK switches into Christmas mode during December with non-stop Christmas pop tunes. They play tunes that are very familiar to most here and I guess they are Christmas anthems of a sort.

It got me wondering what commercial radio in the rest of the World does at this time of year - are there French Christmas classics, or Peruvian, American, Polish, Australian ...

Does "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by Wizard get air time outside the UK, or "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard, "Last Christmas" by Wham...

I looks to me like it's about what Christmas music is played elsewhere.
I particularly mentioned Silent Night as I thought that it might fall into the category of trad carols that you mentioned.
No matter how you interpret the English, it's not about which Christmas carols do you despise (no matter the reason),
BUT about what is being done on "commercial" radio at this time of the year around the world.
I'm celebrating Hanukkah at this time of the year also (my mother is a 90 year old survivor of WWII in Austria).
But these things have NOTHING to do with the question.
On that note, I'm out, so that this can continue on its proper trajectory.
My father collected Christmas in [fill in country] albums. This was in the late 50s. Every European country was represented.

This was my favorite:


And:

 
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My father collected Christmas in [fill in country] albums. This was in the late 50s. Every European country was represented.
Did he speak that many languages (I do know someone certified to teach in 8 of the 12 European languages that she is fluent in), so I am curious?
 
Silent Night seems to be covered by many from many different places (it was written within a long walk of where I was born, many years ago).
And played in a large # of places in multiple languages (both on commercial radio & otherwise).
Yes translated to to Swedish for example.

You haven’t joined the whammagedon facebook group yet :) the game is to survive as long a possible into December without hearing the original version of Last Christmas .

Example of a local Xmas chestnut.

 
Yes translated to to Swedish for example.

You haven’t joined the whammagedon facebook group yet :) the game is to survive as long a possible into December without hearing the original version of Last Christmas .

Example of a local Xmas chestnut.

I do not facebook, stream, etc. It's rather difficult to get a satellite dish high enough into the tops of the trees to get any kind of steady reception.
Nor do cell phone signals reach (unless you are standing on the deck in a certain spot & holding it a certain way).
All signals that I know of are intermittent here.
It keeps unannounced visitors (particularly relatives) away.
Somehow, my neighbors (there is about 4 people per square kilometer here) report: that they have 36 channels of over the air TV. At the suggestion of my wife, we haven't had a TV since 2007.
So, no, I haven't joined any facebook group.
Nor am I likely too anytime soon.
I almost forgot to mention that I need very little heat & NO A/C at my location. The power bill is pretty low.
 
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I do not facebook, stream, etc. It's rather difficult to get a satellite dish high enough into the tops of the trees to get any kind of reception.
Nor do cell phone signals reach (unless you are standing on the deck in a certain spot & holding it a certain way).
All signals that I know of are intermittent here.
It keeps unannounced visitors (particularly relatives) away.
Somehow, my neighbors (there is about 4 people per square kilometer here) report: that they have 36 channels of over the air TV. At the suggestion of my wife, we haven't had a TV since 2007.
So, no, I haven't joined any facebook group.
Nor am I likely too anytime soon.
I have lived in such a place or two....and somewhat still do (but much better now) for such connectivity.
 
I have lived in such a place or two....and somewhat still do (but much better now) for such connectivity.
Hopefully we are not enough of a market to get better connectivity. If it comes, I'll have to buy 100 acres somewhere in the woods deeper than here.
 
Hopefully we are not enough of a market to get better connectivity. If it comes, I'll have to buy 100 acres somewhere in the woods deeper than here.
LOL am sure am not enough of a market for what I want. We have somewhat, altho expensive, connectivity these days. Would only take a short move from where I am to get into no reception territory, it surrounds our town for quite a ways.
 
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