Phil’s Filings

“Because It’s Christmas”
Barry Manilow

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I can hear it now. “Barry Manilow?”
Yes.
“BARRY MANILOW?!?!?”
Yes. This is my list, not yours. And I will admit to liking one or two Barry Manilow songs. Remember what I wrote a few days ago, about things I like [...]

“Snoopy’s Christmas”
The Royal Guardsmen

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This is not your typical Christmas song. No mention of Santa, no mention of presents, no mention of snow, no mention of children, no mention of reindeer, tinsel, toys, or almost anything you’d associate with Christmas.
It does mention Christmas bells, though. In fact, [...]

“O Tannenbaum”
Vince Guaraldi Trio

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One of my all time favorite Christmas specials is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. That and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” are the two shows that I do whatever I can to make sure I’m home and watching them on TV. Yes, I have both [...]

“Overture: Silver Bells”
Gloria Estefan

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A few years ago, I realized a few things about my musical tastes, or, more precisely, what songs that I like usually contain. You see, I don’t necessarily love full songs, sometimes. I know that there are songs that I don’t really care [...]

“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24″
Trans-Siberian Orchestra

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I remember being instantly mesmerized by this song the first time I heard it in 1995. Back then, it was attributed to the rock group Savatage, from their rock opera album “Dead Winter Dead”. After looking at that album in Best Buy, I thought [...]

“It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
Andy Williams

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Today, we’re looking at “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, as performed by Andy Williams. Yes, this is one of the most famous versions of the song, and to be honest, there aren’t really any contemporary versions that can [...]

“Winter Wonderland”
America

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As I mentioned yesterday, “Winter Wonderland” is a song I have a distinct memory of listening to in my childhood, on a “Sesame Street” Christmas record, no less. I remember the song being cut off after the first verse, because Oscar hated it. Well, darn [...]

“The Music of Christmas”
Steven Curtis Chapman

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I first heard this song several years ago, probably around the same time the new Christian music station appeared in town. They started their broadcast history with Christmas music 24/7, so I enjoyed it. (When they switched to their normal format after [...]

Ah, it’s the holiday season. Everywhere you look, people are getting ready for their holiday celebration — or multiple holidays and/or celebrations.
One of the things I love about Christmas is the music. I’m a big fan of Christmas music… within reason. I think it’s a bit ludicrous for radio stations to flip [...]