Tag Archives: song

“Must Be Santa” (Bob Dylan / Christmas Cover)

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For Christmas songs chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

It’s official: the Christmas season is upon us yet again!  I, for one, found it difficult to concentrate on the work I brought home this weekend, choosing instead to listen to Christmas music — specifically that on Bob Dylan’s new 2009 holiday album Christmas in the Heart (see my review here!) — and playing some of my favorite seasonal songs on acoustic guitar.  One of my new favorites is a song written by Hal Moore and Bill Fredricks titled “Must Be Santa.”

Now, before you get too excited, I should begin by making it very clear that tonight I am covering Bob Dylan’s rendition of “Must Be Santa” and NOT the performance “popularized” by Mr. Music and the Cool Kids Chorus.

Please don’t be disappointed…

Seriously, though, if you would like to hear that rocking version, you’ll just have to download it for yourself.  Or the versions by Mitch Miller, Raffi, Point Sebago Resort, Glen Burtnik, Miss Lisa, Miss Molly, The Friel Brothers, The Angel Choir, The Holly Players Orchestra, The Hit Crew, Mary Lambert, Bob McGrath, Kids Sing’n, the Pokemon Christmas Bash band, or Lorne Greene with the Jimmy Joyce Children’s Choir — good luck finding that last one.

If you’re craving a good polka, then don’t miss out on the Brave Combo version (which, ironically, is the closest in style and arrangement to Dylan’s).

And who could forget the Kids Rap’n the Christmas Hits version?

These cover songs range from boring to funny to vomit-inducing and back again.  This brings me to the Bob Dylan version, which is a breath of fresh air when played beside these other covers.  Dylan’s “Must Be Santa” is a frantic, polka-inspired three minutes of Christmas spirit, accordions, and bright choral vocals built up around Dylan’s gruff lead.  Recorded nearly half a century after Mitch Miller first recorded the song in 1961, it is interesting to see how our image of Santa and the general sound and style of Christmas music (i.e. both sets of chord changes as the song progresses a la so many other seasonal favorites) really haven’t changed much in all this time.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Dylan’s album — and his recent work in general — is an homage to a simpler time in American popular music.

That is perhaps why Dylan’s new album, time-ravaged vocals and all, has slipped in so quickly among my favorite Christmas albums of all time.  Although it was recorded earlier this year, there is a sense of nostalgia and even timelessness in each of its tracks.  Somehow, he has managed to record the songs in a style that seems very natural from his current studio band.  Indeed, Dylan has seemingly reached further and further into the past for the styles of his past several albums.  In this sense, 2009 was the ideal year for him to record an album of traditional favorites and holiday songs from earlier in the century.

I don’t think any music will ever usurp the positions that The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album and the Moody Blues’ December currently hold in my heart.  The Barenaked Ladies’ Barenaked for the Holidays, Brian Wilson’s What I Really Want For Christmas, and America’s Harmony are certainly the next runners up.  Some of my attachment to this music is admittedly due to my own personal memories, such as listening to the Beach Boys each year as my family decorated the tree and attending a Moody Blues Christmas concert with two of my dearest friends several years ago.  That being said, there is also a universal element to the music on these records that I can’t imagine any fan of rock music being able to deny.  Somehow, these aforementioned bands have managed to incorporate religious hymns, classic rock Christmas songs, and originals into unified works that I look forward to dusting off each and every year.

For now, I’m wading into the music of season via this new Dylan album.  After all, this is the punchline of a joke I’ve been making for as many years as I’ve loved Bob Dylan — “Imagine if Dylan recorded a Christmas album!”  My friends and I would laugh, but I was always privately jealous that their favorite bands — the Beach Boys, the Moody Blues, etc. — had recorded Christmas albums or at least a Christmas song or two.

Now, I have my secret wish, and I couldn’t be happier!

Yes, Dylan’s voice is rugged, and truth be told, I was a bit hesitant to embrace this album when I gave it one listen upon its release a month ago.  However, it only took a second listen for me to get hooked.

Whatever music you may enjoy listening to at this time of the year, I hope you’re enjoying it, and I hope you’ll come back throughout the week for Jim’s music video tomorrow, a guest session(!) on Friday, and another installment of Weekend Review.

See you next session!

“For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield Cover)

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By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to yet another all-new cover of an all-new band to the blog!  Straight from the treasure trove of genre-crossing singles and album tracks that is Dana Camp’s iTunes library, this is Buffalo Springfield’s early hit “For What It’s Worth.”  This is one of those songs with a title that is not used at any point during the lyrics, so my initial response to the title was, “How does that one go?”

Of course, from the first strum of the first verse, I instantly recognized this hit sixties protest song.

I’ve always loved this song, and I loved it all the more this afternoon as I realized it was right in my vocal comfort zone!  Still, as fun as it was to learn and play it, I do wish there had been some way to include that awesome reverberating lead guitar and solo.  I guess you’ll just have to imagine it as you listen…

About a week ago in one of my posts, I started out by saying it would be a short one.  Then, I proceeded to write one of my lengthier posts.  This time, however, I’m going to cut my writing short, as I’m fading fast and need my sleep on this final night of the weekend.  I spent the last forty-five minutes or so helping Jim with the new cover songs branch of the Laptop Sessions music blog series.  He put me in charge of finding good photos for each band/songwriter to use for the new site.  Probably the most fun so far has been searching for the best Britney Spears photo — and, yes, we DO have a Britney Spears category!  Meanwhile, Jim was doing the hard work (i.e. making the site run, run properly, and look good while doing it!).

And, on a final note, this is my final in a series of political songs.  I like these unnofficial themes I’ve been doing, first with three female lead songs in a row, now with three political songs in a row.  I’d probably find another one to record, but my next session will land on a by-now-infamous Original Wednesday!

With that, I’m closing my laptop and closing my eyes to the sounds of R.E.M.  What better band to encourage a healthy sleep cycle?…  Get it?…  Okay, that was bad, and I apologize.  At least you’ll be safe for at least a couple days, as I’d challenge Jeff and Jim to make a pun worse than the aforementioned REM cycle one…

See you next session!

“Sixth Avenue Heartache” (Wallflowers Covers)

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By Chris Moore:

I first got into the Wallflowers after hearing “One Headlight,” but this song (from the same album) has quickly become one of my favorite tunes to play. We’ve played it in concert often, with Mike taking the first verse and chorus, and I certainly miss the “na na na”‘s on the final verse, but it’s still fun to play. I hope you enjoy it too!

As a side note for any die hard Laptop Sessions fans, this is actually my second time posting “Sixth Avenue Heartache” on the website. The first time, the video was online for a few hours before I realized it was in the wrong key. I’ve been playing it wrong for years! So, I came home tonight and tried it again.


“Two Coins” (Dispatch Cover)

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By Pat Noonan:

Dispatch has been one of my favorite acoustic bands since the first time I heard The General back in high school. So a couple hours ago I found myself dying to record an acoustic cover because my good friend/producer Peter Dupre lent me his beautiful Taylor guitar, which sounds too sweet not to record. So I tossed up some mics, slapped the camera on a tripod, and attempted to do a better job at providing sufficient light for the flip mino to do it’s thing. Anyway hope you like it, if you haven’t already you got listen to the Dispatch album Bang Bang, it’s a classic.

** EDITOR’S NOTE: **

It’s with great pleasure that I welcome the latest guest performer to the Laptop Sessions blog: Mr. Pat Noonan!  He has sent several videos my way recently, and I knew instantly that it wouldn’t be a question of whether or not to feature him on the site, but rather which video to choose.

When I read his YouTube description for this cover, I felt this would be a great introduction to the Guest Sessions for him.  I hope you’ll enjoy his performance as much as I did, and check back soon… there’s sure to be another Pat Noonan guest session appearance soon!