Tag Archives: christmas

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (Darlene Love Christmas Song Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Okay, this one was for fun, and I implore you- just for fun!  I was planning on doing this one all day.  I needed one more Christmas song before the big day and I’ve always enjoyed singing this one.  For the most part, I can sing the whole song without going into falsetto.  Of course, I usually have to project (a nicer word for scream) when I sing this song, so it was nicer to be in a quiet environment.

This was a LANDMARK day for the Laptop Sessions- we reached our highest view total yet for one day- 263 visitors!  Thank you to all who came to the site today and we sincerely hope you’ll continue to come back.  There are no plans of stopping here on the best music video blog in the universe.  Every time I say that, I think of those TV political news shows.  They always claim they have the “Best political team…” and then add: on television, in America, in the world, in the solar system, in the universe, of all time…

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is the perfect album closer to probably the best Christmas album of all time- “A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector”.  That album was so innovative and actually featured GOOD original songs in a holiday mood.  Everyone whose been reading this blog for a while knows that I’m a fan of great album closers.  I hate when a band just shoves some plain old solo acoustic number at the end of the album.  It’s always such a downer and makes you long for Track 1 all over again.  Tonight’s song is one of those album closers that gets you goin’ again!  Plus, it’s the best song on the album, which is a rarity being right at the end.  I do need to point out that after this song, there is a special “Silent Night” track wiht a Christmas message from a very wimpy sounding Phil Spector, so that’s technically the closing track.   But not until I got the album on CD (we just always listened to a compilation of a hundred great Christmas songs my father put together) did I even know that track existed.  And, I shouldn’t have doubted my father’s choice to leave it off of his compilation- that track stinks.

Darlene Love’s vocals are just great on this track.  I hope I didn’t miss her singing this song on David Letterman this year.  She always sings it and she still sounds great.  Although, the pitch of the song has dropped down considerably over time.

I guess this song tonight just proves that I will go to great lengths to sing songs in the original key.  You may have noted that I sang the high parts in my last Christmas music video (Happy Xmas, War is Over) in a lower octave, albeit in the same key.  But, as always, I had a reason for that rare exception to my hard-and-fast rule.  Singing that part in the high register just sounded WAY too much like Yoko Ono, so I decided to salvage the song by taking Yoko out of the equation completely! 🙂

Enjoy tonight’s cover song music video.  I’m very excited, of course, for Christmas.  I know Chris and Jeff will make you proud with their holiday offerings over the next two days.  I can’t wait to see what I got, but more importantly, to see the reactions on the faces of people I got gifts for.  This is shaping up to be a nice Christmas.  I won’t talk to you until after the holiday, so I wish everyone the very best and I thank you all for such a great and exciting year!

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“Christmas (From Now On)” (Chris Moore Original Acoustic Song)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to a special Christmas Eve edition of your best bet for excellence in cover musicianship on the web — the Laptop Sessions home page!

For tonight’s video, I had initially planned on recording my original Christmas song “Moment.”  I have written two original Christmas songs in the past, and I already recorded the other (“Christmas Cards”) last year.  Thus, I began practicing “Moment.”  And I wish I had taken the time to record it earlier, because I really do like that song.  I take issue with some of the lyrics now, as I find them much too cheesy at points, but the overall feel of the song is one that I love.

Then, a song started coming to me.  And I’ll break my general silence on my songwriting process here, as there is such an amalgamation of influences and ideas that came together to forge this song.  First, you should know that I am purposely tipping my hat to the classic Christmas tune “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with the beginning of my chorus lines.  Also, I used a chord pattern that Jim and I found to be recurrent in a lot of our favorite Christmas songs.  It’s a cycle of sorts with barre chords, starting with a major, going down two frets to a minor, then the lower minor on the same fret, and finally jumping back up to a higher fret.  Then, the same pattern is repeated.

In terms of what the words mean, I started off writing about my feelings about a very important person — my girlfriend of three years — who I’m no longer with.  I haven’t really resolved the situation, so there’s a lot on my mind and I think the emotion got this song started.

Then, I began to think about Christmas in general.  The past few years, I’ve really missed being able to spend the Christmas Eve festivities with my close friends.  Thus, the song shifted to be about reclaiming my Christmas traditions with my friends.

As the lyrics progressed and I changed lines, the song shifted again to be about my grandmother, who passed away a little over a year ago.  This is only my second Christmas without her, and I can’t understate how big a part she has always been of my Christmas.  As a kid, she and my grandfather would come over on Christmas Eve and we would have a really relaxing, enjoyable night — nights that I will forever remember with great fondness.  As a young man and up until last year, Christmas became an increasingly more important opportunity to spend quality time with her.  I don’t quite have the words right now in this format to describe what those days were like or what our relationship was like, and that’s what I tried to accomplish in the song.

Thus, I dedicate this song to my Grandma Moore, a person that I am truly better off for having known and grown up with.  I’m going to miss her a lot tomorrow, but writing this song really did help me to express some of that emotion.

As a final sidenote, I spent tonight at the second annual Fusco-Moore Experience Christmas Eve party.  I didn’t attend last year, but I figured I should probably attend this year, as my name is in the title and all…  According to Jim, the real reason I attended was because I didn’t have anything better to do.  Now, this may be true, but…  Seriously, though, tonight was really relaxing and fun, the food was amazing, I’m somehow still full from the multi-course meal, and thankfully, Jim’s mom cleaned the dishes.  It was a Christmas miracle, as far as I was concerned, that I didn’t have to clean them.  I always expect to, and there was more than double our average amount of dirty dishes tonight!  Thank you again, Mrs. Fusco!!

Jim, Mike, and I are planning a little get-together we’ll call “Mas Christmas” — or, for those of you who do not habla espanol, “More Christmas.”  I’m definitely looking forward to that!

For now, I’m off to get ready for Christmas morning.  It will be a full day, capped off by an all-new episode of TNA Impact! at 9pm in the Fusco Theatre.  And YOU will have an exciting new yuletide Jeff Copperthite video to look forward to…

Merry Christmas and see you next session!

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“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” (John Lennon cover)

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I’m sooooo tired.  No, I’m not quoting a classic Beatles tune- I’m really freakin’ exhausted!  Something about driving an hour to the Buckland Hills mall, shopping, eating a TON at Red Robin, and driving an hour back just makes me so tired.  Then, I realized it was my night for a cover song music video.  It always works that way.  My way of dealing with it?  Honk the horn while driving down I-84.

As we gear up for yet another winter storm here in CT, I find myself really ready for Christmas, and just in time.  Today, we dug ourselves out of the snow and I went to my parents’ house for a party with my father’s cousins- a yearly tradition.  It was so nice, especially because Mike was there.  Felt like old times.  Mike and I would attempt to fit in with the older crowd, but eventually would just run downstairs and play with our Hess trucks, which we would get each year.  Today, we got pizza from Fratelli’s in Wallingford.  My parents had never eaten there before, but I tried it at work and loved it.  So, I put my recommendation out there, and thankfully, everyone loved it.

I then went to do a video job (maybe THAT’S why I’m so tired) at the New Haven Lawn Club.  It was a nice Jewish wedding.  I only had to do the ceremony, but got paid for a whole job.  And a few days before Christmas, that’s always a welcome thing.  Chris, Dana, and I went on our trek (see above) after I got home, and that brings us to my cover song music video for tonight.

I’ve known “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” my whole life.  I always found it interesting that my father said this song wasn’t really a big Christmas “hit” until after John Lennon died.  Just like George Harrison’s music- the man’s albums went on being obscure and not available on CD until AFTER he died.  Hey, at least they’re out now.  Dennis Wilson is the perfect example of this phenomenon, except it took everyone about 25 years to re-release something after his death.  And he was the most talented of them all.

I dedicate this song to my boss, Steve Mirabella, who suggested I do this for the Laptop Sessions.  It’s so rewarding to find someone who cares about and loves music as much as I do and is actually interested in these cover songs music videos we do on a daily basis here.  And yes, Steve, I found a much less annoying way of handling the Yoko Ono parts, so the song sounds much less….well, you know…than the original.

I hope you all enjoy this great Christmas song and heed its words- Christmas is a time for EVERYONE and it will come no matter the wars, hardships, unreasonable hatred, etc.  It’s good to know that there’s an anchor in our lives like that.  It allows me to keep traditions going and that makes me incredibly happy.  I’ll see you back here again on Tuesday for another great Laptop Session!  Oh, and tonight is my 150th music video, and here’s to 150 more!

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“Christmas Evening” (Jim Fusco original song)

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By Jim Fusco:

A week away.  I just can’t believe it.  I haven’t had time to breathe, but I’ve managed to set up the whole house, buy and wrap gifts, and watch Christmas movies in this short period we call Christmas time.  During these last few days, I’m trying to make the absolute most of it, and that involves doing things I actually want to do when I get home.  I’m glad to bring you tonight’s Original Wednesday.

You know, I tried to present a new song here tonight, but my last Original Wednesday of the Session-a-day project rounds out with yet another Christmas song.  I can’t believe we’re at the end of this project already.  I mean, it’s been a lot of work and a long time in the making, but I look forward to the time when I can actually go back and appreciate it all.  It’s been a great life-journal over these past few months.

Tonight’s orignal song is a tune that my father dictated to me, to which I attempted (back in 2000 or 2001) to add chords to.  He’s maintained throughout the years that I didn’t get it right.  The original music had a flute behind it.  I remember the flute part exactly.  I know that’s what he wanted in there.  He says I don’t sing it right, either, but I suppose that’s the nature of cover songs…and the nature of transposing a song from a tune to the piano when you really don’t know how to play.  Again, this was seven years ago when I was still VERY new to any of the “musical” instruments.  I knew how to play the drums, but picked up piano and guitar on my own.

I actually remember being out at, I think, a place like Sturbridge Village with my aunt many summers ago and specifically buying one of those tin flutes so I could play this song’s flute part.  I know I have a version of it somewhere.  Wow, I think it’s actually right in front of my face right now on the desk in  my room.  If Chris gets me REALLY drunk (kidding!) maybe he can talk me into playing that almost certainly embarassing tape of Christmas songs for him.  Hey, free fast-food always helps.  But, then again, I owe him for last night’s dinner because I forgot to pay for his!  What a friend I am…

I got to do a little shopping tonight, allowing me to neglect my nightly freelance work in favor of spreading some Christmas cheer.  I hope I have a nice weekend and a nice time leading into Christmas.

Oh, and as one last note: I made a comment at work today about one of the reasons I love Christmas music so much.  I really do like it more than just about anyone.  I have over 200 Christmas songs and love every single one.  Anyway, one of the reasons I love it so much is because of how happy the songs are.  I can count on one hand the sad Christmas songs.  And even those have sleigh bells…

Tonight’s original song is one of those sad songs (with sleigh bells) that basically points out how Christmas can be a sad time if no one’s there to make it a big event.  I took my father’s verses (whether he says they’re correct or not) and appended the fast part way back then.  The parts actually work together well and the lyrics even follow the same sentiment: “I want to be home on Christmas.  If I’m not, then I’ll be sad.  If you’re wondering why I’m sad, just look around and notice that I’m not home and around loved ones for Christmas!”  So, it all comes back around.

Good night and see you on Saturday!  Stay tuned for a great Thumpin’ Thursday post with Chris Moore tomorrow!

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