Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love

The categories of Christmas music includes almost all genres of music. There are incredibly beautiful songs like “Silent Night,” that fill this category of music with musicality and beauty and then there are atrocious and annoying songs like “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Talk show host David Letterman feels the same way about Christmas music except for one exception, Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).

This was a special year for this song. After performing this song for almost thirty years on The David Letterman Show, she sang it for the last time earlier in December.



Also, this was the first year, I brought this song into my music classroom and helped my 5th graders perform this song at their Holiday assembly.

I was reminded of how great this song was when I watched 20 Feet From Stardom last summer (I wrote about this film in more detail in this post).  One of the most powerful stories in this film is about Darlene Love. She was working as a maid after giving up on her singing career. She heard “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the radio and decided that she recommit herself to music.

This was the story I told my 5th graders when I introduced this song to them. I also told them about how Darlene Love was not given credit for some of the greatest songs in pop music like “He’s A Rebel,” and how only recently she got her due for being one of the greatest singers in the history of popular music.

I taught them how to sing the back up part and the lead vocals. We explored the form and learned how to play the chord progressions on xylophones. At first some of the students who weren’t Christians were no comfortable singing this song. However after discussions on how other classes were going to sing music from different cultures.  Also, the fact that this song was more about the universal value of togetherness and family more than Jesus Christ, my 5th graders really bought into this song.

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is one of the greatest Christmas songs and probably the greatest Christmas pop song because it embraces and reflects its genre authentically and beautifully. Like Phil Specter’s other masterpieces like “Unchained Melody” (which I discuss in this previous post), “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), features and unbelievable production featuring and incredible, groove, depth of sound and most importantly, soul.

Darlene leans into the melody with a mixture of Gospel, teenage heartache and emotional depth. Throughout all of this there is joy at the thought of being together with the one that she wishes would come home. It is this mixture of feelings, which reflects not what Christmas used to be about, but what Christmas and holidays in general have become for so many people in our culture.

There’s nothing saccharine, cheesy or campy about “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."  It’s spirited in expression, and its rocks.  What else could want in a Holiday song?

Easter Sermon from the Non-Christian

Okay, Jesus died on the cross. He rose from the dead a couple days later. He hung around for a little bit and went to heaven. Because of all of this we have Cadbury Eggs. Glory Hallelujah!!

As a dedicated Christeaster, I make sure to make it to my wife’s families’ Catholic Church twice a year, sometimes more (especially if my wife is being a Cantor). This year as I stood in the back of a crowded church, I started to wonder why there was only one woman in the entire congregation wearing an Easter bonnet and if there really was anything me as a non-Christian could get out of this holy day.

I didn’t really come up with much.

Then today at work one of my co-workers was telling me how she went to a funeral and watched a mother bury her son who died of cancer. The death had not been quick but rather long and painful. This was one of the instances were mercy came in death, not life.

The mother was inconsolable. As the people went outside into the cold and the wind she turned away from the casket. On this day when she buried her son, it was simply too much for her to watch her child be placed into the earth. This made me think.

The life of Christ is a story to me. I don’t believe that everything in the Bible is factually true. I agree that Jesus Christ is a real historic figure but as to his miracles and the circumstances of his death, resurrection and ascension . . . eh . . . I don’t personally believe that stuff. Regardless of your belief in Christ, the story of his life is amazing and is one of the most revealing and important reflections in our culture of the human condition.

Look death is scary. It is the ultimate unknown and the resurrection of Christ provides answers about the afterlife, proof that there is something beyond. It’s a story that I would love to believe. How wonderful would it be to known that if we do good we will get a reward, that there is some universal logic that balances our actions and our consequences?

One thing that I took exception to at the sermon I heard on Sunday was the idea that non-Christians are constantly looking for answers about the afterlife. I mean, I do wonder about it, but most of the time I just focus on being the best me that I can be when I am alive.

No one should have to bury his or her child. It’s a horrible, unimaginable prospect. Maybe there is comfort in the story of Easter that can help us get through these tough times, maybe not.

When my co-worker told me about the funeral something hit me deep down inside. Maybe it has to do with my age, or maybe it’s something deeper. Or maybe there is something in our own humanity that we all share.

Easter is one answer, one way to deal with the inevitable in our lives to make sense of it all. For those who believe the story, it’s the reality of humanity and for the rest of us it’s a reminder of the fears that tears us apart and the hope that binds us together.

Faith by George Michael

Have you ever had a friend who was in a mediocre relationship and just stuck with it because she didn’t think there was someone better suited for her out there? Or talked to someone who feels unmotivated to find a job because he doesn’t think that he can get a better gig?

If you don’t think in a positive way that something better can happen, nothing better ever will. You got to believe that you not only deserve something else but that you can get it. You to got to have to strength. You got to have courage and you got to have faith.

George Michael declaration, “Faith” is perhaps his most enduring songs. The best-selling single of 1988, the title track of the best selling album that year “Faith” is a song that continues to resonate in popular music.



Reinventing himself after the break-up of Wham! (most famous for their bubblegum pop hit “Wake Me Up Before Go-Go”), Michael ditched the neon and big hair and reappeared as a modern version of a 1950s rocker.



[btw, the "choose life" t-shirts have nothing to do with abortion, they were statements against suicide.]

With a slick pompadour, tight jeans, leather jacket, and aviator sunglasses, Michaels represented a new cool and “Faith” like his image drew upon music of generations past.

Starting with a musical allusion to religion, the church organ introduction fades in gradually growing into a peak, like a the sunrise slowing bathing a church in light through stained-glass windows. We expect to organ to resolve but instead it ends in a question mark and after a few seconds of silence we have our answer.

In a world of synthesizers and over-production, “Faith” stands out as an anomaly. With sparse instrumentation, guitar, bass, drums, “Faith” sounds more like a 1950s rock song than a late 1980s pop song. This acoustic and transparent instrumentation gives this song soul, drive and passion.

The lyrics are a brilliant internal discussion. It portrays feelings that people have in relationships with honesty. Look at the opening line, “Well I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body. I know not everybody has got a body like you.” There could not a more honest reflection of physical urges.

This conversation plays out throughout the rest of the song as he reflect on the pain that he has felt “time to pick my heat up off the floor” as well as his desire for companionship “well I need someone to hold me.” Michael concludes that even though he feels like he needs something even if it has hurt him, he will hold strong and “wait for something more.” And that at the end of all, he’s “gotta have faith.”

There’s something beautiful, a feeling like the sun is shining about this “Faith.” In this song there’s hope, a new beginning, reminding us that even though it’s scary to take a chance, it’s also exciting. There is strength and courage reflected in this song through Michael’s vocals but it’s the pure joy that resonates, that reminds us that faith is something to be celebrated, something that inspires us. And that in the rough time in our live you simply got to have faith.

Merry Xmas . . . sorry , I mean Happy Holidays . . I mean . . . SIGH . . . nevermind

For the past couple week when people have been exchanging holiday greetings, I’ve heard a mixture of “Merry Christmas” and “ Happy Holidays.” I work at a public school that teaches grades 3-5, so I’ve been conscientious to say “Happy Holidays” to student knowing full well that many of my student do not celebrate Christmas.

The weird thing is , that even thought I’m not Christian, my instinct is to say “Merry Christmas” and I’ve been noticing that I have to catch myself almost saying that instead of “Happy Holidays.” It makes perfect sense to say happy holidays as, it does encompass events like Chanukah, but the word “holiday” means “holy day” so if you’re not celebrating anything at all, it implies that you should be celebrating some kind of religious event in the month of September which seems just as offensive.

Some argue the Political Correctness has gone to far. I don’t necessarily think so. A lot of it is correcting terms that are just plain wrong. “Native Americans,” makes a lot more sense than “Indian” seeing how the only reason that Columbus named them Indians is because he actually thought he was in India. Then there’s oriental term for Asians which means from the east, which doesn’t make sense for half of America in which Asia is actually west of America. However I do agree there are time that political correctness can be a little silly.

Brad Paisely examines this issue and the overboard ridiculousness of political correctness in “Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday.” In his albums, Paisley features older country stars in comedic “Kung Pao” skits, including such legendary country musicians as Bill Anderson, George Jones and Little Jimmy Dickens and in his Christmas album, this group of musicians went off on political correctness.



While I agree it’s probably good practice to say “Happy Holidays” the idea of changing the word “Christmas” to “Holiday” in Christmas songs is ridiculous. In this song Paisley and his friend try this out and find the results idiotic. Other changes have to be made, “white Christmas,” becomes “Caucasian holiday” and they worry that “Silent Night,” will offend people who are deaf and others who are afraid of the dark. Paisley and his friend gently poke fun at the “Christmas” or “Holiday” issue and help us reflect on the ridiculousness that often ensues in trying to ensure that we are sensitive and that no one is being offended.

Now I love Christmas music. I’m not Christian, and it doesn’t really offend me to hear or sing songs about the birth of Christ. I do get tired of this stuff after a while, but the bottom line is many Christmas songs like “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” have so little to do with the religious meaning of Christmas that it seems harmless for people of any belief to sing.

American was founded by Christians, is mostly populated by Christians, which will probably be the case for some time. Part of being a minority is learning to accept things that the majority are into. Should people who are Christian be sensitive to the fact that there are people who do not share their beliefs, of course so, but there’s also a line between being sensitive and just being stupid.

I’m an Asian American and I’ve only really been offended by an Asian portrayal once in my memory. It was those cats in Lady And A Tramp. So wrong.



My theory is that most people don’t get offended as much as people think. A lot of political correctness come from offended for someone else’s sake. This makes groups feel like they should be offended about something that really doesn’t make them upset. So before you get offended for a friend, check in with them to see if they really care, you may be surprised.

So I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a merry one, if you got some other Holiday going on, I hope that goes well too. And have a happy new year! (at least I can say that without worrying about offended anyone. . . oh Lord, I forgot, the Chinese don’t celebrate their New Year until Febuary. . . argh!).

Only The Good Die Young by Billy Joel

In our culture there are two prevalent stereotypes of “Catholic school girl.” Either it’s a girl who is incredibly chaste and innocent or a girl who in response to her upbringing is mischievous and rebellious.

Now I married a Catholic school girl. Diana was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school from grade school all the way through high school. Diana doesn’t fall isn’t either stereotypes. She is well balanced and has almost never felt a need to rebel from her upbringing (unless you count marrying me, which is a whole separate issue). ANYWAYS. . . .

Billy Joel on the other hand is dealing with one extreme: the Catholic girl who under the power of the Lord has not done anything bad, never takes a chance and of course would be seen with the protagonist that Billy Joel portrays.

Joel’s character uses brilliant “Barney Stinson” logic to convince this girl to go out with him and to loosen up and live a little.
Saints, the people who are good always seem to die young so wouldn’t you rather sin a little bit and have more time on earth to party? What young person wouldn’t rather “laugh with the sinners than die with the saints?”

With an upbeat boogie-woogie baseline and a celebratory swinging horn section Joel revels in the glory of enjoying sin. What Joel is talking about isn’t anything really all that bad. He’s commenting on the atmosphere that he grew up in during the late 1950s. This was a time when the reaction Elvis Presley was that his dance moves were sinful and that his music was evil ala Jon Lithgow in Footloose. Do you remember all the things people said about Marolyn Manson being a bad influence on children? Yeah, the exactly same things verbatim were said about Elvis. Sigh, isn’t it nice to see how far we’ve gotten?

While this song is silly portrayal of teenage logic, it does have some interesting things to say about the nature of teenage sexuality. Joel makes statements about the Catholic education, “Virginia, they didn’t give you quite enough information.” Now I’m not here to judge Catholicism stance on sexual education, but Catholic schools aren’t exactly leaders in this field. The idea of a protagonist like Joel’s character doing the teaching to my daughter? ‘shudder’ This is why we need to really think hard about what we are teaching our children about sexuality.

Back to my wife. . .

Did I have to do a little persuading to convince Diana to go out with me? Yes. Did she reject me the first time I asked her out. . . kind of. . . but it was all worth it. Now it’s not like I was Billy Joel’s character. I wasn’t out to corrupt Diana. I did teach her how to better utilize expletives in her daily discourse and I am responsible for her enjoying of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which does feature pagan witchcraft. However, Diana found the Harry Potter books herself so I can’t be held responsible that level of sin she has sunk down to.

Joel sings, “sooner or later it comes down to fate, I might as well be the one" which reminds me of convincing Diana to go out with me. I wasn’t going to leave it to fate, Diana was too special a person to pass up. And I thank God every day that she chose me to be the one.

Like A Prayer by Madonna

"Like A Prayer" Music video
"Like A Prayer" Live performance

My family has belongs to a Buddhist temple in Taiwan. In the main room of the temple, there are little shrines, maybe an inch tall and half an inch wide, which like tiles, cover the walls and the pillars. Inside each of these little shrines in someone’s name and in one of the shrines on a pillar is my name and every day the nuns in this temple pray for the people whose names make up the interior of the temple.

Last time, I visited the temple I walked into the temple and my mother introduced me, they went straight to the spot where I was in the wall, which they knew by heart since regularly prayed for me. Every day, when I wake up in the morning and slide on a necklace, a red string with a pendant that depicts Guan Yin, a central female Buddhist figure and I think of the nuns across the world in Taiwan who pray for me.

I’m not a religious man, in the “organized religion” sense. My parents do not belong to any church and I didn’t go to church regularly as a kid. However, I do feel that I am religious. I have delved deep into Buddhism, which acts as my spiritual center and I’ve made a strong effort to understand and know Christianity.

It is through this lens, that I hear “Like A Prayer” by Madonna. Released in 1989 on the album of the same title, “Like A Prayer” was widely criticized. The music video for “Like A Prayer” featured a field burning crosses, an attempted rape scene, police racial discrimination, religious miracles (crying statues, stigmata), a statue of a saint coming to life (which Madonna proceeds to make-out with), and murder. People criticized Madonna for the use of religious imagery (some of which including the fields burning crosses, a symbol used by the Ku Klux Klan, were understandably disturbing). Pepsi who had an endorsement deal with Madonna dropped her and the use of “Like A Prayer” from there ad campaign after Pepsi executives viewed the video. What is surprising is that the song itself did not seem to offend, which in some ways had more potential to be offensive than the music video.

“When you call my name its like a little prayer, I’m down on my knees, I want to take you there.”

This is the central line in “Like A Prayer” that Madonna repeats throughout the song. Literally, the line says that when you call my name it sounds like you are praying. This affects me in such a way that I get on my knees and want to take you “there.”

From my understanding people aren’t suppose to pray for frivolous things. Prayer is reserved for things that are beyond our materialistic wants, things that are close to the heart. Being in someone’s prayers is an honor, it means that you are one of the most important things in that persons life so Madonna’s first line “when you call my name, it’s like a little prayer” speaks to how much devotion and love she hears in her love’s voice.

If someone is speaking to you in a way that is so close to the heart that it sounds like praying, it would make you feel extremely honored. Therefore, you would logically make want to reciprocate that feeling get down on your knees as well and pray for them wanting to take that person to the same feeling.

Madonna blurs this literal meaning with the implication of comparing spiritual ecstasy with sexual ecstasy. If you interpret “there” as a state of physical euphoria than the line “when you call my name its like a little prayer, I’m down on my knees, I want to take you there” takes on a different message. Lines later in this song “your voice can take me there” enforce this layer of meaning.

Take away any thought of what this songs means and then listen to this song, because even though Madonna is playing around with religious and sexual implications the songs itself is a simply a fusion of Gospel and Pop celebrating how great someone can make you feel which may be closer to what Madonna’s intention.

The song starts with angry guitar riff, cut off with a bang like the closing of a door. Madonna has a solemn opening like a morning prayer and then the song kicks into high gear. After the first chorus, the verse fixates on the sound of “your voice” and the idea of someone can take Madonna away to a point that its like she is losing control. The second verse compares the subject to a child and a dream. The gospel choir enters which Madonna follows with a journey through darkness before a celebrative iteration of chorus.

At the least offensive, Madonna is comparing the love that she shares with someone to the feeling that she gets from being in church and singing along with a Gospel choir praising God. At it’s most offensives, Madonna is using religious allusions and musical artifacts like Gospel music to sing about sex.

Madonna wasn’t the first person to blur the lines between religion and sex in music. Ray Charles more than twenty years earlier started to take gospel melodies and sing them with sexual lyrics which caused people to be quite upset, like the couple in the trailer for the Ray (1 minute 14 seconds in).

When I listen to “Like A Prayer” it’s not about sex, it’s about the feeling that you get listening to great, joyous music. The song takes the listener from darkness to light combining the frenetic energy of 1980s music with the soul of a gospel choir. I don’t know much about religious ecstasy. I’ve never felt it or really know anyone who has, but the idea that we can find a transcendent level of joy in our lives, in each other not through sexual activities but meaningful and profound human connections is a beautiful idea and I know I’ve been lucky enough to feel these kinds of connections in my life.

“Like A Prayer” triumphant statement that begs to be questioned but cannot be helped but be enjoyed. It reminds me of great times with friends, the euphoric freedom that can only come through dancing with friends and spiritual joy that comes from knowing that somebody other there is praying for me.

Angels by Robbie Williams

"Angels" live performance

America can be a stubborn country. We are one of the only countries who doesn’t use the metric system instead we prefer our “standard” system which clearly makes more sense (16 1/2 feet make a rod. . . .right and seriously how many of you know how many rods are in a mile?). Soccer or “football” is the most popular sport in everywhere but in the United States (which could partially be because of our sports casters).

Then there is Robbie Williams, one of the most popular solo pop artists in the world, who has sold over 55 million records worldwide. However, in America, it’s a different story.

Now this isn’t for a lack of trying. In 1999, after releasing two best-selling albums in England (and the rest of the world), he compiled songs from an American albu, He Ego Has Landed. The first single from this album “Millennium” was only a moderate success, reaching number 72 on the billboard top 100 charts and his second single “Angels” did better reaching number 41 on the charts. The Ego Has Landed ended up selling half a million copies, which was not a substantial success compared to the last album that he released in the United Kingdom which sold almost three million copies.

Britney Spears, DMX, Garth Brooks and the Backstreet Boys dominated the United States charts in 1999 and maybe there just wasn’t space in the market for Robbie. Maybe Capitol records didn’t properly promote Robbie’s album and maybe for the same inexplicable reasons that soccer never seems to catch on in America, Robbie didn’t either.

Robbie’s music, though not embraced by America is some of the finest popular music in our time. It ranges from quirky and funny to personal and reflective. There is no better example of what is so great about everything that is Robbie than “Angels” the second single Robbie released in America. A pop song not about romantic love or partying, it’s about a deeper and more powerful force, the faith and the love that we hold that sustains us.

The song opens contemplating the existence of angels and their power over us. Robbie sings about being told about angels and concludes the verse stating, “when I feel that love is dead, I’m loving angels instead.” When love fails us and we feel alone, there’s something greater out there to believe in. These “angels” are people in our lives that we know loves us unconditionally or a religious entity that shows its love through mysterious ways.

The lyrics in the chorus express all that the angel brings: love despite being right or wrong and love that will be there no matter where the “waterfall” of life takes us. The chorus has a glow to it. When Robbie sings, “I know that life won’t break me” it feels like comforting smile. It’s not cocky, or overconfident, it’s instead a feeling of faith and hope that you only get from being around someone who genuinely feel that the world is a beautiful place.

In the second verse, Robbie sings about pain describing it as going down a one-way street. This is followed by a statement of faith, “I look above and I know I’ll always be blessed with love.” The way that melody is shorter on “I look above” without held notes reflects a quiet contemplation. The melody fills out in “I know I’ll always be blessed” which is followed by “blessed with love” sung with quiet assurance. The way that this melody is structured puts an emphasis on the conviction of feeling loved reflecting the fact that it is knowing that we are loved, above the feeling of love itself that brings us faith.

If someone asked me to give an example of what a great pop male singing voice sounds, I would give them a Robbie Williams song. His voice is accessible, clear and expressive. He voice is a fusion of pop music genres that sounds organic and effortless. There is a range between the almost spoken verses and the long held notes in the chorus. His voice is pop without being cheesy, with a level of depth, maturity and strength that is rarely heard in pop music today.

The idea of “angels” comes from Christianity and there are a couple allusions to the Christian faith in the song. In the first verse, “salvation lets their winds unfold” illustrates the idea of God creating angels to save us. The second verse opens talking about how looking “above” (to God) renews our faith and also talks about creation as angels “breathe flesh to my bones.”

This song does not come across as overtly Christian. Part of this has to do with the facts that the idea of angels has become such a central part of our culture that films like Angels In The Outfield feature angels that are more feel mythical than religious. In addition “Angels “ focuses on faith in love, not Christ or Christianity itself, which is why it appeals to us in such a deep and powerful way.

We all have angels in our lives. For me, it’s not so much a religious thing. I didn’t going to church every Sunday growing up so the angels in my life are people. These are my family and close friends who I can always turn to no matter what life throws at me. However, there’s another angel that we all have in our lives, ourselves.

The love we have for who we are is the most sustaining and empowering love in our lives. When people say, “I love you,” they are telling us not only how they feel but how we should feel about ourselves. It is through this love that angels exist and our souls can take flight.

Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season) by The Byrds

"Turn! Turn! Turn!” the Byrds live performance
"Turn! Turn! Turn!” Roger McGuin & Bruce Springsteen live performance

I was named after a trash can.

Well that’s the joke but it’s half-true. People often ask me how my parent’s chose my first name, "Kingsley." The short answer is that my dad saw the name on a office product and named me after a company which now specializes in depositories www.kingsley.com (and well yes, they do make trash cans but mostly they specialize in drops boxes).

The real answer is about the immigrant experience. When people immigrate from Asia, most of the time they chose American first names, use the middle name for their Chinese name (mine is Chin-Jer) and use their original last name. Choosing the American name for immigrants often comes from taking a name that sounds like their Chinese name. For example my dads full Chinese name is “Tang Bing-Yue” (in Chinese the order of names are: last, first then middle). My dad when he came to America took "Bing," (i.e. Bing Crosby) and my dad’s American name is Bing Yue Tang.

Now when my parent were trying to figure out an American names for my me and my borther they didn’t want to use a Christian derived name, since they were not Christian. Most American names have Christian origins except for the British Royal names like "Edward" my brother’s first name and "Kingsley" which is derived the from the Scottish clan name "Kinsella."

My parents played along with the Christian traditions which had made their way into the American culture like Christmas and Easter which we celebrated non-religiously. It seemed to me growing up that Christianity was something for other people that I didn't need to know about.

Growing up listening to the local oldies station with my dad "Turn! Turn! Turn!" was a song that I knew well and even in middle school I fancied myself an expert on popular music. So when one of my friends spoke about his excitement about this song because the lyrics were from the Bible, well, it brought together two worlds: the popular music world that I loved and the Christian world, which I had been ignoring.

Since then I have made an effort to get to know Christianity, not because I wanted to convert or go to church every Sunday, I just didn't want to be left out. I wanted to know about the religion inspired some of the most important and transcendent art in history.

In studying Christianity in American culture, I have seen interpretations of the religion that I strongly disagree with. From Bob Jones universities policy banning interracial marriage on its campus which was in effect until it was taken off the books in 2000, to current arguments citing verses from the Bible to argue homosexuality as being a sinful lifestyle choice. Many people have insidiously distorted Christianity to serve their own agendas. This is not only annoying but infuriating because at its core, at its best Christianity is a hopeful religion and one of the truest expressions of all that is humanity and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” represents all of this in a beautiful and powerful way.

When Pete Seeger, one of the most influential American folk singers, used the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1 from the King James version of the Bible he was responding to his publisher who disliked his protest songs. Seeger responded that what protest songs “were the only songs he knew how to write" as he explains in this interview.



The two musicians at the end of this clip are Roger McGuinn and David Crosby who as members of the band the Bryds recorded “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and transformed it from an obscure folk song to an iconic song of the 1960s.

McGuinn describes how they added a “Beatle beat” and an counter-melody to use as an introduction but the Byrds did so much than that to the song. What is immediately striking about this song is the Roger McGuinn’s guitar. This song is one of the most famous uses of the 12-string Rickebacker guitar. This guitar features 6 pairs of strings, each pair tuned to the same note that corresponds to a stings on regular 6-string guitar. The bottom four pairs have the strings tuned in octaves on the same note while the top two pairs are tuned in the same octave. This creates a bright resonant sound, that sparkles like the light shining through oak trees leaves on a sunny day.



The guitar playing of McGuinn’s 12-string Rickebacker seems to turn and roll into itself enforcing the meaning of the lyrics. Watching McGuinn playing this song solo with his guitar up the creative and understated way that McGuinn moves through the chords and creates the sound of multiple guitars in becomes clear.

On top of this rolling guitar line are the vocals which alternate between unison singing on “to everything” to the gentle harmony behind the words “turn, turn, turn.” David Crosby, who later went on to further fame with Crosby, Stills and Nash provides the gentle high harmony which brings a comforting sense to the melody.

While the chorus has a sense of calmness and acceptance the verses express a feeling of urgency. With the turning of the earth and the cycle of life, thereis inevitable that all the things in the verses, both good and bad are happening and the purpose behind all of this is beyond are understanding.

Seeger added the last two lines of the final verse because he needed them to balance out the verse but in adding “a time for peace, I swear it’s not too late” he breaks the pattern. Every other line describes the good and the bad, a yin/yang relationship. The song mentions peace in the third verse but is preceded by war. However ending the last verse with peace alone is a statement that peace is coming and that we can’t give up.

“Turn! Turn! Turn!” may not be the greatest religious song ever written but it helped me understand what Christianity means to people. It showed me that Christianity is about embracing the human experience. It is knowing that everything, even the bad things, have a purpose and that in the end of all there is always hope because in life it is never to late embrace love over hate and embrace peace over war.

That’s not a bad bunch of ideas to be at the center of a culture, or a life.

All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" music video

Is Christmas a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ? Yes. Is there other traditions attached to this holiday that have little to do Jesus Christ? Yes. Is a necessarily a bad thing? Yes, but only kind of.

Christmas in many ways seems like a disingenuous holiday. Research has shown that Jesus Christ was most likely born not in December. Early Christians celebrated Christmas in December to overshadow pagan holidays that celebrated the winter solstice. There was of course no snow when Jesus was born, the Coca-Cola Company created the modern day image of Santa Claus and retailers aren’t thinking about baby Jesus when they are pumping Christmas music over their speakers the day after thanksgiving and holding holiday sales throughout the month of December.

It’s slightly annoying sometimes (well it was REALLY annoying yesterday when I was trying to find a parking space at the mall) but despite all of the artificial and over-commercialization of Christmas, American culture has changed Christmas in a true national celebration of what is most joyous and important in our lives. Moreover, I can’t think of song that exemplifies that better then Mariah Carey’s Christmas masterpiece, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Almost every pop artist you can think of has released a Holiday themed album or song, most of which are focused on Christmas. Most of these songs are ok, some are just painful and a few of them are inspired. What is it about “All I Want for Christmas Is You” that has made it have a more beloved than let’s say “'Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)” by John Denver?



Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country” is one of my favorites songs, but a song that features son pleading to his dad to not get drunk so his mom won’t cry on Christmas is just wrong. ANYWAYS, moving on . . .

Mariah Carey and her writing partner Walter Afanasieff utilized musical allusions so that the music, even without the lyrics we would instantly recognize this as a Christmas song. The first sound we here are orchestral bells that bring to mind a toy piano which places us in the mind a child anticipating opening presents of Christmas mornings. The chimes that follow remind us of church bells and Mariah Carey’s gospel inspired opening takes us to Christmas service. Then come the sleigh bells from “Jingle Bells” one of the most beloved Christmas songs (which has a hilarious third verse in which the narrator falls in the snow is passed by a “gent” who laughs at him and drives away). This is enough to put us in the Christmas mood but there is even more to this song.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” creates an enthusiastic and joyous energy through th rhythmic organization in the music. After the introduction of the song, the piano enters with the sleigh bells. The piano is dividing the beat into three equal parts, emphasizing every three notes (0.51 into the song):
1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3

Right when Mariah comes in the piano part changes still dividing the beat into three parts but accenting every two notes it plays (0.57 into the song):
1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3

The speed of the notes stays the same however the piano line accents them differently.

If you take the rhythm from the first line “I don’t want a lot for Christmas” and identify which subdivided beats the words fall on it looks like this:
1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3
I___Don’t_Want_a lot_for__Christ-mas

If you look carefully you will carefully you will notice that “-lot for Christmas” accents every three divided beats its’ just shifted over one note. Now if we superimpose the melody emphases over the piano emphases we see an interesting relationships.

Beat-------1------2-----3------4------5-----6------7------8
Melody-1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3
Piano---1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3

Only during beats, 1, 3, 4, 6 & 8 does the emphases in the melody line up with the emphases in the piano. When the verse gets to the line “All I Want for Christmas Is You” the melody and piano line both emphasize ever three subdivided beats creating a sense of arrival and resolution. The bass line, which seems rhythmically dull keep these two lines from drawing apart by maintaining a consistent beat. Whenever two instruments that are emphasizing subdivided beat in different ways the music has an chaotic energy that is like the feeling of kids engaging in different activities during recess, but like teachers who supervise recess the bass line keeps them the frameworks makes sure this energy never gets out of control.

My favorite moment in the song is at the end of the bridge singers, which features a fascinating development in the back-up singers part that helps create the energetic climax of the song. From the beginning of the bridge, the back-up singers change notes predictably every 4 beats. The part changes with the line “and everyone is singing” when the back-up singers hold their note for this entire line which is 8 beats long. In the next line the “I hear those sleigh bells ringing,” the back-up singers change the notes every 4 beats starting before “I” and changing their note on “sleigh.” Then the back singers drop out and punctuate the third beat of the next two measures accented “bring” and “need” of “Santa won't you bring me the one I really need.” Finally, the back up singers come earlier then we expect in the next measure on beat two instead of beat three emphasizing “my” of “Won't you please bring my baby to me?” The changes in the back-up singers make the bridge drive forward without actually the song speeding up. It expresses a frenzied almost uncontainable child-like excitement that propels the song into the last verse.

Mariah Carey goes through a Christmas journey in this song. The song starts with her disregarding many American Christmas ideas that really don’t have anything to do the birth of Christ. She doesn’t want presents or stocking. She doesn’t think that Santa Claus can make her happy. She’s not looking forward to snow or reindeer. All she wants is for Christmas is the one she loves. In many ways, Mariah is describing what is at the core of the holiday season for many people, including myself, which is sharing time with the ones we love.

Then in the bridge, something changes. She sees the Christmas lights and the excitement of children. She hears people singing and sleigh bells ringing and she eve asks Santa to bring her baby to her, even though she said earlier that Santa could not make her happy. She falls into the magic of the seasons and it’s a heartwarming transitions in which she accepts what is all around as part of what makes her happy making the final verse even more joyous and celebratory.

I’m not Christian and I understand that it’s challenging for non-Christians to have a religious holiday pushed into their face and the middle of the culture. It does overshadow over cultures but we do live in Christian-centric society. I’m not saying that because the majority of Americans are Christian that means our society doesn’t have a responsibility to acknowledge other religions holidays. It does and honestly, we do a pretty mediocre job of learning about other religions. How many Americans do you think can effectively explain Ramadan to their children? But let’s not be bitter about this.

The emotions and the meaning of Christmas in America is something that we can celebrate without mentioning Jesus Christ and understand without ever going to church. If we as non-Christians can do this, it helps us gain and understanding into the spirituality of Christianity, which gives us perspective to help others understand our own beliefs.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is about wanting what is important. It’s about taking a look around and enjoying the happiness of people around you and it’s about looking on the bright side of life.

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s as my friend Sara told me last night: a song about a girl who wants to get laid on Christmas.

Either way, I hope you all have a great time during the next couple of days celebrating whatever you are celebrating and sharing this time with the people that you love.