Thursday, December 31, 2020

Mel's Top 100 Hits of 2020


This year I reactivated Mel's Current Top 20 weekly chart. I decided to do this after 18 weeks of 2020 had already passed. The first chart was published during the week of May 7, 2020. The first #1 song upon reactivation was The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town", which to me became the anthem of the 2020... the first year of COVID-19. The song was a reaction to the worldwide lockdowns, closure of many businesses and a new way to deal with everyday life.
"Living in a Ghost Town" held on to the #1 spot on my chart for 8 weeks, spending a total of 15 weeks on. It ended up being my #1 song of 2020. 

Since I came up a bit short of songs for my year end chart, I had to mine several songs that came out in 2019 that I would have probably listed on the chart had it started in January. Hence you will see familiar titles such as Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" @ #2 and Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" at #5. I will call these holdovers from late 2019 that would have probably been on my chart. There are about a dozen of these songs on the Top 100.

Since this weekly chart contains only 20 positions, songs come and go through the chart fairly quickly, usually about 8 to 10 weeks, though several last longer. This year a song only needed to be listed at least for one week at any position to make it to the chart. Hence we got one week performers such as the Foo Fighters "Shame Shame" scraping in at the lower positions. Doubt that will happen next year.

Some interesting notes about the Top 100

The Rolling Stones' "Living in a Ghost Town" was barely a hit on most charts. I suspect it got some rock radio airplay. It went to #1 in Germany only, #2 in Scotland, and #61 in their native UK. On the U.S. Hot Rock and Alternative chart the single went to #3... which is not too bad for a niche genre.

Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" is a carryover hit from 2019 and its follow-up "Before You Go" were long lasting #1 hits on my chart. While not officially released as a single, the bonus album track "Let It Roll" went to #2 on my chart.

Taylor Swift had a big year, scoring 4 tracks on my Top 100 chart. Three of those were #1 hit.... "You Need to Calm Down" a 2019 carryover track, "Cardigan" from her Folklore album and just scraping in before the calendar flipped to 2021, "Willow" from her latest Evermore. "The Man" from her Lover album was a #3 hit with "Betty" from Folklore coming in at #7.

Only in Hawaii would Katy Perry's "Harleys in Hawaii" would go to #1. It did on my chart though it was a carryover from 2019. She also scored with "Daisies" and "Smile".

Rock had some big tracks this year... In addition to The Rolling Stones, AC/DC had a huge hit with "Shot in the Dark" from their latest album Power Up. Other rock songs that scored included Blossoms' cover of The Beatles "Paperback Writer", Tom Petty& the Heartbreakers "Leave Virginia Alone," Bruce Springsteen's "Letter to You", Sixx:A.M.'s "Maybe Its Time" and "Caution" by. The Killers.

One of the most unusual songs to make the Top 20 this year was a 43 year old single track from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album. Stevie Nicks' "Dreams" made a big chart comeback after the song was featured in a viral TikTok video posted by Nathan Apodaca lip synching to it while riding a skateboard and drinking a bottle of Ocean Spray juice. The video has become legendary and sparked a host of imitators including Nicks herself and bandmate Mick Fleetwood. In 1977 "Dreams" became Fleetwood Mac's only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. This year it got listed again on the Hot 100 peaking at #12, which is the same position that it made it to my Current Top 20 chart.

Paul McCartney scores two songs on the Top 100. "Home Tonight" is a carryover single from 2019 that went to #2 and his latest, "Find Your Way" just made it in this year by being a #10 hit for the second week on the chart (Dec. 31).

Several K-Pop songs made it to my Current Top 20 chart. The biggest was by K-Pop girl group Blackpink. "How You Like That" held on to the #1 spot during part of the summer for 4 weeks, good enough to place it at #4 for the year. They also scored hit singles with "Lovesick Girls," "Ice Cream" (with Selena Gomez) and "Pretty Savage". All of the tracks were featured on their debut LP The Album.

The other K-Pop group to hit the charts this year was boy band BTS. They had a #1 hit with "Dynamite" and came back with another record called "Life Goes On".

These are just some of the songs worthy of my mention. There are plenty more. Just check out the video playlist and chart below.  



THE TOP 100 HITS OF 2020
As compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts.

RankSong TitleArtistPeakTAP*Total Weeks
1Living in a Ghost TownThe Rolling Stones1815
2Someone You LovedLewis Capaldi1724
3Do What You Can (featuring Jennifer Nettles)Bon Jovi1512
4How You Like ThatBlackpink1418
5You Need to Calm DownTaylor Swift1414
6Before You GoLewis Capaldi1316
7Shot in the DarkAC/DC1312
8What The Future HoldsSTEPS1312
9Harleys in HawaiiKaty Perry1219
10Watermelon SugarHarry Styles1216
11CardiganTaylor Swift1213
12Zen (featuring K.Flay & grandson)X Ambassadors1213
13A Good Song Never DiesSaint Motel129
14Something in Your EyesSTEPS118
15DynamiteBTS1114
16Supalonely (ft. Gus Dapperton)Benee1114
17WillowTaylor Swift113
18Let It RollLewis Capaldi2512
19MemoriesMaroon 52322
20Home TonightPaul McCartney2219
21Adore YouHarry Styles2216
22JoleneChiquis featuring Becky G2213
23Maybe It's TimeSixx:A.M.2212
24Who's Laughing NowAva Max2212
25WonderShawn Mendes2211
26Kings & QueensAva Max2210
27Only HumanJonas Brothers2111
28Rain on Me (with Ariana Grandé)Lady Gaga219
29Tales From The LoopPhillip Glass & Paul Leonard-Morgan219
30Tick Tock (featuring 24KGoldn)Clean Bandit & Mabel216
31The ManTaylor Swift3210
32Beautiful People (featuring Khalid)Ed Sheeran3119
33SenioritaShawn Mendes3117
34I Don't CareEd Sheeran with Justin Beiber3115
35BluebirdMiranda Lambert3113
36Nice To Meet YaNiall Horan3112
37GirlfriendCharlie Puth319
38Tangerine SkiesDeclan J Donovan4213
39SmileKaty Perry4210
40Lovesick GirlsBlackpink4111
41I HopeGabby Barrett4110
42DaisiesKaty Perry419
43What's Your Country songThomas Rhett415
44GoldenHarry Styles539
45Bad GuyBillie Eilish5121
46YouthGrouplove5111
47PatienceChris Cornell519
48What's Love Got To Do With ItKygo, Tina Turner517
49Mood24kGoldn f/Iann Dior513
50Paperback WriterBlossoms627
51I Think We're Alone NowBillie Joe Armstrong617
52The Worst in MeRob Thomas7113
53Joan of Arc on the Dance FloorAly & AJ7211
54BettyTaylor Swift729
55Fingers CrossedAgnes718
56Ice CreamBlackpink featuring Selena Gomez717
57I Love My CountryFlorida Georgia Line819
58Letter to YouBruce Springsteen818
59SomebodyDagny817
60Oh Santa!Mariah Carey814
61Level of ConcernTwenty One Pilots937
62Sweet MelodyLittle Mix928
63You're Not AloneSemisonic927
64Leave Virginia AloneTom Petty & The Heartbreakers916
65Nobody But You (featuring Gwen Stefani)Blake Shelton1036
66Blues Comin' OnDion1028
67Club ZeroThe Go-Go's1026
68Cowboy Coming HomeChris Petersen1026
69Legends Never DieOrville Peck, Shania Twain1016
70Rescue DogTrain1016
71Wake Up RomeoCaro Emerald1016
72AnxiousKate Voegle1015
73Find My WayPaul McCartney1012
74Nobody's LoveMaroon 51128
75Let Me Reintroduce MyselfGwen Stefani1112
76DreamsFleetwood Mac1225
77How They Remember YouRascal Flatts1225
78911Lady Gaga1216
79SupermanKeith Urban1216
80HeroWeezer1215
81I Should Probably Go To BedDan + Shay1215
82Life Goes OnBTS1214
83X (featuring Karol G)Jonas Brothers1324
84The RisingNancy Wilson1317
85One Too ManyKeith Urban & Pink1315
86Black and WhiteNiall Horan1314
87CautionThe Killers1314
88Sleeping On My DreamsJacob Collier1425
89Hot StuffKygo, Donna Summer1415
90DigFanny Lumsden1412
91Pretty SavageBlackpink1514
92The Good Old DaysJohn Paul White1514
93Say SomethingKylie Minogue1513
94DreamerChris Osmond1613
95Hey!Bryan Lanning1713
96Therefore I AmBillie Eilish1713
97No Time For Love Like NowMichael Stipe & Big Red Machine1712
98News TodayBlack Eyed Peas1911
99BummerlandAJR2011
100Shame ShameFoo Fighters2011
      
 Compiled from Mel's Current Top 20 weekly charts
* TAP = Total Weeks @ Peak Position
   

LISTEN TO MY ENTIRE TOP 100 
PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY! (5 hours 45 min)

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

FIVE WORST SONGS OF 2020


Dare you to listen to this audio track of WAP, worst song of 2020. The official video is even nastier. Don't go there. The rest of the songs aren't worth wasting time or space on.

Friday, December 25, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #27 - A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives



Christmas Song of the Day #27 - A Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives.
YouTube Audio link: https://youtu.be/P_dI6fVZwd0

This is the final Christmas Song of the Day post in this series.

I first heard this song when I was a kid watching the TV special "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Burl Ives I later learned played the snowman and narrator. He sang this song in the TV show.

Hope you folks all have had a great Christmas holiday. You can listen to all of the tracks at this link or on my YouTube Channel.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Bandv Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimi Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera
Dec. 21 - "O Holy Night" - Willie K
Dec. 22 - "Last Christmas" - Scott Bradless/Post Modern Jukebox
Dec. 23 - "All I Want For Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey
Dec. 24 - "Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms
Dec. 25 - "A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Song of the Day #26 - Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms



Christmas Song of the Day #26 - Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms

#TBT - I'm sure everyone has heard this song by someone or another. "Jingle Bell Rock" is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. Since it was first released it has become a radio staple every holiday season. The most famous version is the one by Bobby Helms, recorded in 1957 and covered by many other artists throughout the years.

My favorite cover version of the song is the 1983 single released by Daryl Hall & John Oates. The YouTube video is at this link: https://youtu.be/5vyMuxxLsD0

This animated video was released last November 2019 and is now presented here. Enjoy the song and have a great, safe and Merry Christmas!

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Bandv Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimi Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera
Dec. 21 - "O Holy Night" - Willie K
Dec. 22 - "Last Christmas" - Scott Bradless/Post Modern Jukebox
Dec. 23 - "All I Want For Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey
Dec. 24 - "Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms

All of the songs on the Cumulative Playlist list can be streamed on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #25 - All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey



Christmas Song of the Day #25 - All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

One of the most popular and successful Christmas songs ever is Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You". The song has been a huge hit since its release in 1994. Carey included it on her first Christmas album and it has re-appeared on another Christmas album as well as one of her compilation albums.

Surprisingly "All I Want For Christmas is You" was never released as a "single" on a 45 rpm record, CD single or cassette. It was an album track that got tons of airplay since the early days, enough for it to chart on Billboard's specialty holiday charts before a rules change (streaming) finally made it eligible to be published to the Billboard Hot 100. Between 1994 and 2019, "All I Want For Christmas is You" hit various positions on several Billboard charts. It was not until 2019 and early this year, that "All I Want For Christmas" topped the Hot 100 at #1 for the first time. It has the distinction of being the longest span between a song's initial release and hitting its peak at #1....25 years!

Last week "All I Want For Christmas is You" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 again, leaping from the #42 position the week before. Streaming and some digital sales have spiked the huge move. On this week's chart, the song slips to #2 as Taylor Swift's latest single "Willow" make its debut at #1 the first week on the chart.

"All I Want For Christmas is You" has been covered by other artists numerous times over. Some of the cover songs appear below. Have a Merry Christmas!

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimi Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera
Dec. 21 - "O Holy Night" - Willie K
Dec. 22 - "Last Christmas" - Scott Bradless/Post Modern Jukebox
Dec. 23 - "All I Want For Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey

More Videos


The original 1994 video by Mariah Carey


2014 Cover by Fifth Harmony


2017 Jazz Cover by Robyn Adele Anderson feat. Von Smith

Audio track



Metallica - For Whom The Bell Tolls But It's All I Want For Christmas Is You By Mariah Carey

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #24 - Last Christmas by Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox



Christmas Song of the Day #24 - Last Christmas by Scott Bradlee & Postmodern Jukebox

Ever heard of these guys? Scott Bradlee and his band of assorted musicians have over the past 10+ years done big band style, doo-wop and many other retro genre covers of some of the most popular songs on the planet. Think big band treatments to songs by popular artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Prince to Soundgarden and Pearl Jam... and just about everyone else in-between.

With this track they covered Wham! (featuring George Michael's) popular holiday hit "LAST CHRISTMAS"... This is about as far away from George Michael you can get without going in another direction and doing either a hip-hop or heavy metal version of the same song. Anyone?

So for our Christmas song of the day, here is Postmodern Jukebox and "Last Christmas".

Link to Post Modern Jukebox's YouTube Channel. There are plenty of videos there.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimi Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera
Dec. 21 - "O Holy Night" - Willie K
Dec. 22 - "Last Christmas" - Scott Bradless/Post Modern Jukebox

Monday, December 21, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #23 - O Holy Night - Willie K



Christmas Song of the Day #23 - O Holy Night - Willie K

Here in Hawaii, Uncle Willie K's version of "O Holy Night" has proved to be a very enduring song. In this live recorded performance from 2013 (courtesy of Hawaii News Now), Willie K gives us an outstanding and powerful version of this Christmas holiday classic. You'll love it.

The year 2020 has seen the passing of many musicians. Here in Hawaii we lost Willie K to cancer on May 18. May he rest in peace. His music will live on forever. Aloha.

The studio album version of the song is also included on this. page.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimi Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera
Dec. 21 - "O Holy Night" - Willie K

O Holy Night (audio) as it appears on Willie K's album, Willie Kalikimaka. The track is much more powerful here.



Sunday, December 20, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #22 - Libera - Carol of the Bells



Christmas Song of the Day #22 - Libera - Carol of the Bells

This is a well known Christmas carol sung by Libera, an all-boy English vocal group directed by Robert Prizeman. Libera regularly performs concerts in many countries, including the UK, the US and Asia, and regularly makes recordings for their own album releases and other projects.

This video filmed at St Augustine’s church, Kilburn, North London, U.K. in December 2019.

"Carol of the Bells" was written in 1919 by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia
Dec. 20 - "Carol of the Bells" - Libera

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #21 - Candy Cane Lane by Sia



Christmas Song of the Day #21 - Candy Cane Lane by Sia

One of my favorite Christmas albums of this century so far is Everyday is Christmas by Australian singer Sia. The album came out in 2017 and has yielded at least 4 popular holiday singles, including this one: "Candy Cane Lane". Other notable songs on the album include "Santa's Coming For Us", "Snowman" (with a new video this year) and "Underneath the Mistletoe".

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry
Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani
Dec. 19 - "Candy Cane Lane" - Sia

Additional Tracks

Underneath the Mistletoe


Snowman


Friday, December 18, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #20 - Here This Christmas - Gwen Stefani



Christmas Song of the Day #20 - Here This Christmas - Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani is back this year with another new holiday song... "Here This Christmas" is her latest. Don't know if it will be as popular as last year's "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" with Blake Shelton. Still this one is good enough for song of the day. Enjoy.

Besides the Christmas tracks, Stefani has also issued her latest single, which appears here as a bonus track. It's called "Let Me Reintroduce Myself".

Stefani rose to fame in the 1990s as the lead vocalist for the band No Doubt. They enjoyed some major hits back in the day with "Don't Speak," "Just a Girl," "Spiderwebs", "Simple Kind of Life," "Hey Baby", "Hella Good" and "It's My Life". Since the early 2000s, Stefani has embarked on a successful solo careet that have yielded her a string on top 40 hits including "Hollaback Girl,"Wind it Up" and "The Sweet Escape".

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry

Dec. 18 - "Here This Christmas" - Gwen Stefani

Bonus Track: Let Me Reintroduce Myself

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #19 - Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry - new animated video



Christmas Song of the Day #19
- Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
New animated video

Another new animated video for a classic rock n roll Christmas song is here... this time by Rock n Roll Hall of Fame pioneer Chuck Berry... it's "Run Rudolph Run"... gotta love the flying Cadillac Eldorado convertible car as the "sleigh".

Chuck Berry is well known for classic rock n roll hits such as "Roll Over Beethoven", "Johnny B. Goode", and "Sweet Little Sixteen". Believe it or not, he only had one #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. That was 1972's novelty song, "My Ding a Ling", which is about as far as you can get from rock n roll.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line
Dec. 17 - "Run Rudolph Run" - Chuck Berry

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #18 - Lit This Year - Florida Georgia Line



Christmas Song of the Day #18 - Lit This Year - Florida Georgia Line

Country music group Florida Georgia Line offers this animated holiday song that may be questionable to some. It's called "Lit This Year" and I have to think about what is being lit. 🙂 I think this is a new song to their catalog.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound
Dec. 16 - "Lit This Year" - Florida Georgia Line

Performance Video - Florida Georgia Line - Lit This Year
CMA Country Christmas 2020



Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #17 - "Christmas Lu'au" ft Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound



Christmas Song of the Day #17 - "Christmas Lu'au" ft Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound

"Christmas Lu'au" is a song that celebrates a Christmas lu'au (or feast) that goes back many years. I remember my Mom singing this at a party. It is a happy song that has never gone away, at least in Hawaii.

Island music singers Kimie Miner and Paula Fuga look like they had a fun time recording this video for the iconic Hawaiian Christmas party song. The video was recorded a few days ago on December 11, 2020. Enjoy the video and don't forget to check what tomorrow's Christmas Song of the Day will be.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys
Dec. 15 - "Christmas Lu'au" - Kimié Miner and Paula Fuga - Live at Blue Planet Sound

Monday, December 14, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #16 - Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys



Christmas Song of the Day #16 - Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys

#TBT! For our Monday Christmas Song of the Day, we have something old, yet something new. OLD - "Little Saint Nick" is a longtime Christmas classic hit by none other than The Beach Boys. The record was first released in December 1963 and peaked on the Billboard Magazine holiday chart of that year at #3. It has since made several appearances on the charts in the last 57 years. The song was written by Beach Boys members Brian Wilson and Mike Love.

What's new for 2020 is this animated music video. It features The Beach Boys and Santa delivering gifts to beach goers around the coast. The video was released on YouTube on Dec. 13, 2020 (yesterday). It's a fun new take on a familiar hit song. Great stuff.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Dec. 14 - "Little Saint Nick" - The Beach Boys

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #15 - Christmas Canon - Trans-Siberian Orchestra



Christmas Song of the Day #15 - Christmas Canon - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Our 15th Christmas song of the day is an old classic from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. "Christmas Canon" is a beautiful song that should be played at least once during the holiday season and more of course. This version is a wonderful blend of children's voices and symphonic orchestration which was a break in their style from symphonic rock.

"Christmas Canon" was first issued on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's 1998 album The Christmas Attic.

Today the video is here for your enjoyment as part of the ongoing series of Christmas Songs of the Day.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir
Dec. 13 - "Christmas Canon" - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #14 - Mary Did You Know - One Voice Children's Choir



Christmas Song of the Day #14 - Mary Did You Know - One Voice Children's Choir

I first became aware of One Voice Children's Choir only this past week, when someone shared a video of them doing a cover of Maroon 5's Top 10 hit "Memories", a single released late last year. After listening to that initial song, I found a lot of other music videos the choir has done over the years, most of them covering recent popular songs.

Choral music and the Christmas season go hand in hand. I am not surprise that One Voice Children's Choir has a number of Christmas songs in their catalog. The newest is "Mary Did You Know", which is a cover that was popularized (again) a few years back by Pentatonix. The same song was the first tune to be featured in this current series of posts by Daddy-Daughter duo, Mat and Savanna Shaw.

One Voice Children's Choir's version of "Mary Did You Know" was released to video today (December 12) on YouTube.

Further details from Wikipedia states:

One Voice Children's Choir (originally known as the 2002 Winter Olympic Children's Choir and Studio A Children's Choir) is an American children's choir in Utah.

The group was founded by Masa Fukuda in 2001 after he composed the song "It Just Takes Love" for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. He asked students to help make a commemorative CD for the Olympics. Some of the students also were "children of light" performers for the Olympics, whom he volunteered to help train. After the Olympics, 25 students wanted to continue singing together, and Fukuda formed the choir as a nonprofit organization to continue working with them.

One Voice is led by director Fukuda and has 140 members ages 4–17. Every year, the choir performs around 50 to 70 times. The group meets year-round for once-a-week practices. They perform a vast selection of music such as pop, gospel, classical, Broadway, and patriotic.

Enjoy the video.

Cumulative Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples
Dec. 12 - "Mary Did You Know" - One Voice Children's Choir

Bonus Tracks:

The More You Give (The More You'll Have) - Michael Bublé cover



Memories - Maroon 5 cover



Friday, December 11, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #13 - Joanne Staples - Darling Please Come Home


Song of the Day #12 - Joanne Staples - Darling Please Come Home

This is a brand new song that I never heard before. It premiered on YouTube earlier today. It is called "Darling Please Come Home" and is song by singer Joanne Staples, who I also never heard of. The song is a romantic ballad written by Jon Brooks as stated in the YouTube video link. Enjoy this new Christmas song. Who knows? It could become a standard some day.

Daily Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley
Dec. 11 - "Darling Please Come Home" - Joanne Staples

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #12 - Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley



Christmas Song of the Day #12 - Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

We can't let Christmas go by without a song by Elvis Presley... so here it is... a perennial recurring holiday classic, it's "Blue Christmas". It's back this year with a brand new music video, an animated one that closely follows the lyrics and story of the song. It's a Christmas song for everyone who is physically separated by distance and more so this year, by COVID-19 and all the social distancing requirements we have to practice.

So yes, I think it there will be many "Blue Christmas"es for us all. Enjoy the video and check out tomorrow's entry.

Daily Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson 
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2
Dec. 10 - "Blue Christmas" - Elvis Presley

#TBT

As a bonus a bluesy country-rock version by Ann & Nancy Wilson of HEART.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #11 - I Believe in Father Christmas - U2



Christmas Song of the Day #11 - I Believe in Father Christmas by U2.

This is a cover song first recorded by Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer back in 1974 and released in 1975. It was a top 10 hit in Britain, but never caught on in America. This U2 cover was recorded back in 2008 and they did a new remaster to it this year with this video. Enjoy.

Daily Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band
Dec. 9 - "I Believe in Father Christmas" - U2

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #10 - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band - Happy Xmas (War is Over)



Christmas Song of the Day #10

December 8 is forever etched into our troubled history as the date when former Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed in cold blood. Today is the 40th anniversary of his passing.

John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono have left audiences the world over with one of the most controversial holiday songs ever... "Happy Xmas (War is Over)". The song is a tribute to peace which is still a fleeting concept all over the world. Its message is timeless and the song is a classic. "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" has over the last 49 years become an annual holiday radio play as well as being covered by numerous artists including Sarah McLachlan, The Fray, Andy Williams, Neil Diamond, The Moody Blues, Darlene Love, Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow to name a few.

Let's hope we can find peace in the world during our lifetime.

Running Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan and Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Arianne Grande & Jennifer Hudson
Dec. 8 - "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band

Additional Information and Links

The Beatles
Murder of John Lennon
John Lennon on YouTube
The Beatles on YouTube
Imagine: John Lennon shot on his doorstep 40 years ago (Yahoo News)

Imagine...



Monday, December 7, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #9 - Mariah Carey featuring Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson - Oh Santa!



Christmas Song of the Day #9

Mariah Carey's got a new music video and song out just in time for the holiday. "Oh Santa!" is the latest Christmas release from Ms. Carey. In this rousing song, singers Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson are also featured vocalists. The song is being used to promote her Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, which is being shown online, exclusively for Apple TV subscribers. A soundtrack album has also been released.

Mariah Carey has been a staple on the music scene since 1990 and has put dozens of songs into the Billboard Hot 100 and several into the #1 position. They include "Vision of Love", "Emotions", "Love Takes Time", and "Dreamlover" to name a few. She has also recorded the now much covered Christmas Classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which first appeared in 1994 and reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time that year. The song has charted off and on over the years, and since 2014 has appeared in the Hot 100 every year up to now.

Running Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan and Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Dec. 7 - "Oh Santa!" - Mariah Carey featuring Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #8 - Mat and Savanna Shaw - O Come All Ye Faithful



Christmas Song of the Day #8 - Mat and Savanna Shaw - O Come All Ye Faithful: Recorded live at the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah - Mat and Savanna recorded this rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful." It is probably the most contemporary flavored version of this song I've heard in recent years. Great recording by the "Daddy Daughter Duet". The song is part of the repertoire of music on the duet's new EP "Merry Little Christmas".

From the YouTube video description:

"This one was a bucket list item for us! Many of you know we live in Utah, and this historic Tabernacle has some of the best acoustics not only in Utah, but in the world! And I believe this is the only time in recent memory that a drum set, electric guitar, etc. was allowed to perform inside! It was an amazing experience!

What do you think of this arrangement of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" arranged by the great Stephen Nelson? It has become one of our favorites from the our new Christmas album, "Merry Little Christmas". It has this joyful energy attached to an invitation to "Come Adore". As we start this December, we hope this video can help us remember and celebrate the reason for this season. However you choose to "Come Adore", we hope that this song and season finds you filled with hope, joy, love of family, and the spirit of gratitude."


Running Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan and Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix
Dec. 6 - "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Mat and Savanna Shaw

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #7 - PENTATONIX - 12 Days of Christmas



Christmas Song of the Day #7 - I am sure everyone has heard some version of "12 Days of Christmas." New for 2020 is this PENTATONIX recording of the perennial holiday favorite, done in mostly a cappella style. The song is taken from their 3rd Christmas album, "We Need a Little Christmas".

Running Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw 
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha 
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay 
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena 
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee 
Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire 
Dec. 5 - "12 Days of Christmas" - Pentatonix

Bonus Video: Can Pentatonix sing 100 song snippets in 10 minutes - from 2019.


Friday, December 4, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #6 - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind &. Fire - Holidays

Christmas Song of the Day #6 - "Holidays" by Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire. Yes! This is a new pop song featuring the singing talents of Ms. Trainor (most well known for the hit "All About That Bass") and 70's soul funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. What a combination.

"Holidays" is a cheerful song that is so up to date yet echos back to when disco was huge in the 1970s. Classy & brassy, give this one a listen!


Previous Picks

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw

Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha

Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay

Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena

Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee 

Dec. 4 - "Holidays" - Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day # 5 - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee

 Christmas Song of the Day #5: Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Brenda Lee is one of my favorite female artists of all time. I first heard her music back in the early 1960s when out of a jukebox of 45s we were able to get "Fool #1" by her. It ended up being one of my Mom's favorite songs of the time. It is a nice ballad with a country flavor,  produced by Owen Bradley who at the time was also producing records for country singers Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.

"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" has become over time, a rock n roll holiday classic. It was great that Brenda recorded this classic single back in 1958 when she had that voice that could fill a large concert hall. It is right up there (to me) with her best rock n roll song ever, "Sweet Nothins'" from 1960.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was released as a single in 1958 to only marginal success that year and the next. It wasn't until 1960 when Brenda Lee struck it big with her #1 single "I'm Sorry" and the aformentioned "Sweet Nothins'" is when the single finally took off. It reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1960.

Since then "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" has charted again in 1961 and 1962. In 2014 Billboard changed the rules for song placement on the Hot 100. From 2014 onward, "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" has hit the Billboard Hot 100 every year up to 2019. In 2019 it peaked at #2. 

The song is back on the Hot 100 this week at #21.

More than 25 million copies of the single has been sold. It is also the 4th most streamed Christmas song of all time.



Running Playlist

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena
Dec. 3 - "Rockin 'Round the Christmas Tree" - Brenda Lee

Bonus Tracks

Brenda Lee's second album simply titled "Brenda Lee" is in my opinion her best album ever. This record was released in August of 1960. All the tracks are playable from this YouTube playlist. Tracks include the following:

1. Sweet Nothin's
2. I'm Sorry
3. That's All You Gotta Do
4. Heading Home
5. Wee Wee Willies
6. Let's Jump The Broomstick
7. Dynamite
8. Weep No More My Baby
9. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
10. (If I'm Dreaming) Just Let Me Dream
11. Be My Love Again
12. My Baby Likes Western Guys


#TBT - Throwback Thursday

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #4 - Kapena - Mele Kalikimaka Medley

Christmas Song of the Day #4: Since this blog is based in Hawaii, why not do some Hawaii based holiday songs. First up, we got Kapena live from Windward Oahu with the "Mele Kalikimaka Medley". This was recorded in December 2018 and is still fresh today.

As anybody from Hawaii knows, Kapena is a music group that his been on the local scene for several decades. I remember getting their first record album way back in 1990. They have since released dozens of albums over the last 30 years and is one of Hawaii's most well known island music groups.

I've seen them perform live a few times at various venues in Honolulu over the years. They have become a family act in recent years.



Daily Tracks

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay
Dec. 2 - "Mele Kalikimaka Medley" - Kapena



Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #3 - Take Me Home For Christmas - Dan + Shay

Christmas Song of the Day #3 - For the next 25 or so days I will be posting one Christmas song per day, mostly videos (as usual) from YouTube.

Todays' Christmas song is "Take Me Home For Christmas" by Dan + Shay. They are an American country pop music duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. This is the first of several new Christmas songs the duo has released this year. They had a country/pop crossover hit earlier in the year called "I Should Probably Go To Bed" which peaked at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Billboard Country Chart. They have been recording since 2013.


Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw
Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha
Dec. 1 - "Take Me Home For Christmas" - Dan + Shay

Monday, November 30, 2020

Christmas Song of the Day #2 - Ivan & Alyosha - Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)

Christmas Song of the Day #2 - For the next 25 or so days I will be posting one Christmas song per day, mostly videos (as usual) from YouTube. 

Today's Christmas song is a new version of "Being Home For Christmas", a little known song that I have loved since first hearing it back in 2015. The band Ivan & Alyosha recorded the original and have returned with a new EP featuring a new version of the same song. I like it. I think you will too.


Daily Playlist:

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw

Nov. 30 - "Being Home For Christmas (2020 version)" - Ivan & Alyosha

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Christmas Song the Day #1 : Mat & Savanna Shaw - Mary Did You Know?

With this post I start the Christmas Song of the Day series for 2020. This is Day #1's entry which was posted to Facebook on Sunday, November 29, 2020.

First up, is this audio track from Mat & Savanna Shaw.

This is from their newly released Christmas EP "Merry Little Christmas". The song here is "Mary Did You Know".... a very nice interpretation of a modern, timeless classic.

Mat and Savanna are the famed "Daddy Daughter Duo" who have posted numerous home made videos of themselves singing on YouTube. They were able to get their music professionally recorded a few months ago and have their debut album and this Christmas EP released this year (2020).

Nov. 29 - "Mary Did You Know" - Mat and Savanna Shaw



Friday, August 7, 2020

What's On Top of the Current Top 20?


BLACKPINK Tops the Chart

For only the second time in the history of doing this chart thing, a K-Pop song tops my Current Top 20. BLACKPINK is one of the hottest K-Pop groups from South Korea. They are a quartet of young ladies with a lot of style, sass and moves. They can also sing too.

"How You Like  That" is a very catchy song with an electro pop/dance beat. The lyrics are in broken English and Korean. Makes for an interesting mix.

What stands out the most is the very stylish music video. BLACKPINK is all about style, attitude and sass. The video brings this out in a pleasantly tasteful way, yet still makes any guy yearn to be in the presence of these women.

The music video has set some new world records for 2020:

  • Most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours
  • Most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours
  • Most viewed YouTube music video in 24 hours by a K-pop group
  • Most viewers for the premiere of a video on YouTube
  • Most viewers for the premiere of a music video on YouTube

"How You Like That" is BLACKPINK's first single from the group's forthcoming debut album BLACKPINK: The Album set for release on October 2.

"How You Like That" has gone to #1 on the charts in Malaysia, Singapore, three charts in South Korea (Goon, Goon Albums, K-Pop Hot 100) and the U.S. World Digital Song Sales (Billboard). It has been a top 20 pop hit in Japan, Canada, Australia, Hungary and New Zealand. It peaked at #33 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart last month.

CHIQUIS, TAYLOR SWIFT and TINA TURNER Have Top Hits

Chiquis and Becky G's remake of "Jolene" got the blessing from songwriter and original performer Dolly Parton to do this song as a new Spanish language hit. It's a great cover with a good video. The record makes it to #2 this week.

Taylor Swift surprised her fans two weeks ago when she unexpectedly released a new album. Her latest album is called Folklore, and is a departure from the recent style of her pop albums of recent years. The first single "Cardigan" with its compelling video, is at #3 this week after making its chart debut at #8 last week. Could be a big hit for Swfit.

Eighty year old Tina Turner is back on the charts with a remix of her 1984 #1 hit "What's Love Got to Do With It" by Norwegian DJ and record producer Kygo. The song is a top 10 hit on the U.S. dance chart and is bubbling under the Billboard Hot 100. On the Current Top 20 it's at #10 this week up from last week's debut of #19.

Here is this week's Current Top 20 chart which can also be checked out weekly at this page and this link. The link to the permanent chart is at this page: M4B Charts Central Mel's Current Top 20



VIDEOS: Chiquis, Taylor Swift & Tina Turner w/ Kygo







Friday, July 31, 2020

Diana Ross & The Supremes

Flashback Friday


Every week, Scrivener on his Facebook page asks us to rate our favorite songs by different rock and pop artists. I answer those every week and decided to share and preserve these answers on my blog. So first up, we have Diana Ross with and without her group The Supremes. Here goes:

TOP 5 + 5 by Diana Ross

Diana Ross & The Supremes 1960s

1. Stop in the Name of Love
2. Reflections
3. Love Child
4. You Can't Hurry Love
5. Someday We'll Be Together
6. I Hear a Symphony
7. Baby Love
8. You Keep Me Hanging On
9. The Happening
10. My World is Empty Without You

Diana Ross 1970 onward

1. Upside Down
2. Touch Me in the Morning
3. Ain't No Mountain High Enough
4. Theme From Mahogony
5. Love Hangover

Worst - Endless Love with Lionel Richie - too sappy.

So what do you think. Leave me your list of a comment about your favorite and least favorite Diana Ross song.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Jolene and Her Covers

Jolene....


In 1973 Dolly Parton released her big country hit that put her on the map. "Jolene" was a hit country single that made it to #1 on the Billboard Country chart and #1 in Canada. It also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #60 and #44 on the Adult Contemporary Music chart. Since then, it has become her signature song and has been covered several times over many years by many other artists. The linked audio file above (from YouTube) is the original track that became the hit in early 1974.

In recent years the following covers appeared:

Dolly Parton & Pentatonix (2016) - This version made it to #18 on the Billboard Country Chart.


This version came out in 2012 by Miley Cyrus as part of the Backyard Sessions video album on YouTube. I like this one.



Alternative rock duo The White Stripes recorded this version which charted well in Europe, 2004 & 2005.


A new version was released earlier this summer by Chiquis with Becky G. This version has started its chart climb on Mel's Current Top 20.






Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Classic Island Hits Are Back































Radio M.I.U. (Mel's Internet Universe) is back with the recent re-opening of the 8Tracks.com streaming website. Once again you can stream 17 music genre playlists for free on the Radio M.I.U. portion of 8Tracks.com.

Among the 17 channel playlists at Radio M.I.U. are the following:
  • Classic Island Radio Hits
  • Top Star Hits of 1970
  • Top Star Hits of 1971
  • Top Star Hits of 1972
  • Disco Trekkin'
  • You Can Dance
  • Classic Rock Tracks
  • Rock as You Remember It
  • Rock of the 80s Again
  • Super Golden Oldies
  • Super Golden Oldies 2
  • Ten From the 1990s
  • Sonic Alternatives 1
  • Sonic Alternatives 2
  • Uncle Mel's Classic Country Tracks
  • Uncle Mel's Popular Standards
The Classic Island Radio Hits list has been updated.

Track List

If you listened to Top 40 radio on 1380 KPOI, KKUA 69 or KORL 65 in the late 1960s and early 1970s you probably heard some if not all of these songs. Here they are once again, top 40 hits with an island flair!

1. Cheryl Moana Marie by John Rowles
2. Morning of Our Lives by The Arkade
3. If That's the Way That You Want It by Diamond Head
4. You And Me by Cecilio & Kapono
5. Nightbird by Kalapana
6. E Lei Ka Lei Lei (Beach Party Song) by Don Ho
7. My Little Japanese Boy by Linda Green & The Tempos
8. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying by Gerry & the Pacemakers
9. Forevermore by Tokyo Happy Coats
10. Love Can Make You Happy by Mercy
11. My Hawaii by The Rascals
12. Lahaina by Loggins & Messina
13. Summer Sun by Jamestown Massacre
14. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road
15. Lean on Me by Bill Withers
16. Ebony Eyes by The Stylistics
17. New Years Eve -1976 by Summer
18. Frisco Bay by Society Of Seven
19. Hawaii Five-O by The Ventures
20. Remember Mary (vinyl version) by Sweet Marie

Streams for FREE.

Link to 8Tracks Blog Notice
https://blog.8tracks.com/2020/04/19/welcome-back-8tracks/