Christmas Songs – Think Bensonium

Day 286: Do they know it’s Covid Time, Joe

Roderick Benson — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Staying with the comedy, I think this is the song to finish the year on as it summaries the UK Tory government nicely. Let’s hope 2021 is a better year but it feels like an impossibly long time to wait before this current crop of cabinet charlatans (I mean ministers) are finally prised from the levers of power. I think humour is about the only defence we have against those in power who care nothing about those they lead.

Happy New Year Everyone

Day 285: Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree, Mel and Kim

Roderick Benson — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Another bizarre unique Christmas video. The other thing that keeps me going in life is comedy and one of my all time favourite double acts were Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. Their head to heads were hilarious but this head to head quickly takes an interesting Christmas musical twist with none other but Kim Wilde. Well worth watching if you haven’t seen it before.

PS: this video hasn’t aged well in relation to the gag about Rolf Harris.

Day 284: All I want for Christmas is you, Mariah Carey

Roderick Benson — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

A nice happy and I guess pretty popular Christmas song for that middling time between Christmas and New Year’s day when you feel like you have gained a few extra pounds and are beginning to wonder what next year will bring.

Day 283: Merry Christmas Darling, Karen Carpenter.

Roderick Benson — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

As everyone will be well aware there are plenty of Christmas classics that fill our radio stations every year. While I have included some I am also on the hunt for less well known ones for Covid Island Discs.

I have only ever posted one Carpenter hit so far all the way back on day 190. This is a song Karen did for Christmas and I thought I would include it here because while the song might seem a bit cheesy Karen’s Carpenters voice really was phenomenal. Sadly she passed away much too young from anorexia nervosa.

Day 282: Little Drummer Boy (Peace on Earth) David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Roderick Benson — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This is such an utterly bizarre video in my opinion and well worth watching if you’ve never seen it. Who would have guessed that two very accomplished and famous musicians from opposite ends of the musical spectrum and from different generations would one day come together to produce this Christmas song. Like Bowie’s reference to Lennon being “an old fella”. Watching this now brings a little sadness to my heart knowing that both of them are no longer with us.

Update 31/10/2022: Unfortunately the original video posted here was taken off Youtube due to a copyright claim from Bing Crosby’s estate. I have therefore had to replace it with a video that is of much lower quality but at least it has been on Youtube for 11 years so most likely will not be removed in the near future.

Christmas Day 2022: Well it got taken down a 2^nd time which is kind of odd given I would not think the major music companies would be so precious about stopping this song being played on social media but there you go. Anyway, I have updated the link once again and we will have to wait to see how long this time the link stays live.

Day 281: Cold as Christmas, Elton John

Roderick Benson — Sat, 26 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Back to rock star Christmas theme songs which I think deserve to be in Covid Island Discs. This song brings back some good memories for me as I went to see Elton John in concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney just after he released the album Too Low for Zero. Cold as Christmas was one of the songs on this album. I always remember that boater hat he wore for this concert because I went to a school where the uniform bizarrely included a boater hat.

Day 280: O Come all ye faithful (Christmas Day)

Roderick Benson — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Sing choirs of angels
Sing in exaltation
Oh sing all ye citizens of Heaven above Glory to God
All glory in the highest
O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord

Happy Christmas everyone!

Day 279: Hark the Herald Angels Sing (Christmas Eve)

Roderick Benson — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

This is one of my all time favourite Christmas carols. As I get older, I realise the reality in which we find ourselves leaves us with a stark choice. We can make our way through life looking for the odd joy here and there but anyone who really ponders the human condition realises that if there is really no power outside of ourselves then things are existentially very bleak.

While I am a Christian, I accept that my only tiny understanding of reality means that I could be mistaken. However, for me the Christian message appears to be the most coherent and correspondent (for a more formal explanation of these ideas which are used in the practice of science see my first lecture) explanation of the strange life in which I find myself. While sometimes, in my darker moments, I think surely the gospel is too good to be true, I choose to continue to hold onto the hope that there is a good God who made us and who one day will put everything to right, despite our best efforts to mess everything up.

Day 278: Fairytale of New York, The Pogues

Roderick Benson — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

OK so I’m still prioritizing Christmas songs I enjoy over cheery content. This song from the Pogues is a classic although again doesn’t quite fit the traditional Christmas theme. However, in all honesty the song does touch on a Christmas reality that all social workers know about.

My first job was working in a drug and alcohol clinic in Sydney and it was well recognised that the busiest time of the year for the clinic was indeed Christmas time — such is the tragedy of the human condition where often family conflicts are at their worst at a time that is meant to be good will for all men.

Day 277: Happy Xmas (The war is over), John Lennon

Roderick Benson — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

So I’m not a great fan of lots of Christmas hits produced by rock stars but I have always thought this one from John Lennon is pretty good although not particularly a cheerful Christmas ditty.