I’ve Been Sorta Worried about Santa Claus this Year

Tomorrow marks a week since we started our Christmas posts. The files on YouSendIt expire after 100 downloads or seven days. We like YouSendIt because it allows you unlimited downloads rather than waiting an hour or more to download a track like some other sites. However, once the files start to expire, we can repost tracks upon request—we’re not going to do fifty tracks at once, but if you’re interested in a song or two, let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best to repost.

An eclectic bag of goodies today.

Greensleeves – Michel LeGrand and His Orchestra
Instrumental rendition of the old standard—and I mean old. As far as anyone can tell, the song dates back to at least 1580. It was originally about Lady Green Sleeves, a promiscuous woman and perhaps a prostitute. Green was associated with prostitutes in England and it has been claimed that the women were required to wear green sleeves. So, how in the heck did this melody come to be associated with “What Child Is This?” The Christmas version was written in 1865, but thus far, I can’t find anything that hints at why the tune and lyrics were matched.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas – John Prine
Piling on with the song PC posted yesterday, here’s Prine’s version of “I’ll Home for Christmas.” Prine’s typical loose singing style fits perfectly with the shuffling beat.

Christmas Morning Rum Had Me Yawning – Lord Beginner
From Wikipedia: Lord Beginner (born Egbert Moore) was a popular exponent of the Caribbean musical form Calypso, helping to spark a renaissance of the genre in the 1940s and '50s. Hailing from Port of Spain in Trinidad, Beginner recorded and toured in New York with other leading members of Trinidad's "Old Brigade" of calypsonians, before emigrating to England with fellow calypsonian Lord Kitchener in 1948. The pair arrived near London on the Empire Windrush, the first of many voyages conveying West Indians wishing to start a new life in Britain. Beginner began playing clubs throughout London and was a success, recording for the Parlophone label in 1950.

Christmas at the Beach – Irene
Doesn’t sound like a bad place to spend the holiday.

Santa’s Gonna Come In a Stagecoach – Buck Owens
That great Bakersfield Sound mixes with Christmas.

Santa Claus Is Back In Town – Dwight Yoakam
Yoakam was deeply influenced by Buck Owens—he even has a new album out of all Buck covers.