Tag: Alex Melton

Christmas Songbook Day 9: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey

The OG version. Keep your Biebers away from this song.

Yep, we’re doing this.

So I’m pretty sure I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song. It was November/December 1994. I was sleeping over at a friend’s house. In the morning, over breakfast, I listened to his younger sister and her best friend (whom I would later have a bit of a crush on) obsessing over Mariah Carey’s new Christmas album. I was admittedly more intrigued by the album artwork, because I was a 14-year-old boy in need of sanctification.

Over that Christmas and the next, every time I heard this song, I would think about that girl (the sister’s friend) whom I grew to admire from a distance and only got the courage to ask out once (to Homecoming–about a day after someone else asked her out). I will admit, to my great embarrassment, that no small amount of overwrought poetry was written in her honor.

The lyrics of this song are saccharine-sweet, pure teenage exuberance — essentially, I don’t want presents or treats or toys, I just want you, you would make my Christmas wish come true, oh baby baby baby. (I guess it makes sense that Justin Bieber eventually intruded into this song.)

I can imagine that Mariah Carey eventually got tired of singing this song for 30 years. (Or maybe not. Let’s be real, the royalties off this track alone have probably set her up for life financially.) I doubt anyone (Carey included) anticipated that it would become a cultural touchstone during the Christmas season, both deeply loved and also much maligned.

Personally, I don’t get why the track inspires the vitriol it sometimes does. Of course, it’s cheesy; so is “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and you don’t see people freak out when Little Michael and his brothers start belting that out.

Maybe I’m just prone to enjoy cheesy music more than the average person. The whole “Whampocalypse” thing makes me chuckle, too, because “Last Christmas” is obviously silly and shallow but I’m not going to get mad about it. (There are only a few Christmas songs that really get under my skin; and yes, Michael, I am going to address that particular one before the month’s out.)

So hey, if you love the Mariah Carey track, or if you hate it, you have to at least acknowledge that it’s super catchy, it’s easily singable, and it’s got a degree of timeless wholesomeness that has kept it around for the last 3 decades.

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Since you know how much I adore unique covers, I’ll leave you with two for this song.

The first, by (4thDaveBlog favorite) Alex Melton, plays up the overwrought emotion with an emo-pop-punk take on the track:

And the second, from the criminally under-appreciated Jamie Cullum, brings a jazzy playfulness to the song that I really love:

#Blogtober2021 Day Almost the End: “#FridayFeed Videodrome–THE REVENGE!”

Photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.com

How’s that for a title!

Hey gang, I figured it was about time for another #FridayFeed post, and I have a bunch of videos I’ve collected over the last few weeks that you may enjoy, so here’s your bit of weekend entertainment.

Hit me up in the comments and let me know your favorite. Leggo!

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I’m a fan of Doctor Who (at least up until the current incarnation which is…not good). This video explores what may be one of my very favorite episodes of New-Who, featuring what is probably my favorite version of The Doctor from this era of the show). This may not interest you if you’re not familiar with Who, but it does provide a great analysis of how science fiction can be used to examine themes like loss.

I first saw Sam Perry on the Austrailian version of the TV show The Voice. This Beatles cover is stellar.

If there’s any possible way to redeem a Nickelback song, Alex Melton’s the guy to do it.

I loved this video about how lo-fi music works. It totally makes sense why I love it when I’m trying to pull a late-night work session.

Okay, one more Peter Capaldi clip because seriously, this dude just kills it as The Doctor. You don’t need context for this one, but I just love this monologue (one of the very few moments of the show that breaks the fourth wall).

You’ve probably heard the story of how Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater production of War of the Worlds created a nationwide panic. Well, the truth is…probably not that extreme. However, this retrospective of the broadcast and aftermath (from “Inside a Mind”) is fascinating and well worth your time, exploring a possible reason why that panic myth was spread.

And if you’re interested in listening to the WotW broadcast in its entirety, here you go:

Austin McConnell’s video on why escape rooms sometimes don’t work or aren’t done well is interesting (although he doesn’t give much in the way of recommendations for how to make them better). Still, worth a look if you’re into that.

POMPLAMOOSE / MOBY – “Extreme Ways” — SO. GOOD.

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That’s it, gang. Have a great weekend. I’ll have something new for you next week!

Friday Feed (2/19/2021)

Photo by Ruvim Miksanskiy on Pexels.com

Happy Friday, friends!

It’s been a wild week here at the 4thDave homestead, as wintery weather has knocked out power and weakened water supplies in my home state (where the stars at night are big and bright *clap clap clap clap*). My planned posts need to be bumped as other things take precedence.

In the meantime, here are a few links I’ve enjoyed recently. Have a great weekend and stay warm!

  • Pastor James Coates is the pastor of Grace Life Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His church has been meeting without following the restrictions imposed by the local government, which the congregation argues is not consistent with the facts on the ground about C19 spread in their area and which, they argue, oversteps the government’s realm of authority. As a result, Coates has been fined, warned, and finally arrested. The Cripplegate has some good coverage of the arrest, as well as some of the response and online pushback. I have to admit, I’ve gone back and forth on this, primarily because each side of this discussion is framing their position as unassailable and their opponents as deceitful, when the reality is that both “sides” seem to be shading the truth to their advantage. (Example: I’ve seen many people say that Coates was jailed for “preaching the Gospel.” That’s just not true; he was jailed specifically for violating the local restrictions in order to gather as a church. He could preach the Gospel online, or to a handful of people, and not be arrested for the same reasons–IOW, it’s not the content of his preaching that got him arrested, or the fact that he was preaching. It’s because he and his congregation made the choice to meet. That’s their right to act in line with their convictions, but let’s be honest about the reasons.) All of this raises some good questions about the right limits of government authority and the necessity of gathering as the Church–questions that will continue to be discussed for months to come.
  • On that same topic, Alistair Begg has some good words about the importance of church attendance.
  • From the “Things that will get me called a RINO” file: I like Jonah Goldberg a lot. In the landscape of political pundits, I find myself agreeing with him the most often. Here, he argues that the answer to the craziness and stupidity conservatives see on the political left is not to create their own party of craziness and stupidity on the Right. The best response is to be boring grown-ups. (I’d LOVE to be part of the Boring Grown-up Party for a change.)
  • Seth Godin has a few words on “the pinging.”
  • Two great song covers for your enjoyment:

Have a great weekend, y’all!