Tuesday, December 09, 2008

YouTube Tuesday: Ghosts of Christmases Past

Just to warn you, this isn't a nod to the classics in the Bing sense of classic. This is my childhood. The '80s. I dare you to handle it. And no, I'm not posting any sort of Charlie Brown greatness. Too easy.

There is a '90s video at the end. A video that's pretty gosh darn neat. There, I've dangled a carrot. May the YouTube Party begin....

Amy Grant

Just as Whitney will always love you (and Kevin Costner), so will I always love Amy. That hair. That sweater. The way it perfectly matches those amazing pants. She's timeless.

Plus, she has friends like Art Garkunfel. And Art reads books. A lot of them. He's indexed every book he's read in the last 40 years. Be intimidated.



And if you want to watch the entire Amy special, just ask. The VHS is sitting on the shelf behind me. There's a 0% chance I'm kidding.

Evie

Not her signature "Come On Rings Those Bells," but equally nostalgic. This was what my childhood sounded like, folks. Although I don't remember Dutch subtitles.

And yes, I'm very aware that Boney M. monopolizes this song. Whatev.*

*ALERT: That was the first time I've ever typed "whatev." I don't think I like it.



Jon Anderson

I don't remember the intro, but the rest I do. That voice. That arrangement. No one else should ever sing this song. And I should have asked for a synthesizer for Christmas.



Um, Dad, it was Jon Anderson you used to play in the old gray car, right? Or am I just completely insane, adopting someone else's nostalgia as my own?

Nostalgic Honorable Mention: Michael W. Smith

Yes, I get my '80s piano noodling* style from this man. Blame Smitty for my awesomeness. I believe we have the same vocal range too.

This is just an audio file. But a good one. If you can't handle staring at a non-video video, dance around the room or something. I won't tell.

*noodle is in the dictionary as a verb. I love that. And yes, I used it correctly. I love it when the English language follows my lead.



Muppets. Singing about Michael Caine.

"Even the vegetables don't like him."

If you've made it this far, I applaud you. And reward you. It isn't Christmas without Michael Caine and singing puppets. I have this song on my iPod. Because it's amazing. And because I have a crush on Rizzo the Rat.



Gonzo = Christmas cheer.

5 comments:

Kathleen Gallagher said...

There was not nearly enough Michael Caine in that clip for my liking. Although the singing vegetables almost made up for it.

oncoffee said...

Amy Grant
her 1st 2 christmas albums are among the best christmas albums

Evie
your mother & i - when we were dating - went to a people's church missions banquet where evie was the special music

Jon Anderson
yes - that's the name of the band Anderson was part of
yes - i did have the record that i made a copy on to cassette
yes - you can add the cd to my christmas list

michael w smith
classic noodling - again i had this on cassette

michael caine / muppets
a classic version of the classic

Beth said...

the only time i ever listen to amy grant anymore is at christmas. RIGHT NOW i am listening to her first christmas album. although i must admit, the first cassette i ever bought was "house of love."

house.
of.
love.

nadine said...

Kathleen, I apologize for the lack of Caine. Watch the movie and you'll get your fill :)

Dad, your cassettes were the soundtracks of my childhood. Clearly. I think I have the Smitty tape (stolen from you) somewhere.

Beth, Amy's Christmas stuff is among the best that's out there. She just sounds like the holidays.

P.S. I have the "House of Love" tape too! I even saw her perform during her "House of Love" tour. In Vancouver. 1995. Sigh.

oncoffee said...

I opened a box looking for something else yesterday... & I found

an Amy Grant Christmas tape,
Evie's Christmas tape, and a,
Michael W Smith Christmas tape
but no Jon Anderson