What’s Your Christmas Soundtrack?

December 24, 2019
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

One day you’re walking through the shopping centre as normal, then the next day, WHAM!

Not just Wham, but Mariah Carey, Michael Buble and a host of others singing Christmas favourites. I think I first heard Christmas music playing as the soundtrack to my shopping experience back in late October this year.

For those who enjoy the music of the season, you’ve probably had a good couple of months of ever-increasing Christmas melodies ringing in your ears. For those who don’t, you won’t have to block your ears much longer.

I’ve got over five hundred Christmas songs on my iPod and they’ve been filling our home and car with Yuletide cheer … whatever that is … for weeks. Everyone from Michael Buble to Diana Krall, Bing Crosby, Run DMC, Barry White, The Wiggles, Guy Sebastian, Jimmy Barnes and even Russel Coight, along with many others, are singing about Christmas on our stereo.

What is your favourite Christmas music?

Do you have a favourite Christmas song? Do you have a favourite artist at Christmas time? Does Mariah Carey’s very successful Christmas album still get a spin at your place each December?

A few of my favourites.

I couldn’t possibly fit all my Christmas favourites in one post, but here is a handful.

I’m not a huge fan of the song Little Drummer Boy but I am a fan of both Bing Crosby and David Bowie so I love hearing their Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth medley around this time every year. The chat at the start of the video is cheesy and somewhat awkward but I just love it.

A new favourite this year is a reworking of the old Slade classic, Merry Christmas Everybody. Yes, I’ll admit it. I do enjoy a little Robbie Williams. I’m also a fan of Jamie Cullum so this combination is just joyful.

One of the strangest Christmas songs ever released has got to be this one by Bob Dylan. Bob is definitely a favourite of mine and so this one’s certainly worth a mention and a viewing. It seems that everyone in the video is having an amazing time, except Bob. It’s weird and wonderful.

This collaboration between Elvis Costello and Stephen Colbert is just wonderful.

I certainly feel that friends don’t let friends go through life without knowing about the great Gregory Porter, so I absolutely must include a song from one of the greatest voices of our time.

While I could go on forever with Christmas favourites, maybe I’ll finish off with this one from Diana Krall.

Let me know about your musical tastes around Christmas.



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How Embarrassing

March 5, 2014
by Rodney Olsen
4 Comments

cds

I posted on Facebook a few days ago that I was listening to Air Supply’s Greatest Hits. This immediately split people into two groups; those who thought it was a great musical choice and those who ridiculed my Monday afternoon listening. One person even asked if I had any Barry Manilow CDs in my collection. As a matter of fact I do have one.

My musical tastes are eclectic to say the least. If you put my iPod onto shuffle you would be likely to hear everything from Lorde to Alicia Keys, Electric Guest, Eliza Doolittle, The Whitlams, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, a fair amount of Amy Winehouse through to plenty of Regina Spektor and you’re very likely to hear lots of Diana Krall. There’ll also be The Jam, The Clash, The Who, The Band, The Beatles, Boz Scaggs, Neil Diamond, Hoodoo Gurus, Joe Jackson and far too many others to mention. You might say I’ve got Everything But the Girl … and you’d be right. I’m a big fan of their music.

I’d love to know what your ‘guilty musical pleasures’ are. What are the albums you’re happy to hear but that others find a little embarrassing? You can see a few of mine above. As well as Air Supply and Barry Manilow there’s Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee and countrier than country Dwight Yoakam. I’m sure if you spent a while looking through my whole collection you’d find others that’d make you groan.

What music do you own and listen to that others would consider ‘totally uncool’?



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The Most Beautiful Song

February 16, 2012
by Rodney Olsen
1 Comment

After wandering aimlessly around Melbourne for a while today I sat down to take a break for a few minutes.

A rather unkempt gentleman came and sat beside me. He asked me if I liked music. I couldn’t answer no to a question like that.

He then told me that if I gave him two dollars he would sing me the most beautiful song I’d ever heard. I had my doubts.

Somehow I couldn’t imagine sitting in the centre of a major city having another man singing to me. I said no.

I think I should have given Hume the two dollars anyway but I was a little surprised by the offer at the time. He was probably homeless or disadvantaged in some way and I should have coughed up two dollars or maybe a little more on the proviso that he didn’t sing.

The most beautiful song you’ve ever heard.

His promise to sing me the most beautiful song I’d ever heard got me thinking. Maybe I missed out on something amazing. Probably not. Either way, I’m wondering what you would consider to be the most beautiful song you’ve ever heard. Not your favourite or most popular but what is the most beautiful sing you’ve ever heard?

I’m trying to think what that might be for me. Maybe Diana Krall’s version of Joni Mitchell’s song A Case of You. If you haven’t heard it before you can check out the video, then tell me your most beautiful song.



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