Video: "Ding Dong Merrily On High" - Charlie Hope (World Premiere!)

It is always a good time for music from Charlie Hope, her clean, crisp voice a tonic for the dreary days of winter (or summer!).

Sing A Festive Song! is Hope’s 2017 holiday-themed album, and included a lovely version of “Ding Dong Merrily On High.” Hope rewrote the lyrics to remove the most religious parts of the text, but kept the er… glorious “Gloria,” which requires a long intake of breath before the singer the gently descending line. In other words, the absolute best part remains.

It may be a couple years after the album release, but now the song has a video that’s every bit of delightful. It’s directed by David Cowles and Jeremy Galante (this is not the first time by any means their work has appeared on this site, often in conjunction with They Might Be Giants’ music) and features a bunch of happy, playful, and singing gnomes. Festive for the winter holidays, no matter which winter holidays your family celebrate. And it’s a world premiere!

Charlie Hope - “Ding Dong Merrily On High” [YouTube]

Christmas and Holiday Kids Music 2017

Every year when I put together these lists of Christmas and holiday-related kids music, I walk the fine line between trying get this up early enough to be of use and late enough to be of use. What I mean by that is, if I publish on, say, November 28th, people complain it's too early and I'll have about 3 songs or albums from some very planning-oriented musicians. And if I wait for December 23rd to make sure I get all the music included, everybody's just about sick of Christmas music and Hanukkah might already be done for.

So I'm trying to hit a sweet spot here. I'll update it as necessary, but hopefully too many musicians aren't thinking, less than 2 weeks before Christmas, that maybe they should try to record something.

Video: "New Accordions" - Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (World Premiere!)

While I can't agree with Disneyland and Target, who start decorating for Christmas, Hanukkah, and the rest of the December holidays while Halloween is barely in the rear view mirror (if at all), I'm willing to occasionally make an exception here to my "no celebrating Christmas 'til after Thanksgiving" rule if the song or video is fun enough.

Consider this an exception. It's the world-premiere of a brand new song from Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. The song's called "New Accordions," and it's from Revvin' Up the Reindeer, Rymer's first holiday album, and in particular the song features a whole bunch of accordion work from not one but two of the Little Band That Could, Claudia Mussen and Seth Farber.

The video is every bit as energetic as the song, bright colors, fast movement, and the briefest of holiday medleys. (Side note: accordions are guaranteed party generators. I still remember an Oktoberfest party many years ago where a coworker brought her accordion and played, much to the delight of the youngsters and oldsters in attendance.) It's a holiday song that won't make you tired of holiday songs, and I'm happy to be world-premiering it.

AAAAANNNDDDD make sure to scroll past the video itself for some comments about life with an accordion from Claudia Mussen herself!

Christmas and Holiday Kids Music 2016

It has been a comparatively slow season this year for Christmas and general holiday-themed kids music, at least compared to previous years. But that doesn't mean we've been left with coal. Hanukkah and Christmas are only a week away, so let's jump in!

First, there's the first holiday song from Charlie Hope -- she's released a jolly and bright rendition of "Up on the Rooftop." For the moment, you can still download it for free via the Soundcloud widget below!

Charlie Hope - "Up on the Rooftop" [Soundcloud]

Lard Dog and the Band of Shy - Rudolph cover

If Hope's track offers a simple reminder of youthful anticipation, the following track from Lard Dog and the Band of Shy serves up a blast of Christmas rebellion. It's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but a version unlike you've ever heard before, mixing in "Wild Thing," the Ramones" and even "Dreidel, Dreidel" into the holiday classic. I really like both Hope's and Lard Dog's tracks, but they are toooootally different strains of Christmas songs, y'all. Anyway, grab the free download at Lard Dog's website.

And while I would not have expected "hard-rocking" to be the most prevalent holiday song type, with Annie Lynn's "I Kept Your Present," that is, in fact, the case. What to do when you find the perfect gift... for you, not for the person you bought it for? This song has the answer. You can stream it on Soundcloud, but the better version by far is her video. The hands slay me.

Annie Lynn - "I Kept Your Present" [YouTube]

I'm sure I've missed some of this year's holiday music made specifically for kids -- let me know if I have [Ed: I did! Thanks, Sagan, for the reminders and heads up!]

A modern, electronic take on some holiday music comes from the Bay Area's Liz DeRoche, AKA The Singing Lizard. There's not much on her Holiday Party EP that is specifically kid-focused, but the arrangements are fresh and worth exploring, even if you don't happen to have any little ones around.

The Singing Lizard - Holiday Party [Bandcamp]

<a href="http://thesinginglizard.bandcamp.com/album/holiday-party-2">Holiday Party by The Singing Lizard</a>

Speaking of modern takes on Christmas music for kids, Minnesota's Uncle Dox features some fast but laid-back rhymes on "Santa." There's been some really good hip-hop music for kids, and some good Christmas and holiday music for kids, but I'm hard-pressed to think of many hip-hop holiday music for kids. This fits in that small Venn diagram intersection for sure.

Uncle Dox - "Santa" [Soundcloud]

A mellower take on some Christmas songs comes courtesy of Father Goose, who gets Dan Zanes, Sonia De Los Santos and others to help out "Irie Christmas." As you might suspect from the title, his take on a few Christmas classics gets mashed together with a reggae beat.

Father Goose - "Irie Christmas" [Spotify]

While we're on the Spotify edge of the world, how about something new from Colorado's Steve Weeks? It's been a while, right? Well, if you're looking for a tender ode to family togetherness or the meaning of the season, whatever your spiritual persuasion, you won't find it here. Unless, of course, "Decorate the Cat" is how you celebrate the solstice. Maybe it is. I'm not judging. In any case, this is a pretty amusing song. (Again, unless, you're very much anti-cat-decorating.)

Steve Weeks - "Decorate the Cat" [Spotify]

Moving on, then, back to videos and something slightly more sincere. The video below comes courtesy of Sara Lovell.

It's for "Wake Up It's Christmas Time," and it's one of those Christmas songs that celebrates the Christmas season mostly cultural and not spiritually, but makes an effort to celebrate the "spirit of the season," as it were in a most welcoming and non-exclusionary way.

The video itself is pretty simple -- Lovell strumming her (tenor?) ukulele in the woods -- but as a vehicle for the song itself, it works just fine.

Sara Lovell - "Wake Up It's Christmas Time" [YouTube]

You'll notice that these features have been very much in the Christmas realm, albeit secularly and culturally. Luckily, we have at least one entry this year full-on celebrating Hanukkah, which, unbeknownst to me, is now 25% more festival-ly. Let the Macaroons explain in their animated video for "10 Days of Hanukkah."

The Macaroons - "10 Days of Hanukkah" [YouTube]

Finally (he says, not sure what else might come down the pike), there's the latest Caspar Babypants album, Winter Party!.

I'll be honest -- I totally forgot about this album. I mean, I got it in, what? July? August? It's, like, 110 degrees here then, and, well... I really have no excuse, but now we're here in December and we're smack-dab in prime holiday-listening music time.

Winter Party is every bit as delightful and whimsical as you'd expect a Caspar Babypants holiday album. You can stream the entire album via YouTube below, but above that, how about his take -- nature focused as always -- on "The Twelve Days of Christmas?"

Caspar Babypants - "The Twelve Days of Christmas" [YouTube]

Anyway, the songs are a nice mix of traditional songs (including folk songs reworked so that they are holiday songs) and a few originals. Having said that, the Christmas songs are reworked lyrically so that they're not specifically Christian in the spirit of inclusiveness, but that could throw people who are used to the original lyrics of, say, "Silent Night."

If that doesn't bother you, you'll find Winter Party to be lots of fun (and, frankly, even if you do, you'll be able to skip the couple tracks on which that happens). I think it's definitely recommended.

Caspar Babypants - "Winter Party" [YouTube]

Here are some links to prior year collections:

2015 songs and videos

2015 album reviews

2014 holiday music

2013 Christmas album reviews

2012 holiday kids music

2012 holiday album reviews

2011 Christmas songs: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

2011 Christmas album reviews

Interview: Greg Page

There's no way around it -- Greg Page will always be known as the original Yellow Wiggle. He was one of the original members of the Australian kids music superstars The Wiggles. But after retiring from the Wiggles in 2006 after being diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy, also known as dysautonomia (he later rejoined the group, but retired permanently in 2012), he worked to create a career outside of the group. He's got a production group (Yellow Entertainment), a kids' show on DVD (Butterscotch's Playground), and, most importantly since it's the beginning of December, a brand-new CD of Christmas and holiday music for kids titled Here Comes Christmas!.

Page answered some questions earlier this week about his musical memories from Christmas and the rest of the year, his favorite Christmas songs to sing, and what he (still) gets out of performing for kids.

Zooglobble: What are your first musical memories?

Greg Page: My first musical memories are of singing an old Jud Strunk song called “A Daisy A Day” which was made famous by Hank Snow – my grandmother used to love that song so much, and she would sing it to me all the time! I remember singing it for her in little concerts my sister and I put on in her back yard – I think I was three years old!

What is the favorite part of performing for families (as opposed to a purely adult audience)?

I love seeing families come together with children as the focus. So much of what we do as families is often dictated by external things – friends, work commitments just being busy with life in general – being able to bring families together for sake of being together is a great feeling. Music is such a unifying medium, and children respond so well to it – and so do adults!

You initially retired from the Wiggles in 2006 after fighting a chronic illness called dysautonomia -- how are you dealing with that illness today?

I’m managing my dysautonomia very well these days. When I was diagnosed with it in 2006, I had no idea what it was or what the prognosis would be. Having retired from The Wiggles gave me the opportunity to get on top of the condition, learn more about it and also now help others with their experiences with it too.

Greg Page - Here Comes Christmas album cover

What are your Christmas memories growing up?

My favourite memories of Christmas growing up are of family – loving parents who wanted us to experience the joy of receiving presents on Christmas Day. Spending time with extended family for lunch and just celebrating the wonderful lives that we have in this world. I hope that my children look back with similar memories when they are older!

What made you want to record a Christmas album?

I’ve always wanted to do one! Hearing such great songs done by incredible performers such as Perry Como, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby really inspired me to try to recapture those Christmas songs in a way that would connect with children.

What are your 3 favorite Christmas songs to sing?

Hmmm….”The Little Drummer Boy” because of the great story that it tells, “Feliz Navidad” is great because it challenges my Spanish, and “Jingle Bells” is always fun!

You have 3 original Christmas songs on the new album -- what do you think about as a musician in crafting a new holiday song?

Just trying to capture the essence of Christmas – fun, laughter, family, peace, love and hope! Hopefully we’ve done that with the 3 tunes on the album!

What’s next for you?

Yellow Entertainment is my new entertainment company which will look at distributing material for other artists who want an outlet to create and produce good quality material for children. I want to work closely with people who have great ideas to help them maximise the connection with children, as well as keep producing my own material for children through various platforms. One day, I’d love to have an internet TV station with ALL material produced by Yellow Entertainment so that parents know that they can come to that platform and find ONLY good quality shows for children!

Photo credits: Vanessa Miller Page

Christmas and Holiday Kids Music 2015 (Songs and Videos)

To go along with my reviews of 2015 Christmas and holiday kids music, here are some videos and singles for your further enjoyment. I'll be adding songs and videos as they're released, so feel free to check back throughout the season (or shout out the new songs I've missed).

First, let's hear from Laurie Berkner, who has a new video for "Children Go Where I Send Thee," a track which appeared on 2012's A Laurie Berkner Christmas and the just released Laurie Berkner's Favorite Classic Kids' Songs. Pretty simple -- it features Berkner and regular Berkner bassist (and kindie musician in his own right) Brady Rymer and a bunch of children dancing around happily.

Laurie Berkner (with Brady Rymer) - "Children Go Where I Send Thee" [YouTube]

Next is a song I've already posted the video for, but it definitely merits a repeat mention, and that's "L.A. Christmas" from Andrew & Polly featuring Mista Cookie Jar. It's a sweet, sunny groove with just enough bells and holiday spirit to make it a nice alternative to a lot of holiday music.

Andrew & Polly and Mista Cookie Jar - "L.A. Christmas" [YouTube]

Of course there are Christmas-themed bands. The Yule Logs from California have four holiday albums under their belt, and have just released their fifth such album, Up All Night. The title track is a jangly bit of celebratory nonsense. The band isn't really a kids band, but this song and video passes the parental test.

Moving from L.A. to N.J., Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam offer up a little bit of The Boss -- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -- in their appealing single (and track from their forthcoming 2016 album) "Summertime Santa." Apparently the West Coast isn't the only coast that can offer up a beach-based Christmas celebration.

<a href="http://junglegymjam.bandcamp.com/track/summertime-santa">Summertime Santa by Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam</a>

Speaking of songs featuring Santa mashups, Montana's The Salamanders move out from the beach onto the sea with their holiday single "Pirate Santa." As with "Summertime Santa," this is hardly a serious take on the holiday season, but combining "Yo Ho Ho" with "Ho Ho Ho" is a pretty good idea. (The last line, is also a darn good pun.)

<a href="http://salamandersmusic.bandcamp.com/track/pirate-santa">Pirate Santa by The Salamanders</a>

And there's no reason why we can't have multiple versions of the same song in a single year, right? Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem offer up their own take on "Children Go Where I Send Thee" that's a little more pensive and rootsier than Berkner and Rymer's take. Gotta believe that one of these will be to your family's taste.

We're in the midst of Hanukkah as I add this track, the latest from Jewish-themed rockers The Macaroons. This year's sing-along track, "Jews All Over the World," does give a shout-out to Hanukkah, but it's got an advantage in that it'd probably sound just as good in May as it does now. Try saying that about "Last Christmas."

<a href="http://themacaroons.bandcamp.com/track/jews-all-over-the-world">Jews All Over The World by The Macaroons</a>

This last embed isn't kindie, but as with most Christmas streams, it's certainly family-friendly. It's a Spotify playlist from Universal Music's vast library. At more than 4 hours (!) in length, there's plenty of room for the classics (just look at the first 5 songs in that embed stream) and new songs (e.g., Carly Rae Jepsen's take on Wham's "Last Christmas").

Other Songs/Videos/Album Streams

The Big Cheese Band - "The Christmas Crocodile" [YouTube]

Rockin' Robin & the Magical Tree - "Sparkly Christmas Things" [YouTube]

The Little Ditties - "S'no Day Like It" [Bandcamp]

Andrew & Polly - Other Days [Bandcamp]

Rain for Roots - Waiting Songs [Bandcamp]