Holly Dolly Track 16 - She's Right On Time

Well, here we are on the official last day of Xmas, and only 3 songs left on our countdown. Billy Joel's "She's Right On Time" never struck me as a Xmas song - or the kind that would have been considered for MTV - but in the late '90s, Columbia reissued all of his old albums with bonus CD-ROM content, which included the original 1982 video for this track. Indeed, there's Bill, struggling with his Xmas tree.

Listening to the lyrics, there's no denying that they paints very colorful holiday pastiche. Billy's stressed out and decorating, and his girl is coming home... but she's running a bit late. That's a situation I can relate to. My daughter was due to be born yesterday - and we're still waiting. Looks like she takes after her mother...

Holly Dolly Track 15: Hark The Herald Angels Sing

I always loved the Charlie Brown cartoons... and the Xmas special is a big reason why.

I always loved Hark the Herald Angels Sing... and the Xmas special is a big reason why.

Holly Dolly Track 14 - Jingle Bell Rock

Hall and Oates covered this classic, and did nothing new with it except for making a lame music video. Give me the original any day.

Holly Dolly Track 13 - The First Noel

Why so serious?

It wouldn't be Xmas without a little Andy. They just don't come like this anymore:



Could you imagine Rosie O'Donnell trying that? Actually, it's best not to.

Holly Dolly Track 12 - Rudolph

Erin and I went to the Griffith Park Light Show with the also newly engaged Anna and Justin, and Ray Charles' rendition of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" came on. When Erin said she wanted this song on the CD, that was the version I wanted. But I couldn't find it, so I settled on the Temptations. Strangely, I'd originally thought of using the California Raisins version from "A Claymation Christmas", which turned out to be a carbon-copy of this version.

For those who don't know, Rudolph was concocted by some ad wizards for Montgomery Ward. The song outlived the store. How apropos.

Holly Dolly Track 11 - Happy Xmas (War is Over)

The second post-Beatle entry on our countdowm is courtesy John Winston (Ono) Lennon and his second wife, Yoko "Oh No!" Ono. John takes a simple lyric and a simple melody and creates a simple poignant message of hope. Happy new year. I hope it's a good one...

Holly Dolly Track 10 - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Xmas

Ah, Johnny Mathis. What ever happened to these crooners? Why did they go out of fashion? Most of them have found a new gig raking in the AARP set's dough in Branson, MO. Johnny dropped off the face for a different reason - in 1982 he discussed his homosexuality in an interview, and subsequently started receiving some serious death threats which caused him to lower his profile. Clay Aiken's lucky he lives in the 21st century.

I personally think those people were mad that the guy who sang the "Family Ties" theme didn't share their family values. But try as those bigots might, no one can deny the magic of Johnny's golden tones. And so we offer up this Xmas classic.