Sleigh Ride
This is the fourth in our series of Christmas songs by Jewish writers. MOST of the songs featured in this series were written by lyricists and composers working together. (I … Continue readingSleigh Ride
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Little Feat: Juliette
Not your typical Feat fare but it works nonetheless.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
This is the third in our series of Christmas songs by Jewish writers. THIS quintessential winter song was written by two greats, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, in Hollywood on … Continue readingLet It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Pet Shop Boys: I Want a Dog
Well make sure you know how to look after him. Three walks a day and lots of chicken.
Pixies: Cecilia Ann
From 1990’s Bossanova, Black Francis & Co’s version of the Surftones tune. And here’s the Sixties original.
Silver Bells
This is the second in our series of Christmas songs by Jewish writers. THE writers of Silver Bells, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, were responsible for a number of songs now considered to … Continue readingSilver Bells
Lyle Lovett: Fiona
Not the most politically correct song in the world, which is why I’ve chosen it. From the 1996 album The Road to Ensenada.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
A WHILE ago I wrote a series called The Melody Makers about the extraordinary and wonderful flowering of musical creativity among the Jewish population of New York, mainly immigrants from Europe, in … Continue readingI’ll Be Home For Christmas
Focus: Sylvia
For a brief spell in the early 1970s everyone was crazy about the Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. Here is his band Focus playing on the Whistle Test. Note the square-headedness … Continue readingFocus: Sylvia
Shuggie Otis: Jennie Lee
The Shugster was just 16 when in 1969 he made his first solo LP Here Comes . . . including this song. By then he had played bass on the … Continue readingShuggie Otis: Jennie Lee