nat king cole

If you're tuning into this episode to hear about jazz and pop legend Nat King Cole — We're sorry! If you're tuning into this episode to hear about a bunch of Los Angeles freak-os that eat uncooked soup and live in the woods — You're welcome! Andrew and Dan are traveling back to 1948 (again!) to hear all about a unique California lifestyle that Andrew simply detests.

Over two and a half hours of uninterrupted and unhosted Christmas classics. A custom mix I created from dozens of old Christmas albums and cassettes I grew up with. Artists include Percy Faith and His Orchestra, Burl Ives, The Ray Conniff Singers, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Lou Rawls, Mitch Miller and the Gang, Darlene Love and more!

Over two and a half hours of uninterrupted and unhosted Christmas classics. A custom mix I created from dozens of old Christmas albums and cassettes I grew up with. Artists include Percy Faith and His Orchestra, Burl Ives, The Ray Conniff Singers, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Lou Rawls, Mitch Miller and the Gang, Darlene Love and more!

Over two and a half hours of uninterrupted and unhosted Christmas classics. A custom mix I created from dozens of old Christmas albums and cassettes I grew up with. Artists include Bing Crosby, The Robert Shaw Chorale, Frank Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole, Johnny Mathis, Vaughn Monroe, Perry Como, The Vince Guaraldi Trio and more!

Over two and a half hours of uninterrupted and unhosted Christmas classics. A custom mix I created from dozens of old Christmas albums and cassettes I grew up with. Artists include Bing Crosby, The Robert Shaw Chorale, Frank Sinatra, Nat 'King' Cole, Johnny Mathis, Vaughn Monroe, Perry Como, The Vince Guaraldi Trio and more!

This week continues our look at the songs composed in the 1920s. We start with the letter N and go down to the Letter T. The puzzler is back this week so I hope you have your thinking caps on. Next week we'll conclude our series with the last part of the alphabet along with some odds and ends. I hope you enjoy the music from the big bands as they play the Songs of the 1920s.

BAO partage ses découvertes musicales avec vous.
Coups de cœur connus et moins connus depuis la cabane...

Cette semaine : Billie Holiday - Etta James - Frank Sinatra - The Andrews Sisters - Louis Armstrong - Ella Fitzgerald - Nat "King" Cole - Benny Goodman - Vera Lynn - Rita Hayworth

Le Coin du BaoBabe : https://www.radiolocalitiz.fr/le-coin-du-baobabe/

Titres diffusés :

Billie Holiday - I'm a Fool to Want You : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/im-a-fool-to-want-you/539489004?i=539489755

Etta James - At Last : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/at-last/1440838775?i=1440839443

Frank Sinatra - Fly Me to the Moon (feat. Count Basie and His Orchestra) : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/fly-me-to-the-moon-feat-count-basie-and-his-orchestra/1440858119?i=1440858129

The Andrews Sisters - THold Tight, Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood Mama) : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/hold-tight-hold-tight-want-some-seafood-mama/725853126?i=725853893

Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald - Dream a Little Dream of Me : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/dream-a-little-dream-of-me/539489004?i=539489524

Nat "King" Cole - Smile : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/smile/724184066?i=724184727

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra - Sing, Sing, Sing : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/sing-sing-sing/254891127?i=254891227

Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/well-meet-again/1440754257?i=1440754721

Rita Hayworth - I've Never Been Kissed Before : https://music.apple.com/fr/album/ive-never-been-kissed-before-from-affair-in-trinidad/335902634?i=335902823

Léonard de Vinci grâce à la puce qu'il avait pris soin de poser  a immédiatement pu localiser le voleur de la Joconde, un vitrier italien du nom de Vincenzo Peruggia. Afin que le tableau puisse devenir l'oeuvre la plus connue au monde, il lui demande de la rendre au musée. 

An unhosted and uninterrupted mix of classic Christmas carols

An unhosted and uninterrupted mix of classic Christmas carols

An unhosted and uninterrupted mix of classic Christmas carols

An unhosted and uninterrupted mix of classic Christmas carols

Episode Notes

Yes indeed, folks, Christmas time is here again!  We at What the Riff!?! want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and here are a few rocking songs of the season for you to put on your playlist.

“Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)” by the Ramones
The founders of the punk movement offer this take on a Christmas song, with the rapid tempo and rough lyrics we've come to know and love as a classic Ramones style.  Christmas is a time to be together with family,  but some families are a little less together than others!

“Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys
A little bit more sand than snow, this well-known Christmas classic takes inspiration from the surfin' genre of the Beach Boys in songs like "Little Deuce Coupe".

“I Believe in Santa Claus” by REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon produced an album of Christmas standards in 2009.  The re-release in 2010 included three bonus tracks, one of which was this original song penned by Cronin and Hall.

“You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by  Thurl Ravenscroft
Ravenscroft's bass voice is iconic for this classic song from the animated special, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  He also contributed his voice to Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes commercials.

“Santa Claus is Comin' to Town'” by Bruce Springsteen
How we missed this song in the first three Christmas episodes is a mystery, but Springsteen's rendition of this Christmas standard has been heard on rock radio stations everywhere since the mid-70's.  This rendition has made lists of both the best and the worst Christmas songs of all time.

“Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley
Brian wouldn't let us get through another episode without taking on this iconic song.  Doye O'Dell may have recorded this sad Christmas tune in 1948, but Presley's version is without a doubt the most famous one.

“Mele Kalikinaka” by Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
The name of this song is a phonologic translation of the word "Merry Christmas" into the Hawaiian language.  Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters sang this song in 1950, but it made us think of its appearance in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

“Up on the Housetop” by Gene Autry
While Autry sang this classic in 1953, it actually originated much earlier.  Benjamin Hamby wrote it in 1864, and it is the second-oldest secular Christmas song, after "Jingle Bells."   

“I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gayla Peevey
Bruce thought this was sung by Bernadette Peters, but it was actually performed by then 10-year-old child prodigy Gayla Peevey in 1953.  The song inspired a fundraiser which resulted in the Oklahoma City Zoo acquiring a baby hippo named Matilda..

“Soulful Christmas”  by James Brown
While it is definitely a Christmas song, it is also a song of Thanksgiving, with the Godfather of Soul expressing his thanks for his fans coming to his shows and buying his albums.

“Another Lonely Christmas” by Prince
Prince penned this original Christmas song during his "Purple Rain" days, and it appeared as the B-side to the single "I Would Die 4 U."  The initial recording took place on February 18th, 1984 when Prince was essentially operating solo, and it tells the story of a man whose lover died on Christmas Day.

“The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole
Robert Wells and Mel Torme wrote this standard in a hot July, and it had its beginnings as a psychological way for Bob Wells to think of cold things during the heat wave.  Nat King Cole recorded the most famous version of this song in 1946, adding a small string section over the objections  of Capitol Records.

“'Zat You Santa Claus” by Buster Poindexter & His Banshees of Blue
Poindexter and his band cover this lesser-known Christmas tune originally sung by Louis Armstrong and the Commanders in 1953.  It tells the story of a guy frightened by a knock on his door while hanging up his stocking.

“Another Christmas Song” by Stephen Colbert
Ingrid brings us a track by comedian Stephen Colbert, who parodies a Christmas song with the intention of becoming rich off its popularity.

“Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives
This song was featured in the Rankin-Bass Christmas Special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."  Ives provides the voice for Sam the Snowman, the narrator of the show.  This song finishes off that special, and also finishes off our special podcast.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” 

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**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Cette semaine Line Renaud est notre invité à l'occasion de la sortie de son nouveau roman autobiographique : "En toute confidence" écrit avec Bernard Stora. Line revient sur ses souvenirs avec les grands chanteurs américains, et sa carrière américaine notamment à Las Vegas.