The Vaguest Ideas: Advent Calendar in Song: Christmas Wrapping

25 December, 2010

Advent Calendar in Song: Christmas Wrapping

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping

Like all the best presents, this is a whole lot of things wrapped up in one, it's a novelty song, it's a Christmas song, it's a pop song tinged with occasional rock bass and the pre-hip-hop white rap that justifies the cute pun title. But the reason I give it pride of place is that it tells a story, quirky, humorous, in two converging time lines, and lightly romantic.

More important than the supposed birth of the saviour of mankind, or the consumerist event that briefly falsely bolsters the economy, or an excuse for over indulgent family dining and gifting, since 2005 this day has celebrated the continuing regeneration of our favorite Gallifreyan. In honor of today's Dr Who Christmas special, the first under the steward and penman-ship of Steven Moffat and the doctorship of Matt Smith, a link to the best, apart from the original Radiophonic theme, Dr Who song I've ever heard:

Chameleon Circuit - An Awful Lot of Running

For good measure, an another Dr Who song, with a toy like plinky plonk sound and twee vocal, it has the sound of a school nativity play I'd like to see, and a video which answers the question what would a supermarket trolley be like if it was possessed by the spirit of a dalek?

Dalek Chorus - Jesus Licks

Not to the put the cat amongst the pigeons, or partridges, but a non-musical offering, which should be the 1st of 12. Well, it is, but I'm not going to follow it up personally. This is the late great Peter Cook's A Life in Pieces, which sadly was only shown once, it is a series of 12 5 minute interviews with one of Cook's greatest creations Arthur Streeb-Greebling, each featuring a different well known gift for each of the days of Christmas. The interviewer is Ludovic Kennedy who was a proper serious interviewer / broadcaster. You should be able to find the rest on YouTube properly, but here's number one, A Partridge In A Pear Tree.

Finally, a last fun song, which I only stumbled across whilst researching this thread, just about all I can offer for Christmas, is my heritage anyway....