Let’s Play Two!

When I announced I was finished with the “novelty” songs the other day, I received a few requests from listeners who had patiently been waiting for a few of their favorites. Since it is Christmas (and because I try to be a nice guy), I’m bending the rules. I’m playing two medleys; one with the novelty songs and the other filled with traditional Christmas music.

Play buttons are on the left … Volume sliders are on the right

The Novelty Medley
Dean Martin – Rosemary Clooney – Jimmy Buffett
Elvis Presley – Old 97s

A note about the final song on the “traditional” medley. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 tells the story of a Sarajevo-born cellist (Vedran Smailovic) who returns to his homeland to find it in ruins after the Bosnian War. According to TSO lyricist Paul O’Neill, “I think what most broke this man’s heart was that the destruction was not done by some outside invader or natural disaster. It was done by his own people. At that time, Serbs were shelling Sarajevo every night. Rather than head for the bomb shelters like his family and neighbors, this man went to the town square, climbed onto a pile of rubble that had once been the fountain, took out his cello, and played Mozart and Beethoven as the city was bombed.The orchestra represents one side, the rock band the other, and the single cello represents that single individual, that spark of hope.”
Between the pounding drums, tolling bells, and electric guitars that burst through at the transition from God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen into Carol Of The Bells, the listener is there with him in Sarajevo, watching in horror as his city is torn apart in the bombing onslaught. I will admit it isn’t the happiest of Christmas images, but it’s an important reminder that even at this most joyous of seasons, all is not calm or bright in this world.

The Traditional Medley
Harry Belafonte – John Denver – Josh Groban
Bette Midler – Trans-Siberian Orchestra