Episode 385: Songs About Birds About Christmas
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
In honour of World Migratory Bird Day, we're listening to two songs about birds! And also, Christmas! "The Gift" by Garth Brooks definitely has a bird in it, but beyond that, offers more questions than answers. "Christmas is For the Birds" by Conway Twitty and, uh, "His Little Friends", has a decent amount of answers, and a decent amount of birds, but a distressingly low amount of Conway Twitty. The ranking music in this episode is "The Christmas Song" as performed by Big Bird and the Swedish Chef. Also, .
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Episode 384: Three Gees A-Maying
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
As May approaches, we're celebrating... May, I guess? May. Christmas songs that mention May? Yes. And no, not "May your days be merry and bright". We're talking MONTH OF MAY ONLY. First up (appropriately enough) is "First of May" by The Bee Gees. Then we hear the endearingly baffling "When Was Jesus Born?" by Lil Gee (no relation). The ranking music in this episode is "First of May" by Jonathan Coulton.
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Episode 383: Keep the Weed in Weedmas
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
It's that time of year again! And for this rare holiday equinox which sees Easter, Passover, and 4/20 overlapping, we endeavor to cover some weed-tacular winter holiday songs with more of a religious connection than in previous years. We find great joy in the sincere silliness of "Little Dealer Boy" performed by Willie Nelson and Stephen Colbert. Then, unfortunately, we really fucked up by listening to "Angels We Have Heard on High" by a band that we're not even going to mention by name here because we don't need that kind of heat. Suffice to say, they are definitey, definitely not...
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Episode 382: Blobby Cheekmas
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
Blobby blobby blobby blobby! Blobby blobby? ...Blobby. Blobby blobby blobby! ...Nah, just kidding. But we did listen to "Christmas in Blobbyland" by Mr. Blobby and friends, followed by "Cheeky Christmas" by the Cheeky Girls. See ya at Nandos, I guess! The ranking music in this episode is "Brodyquest" by Neil Cicerega. Thank you to Liam for these requests!
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Episode 381: Pitchfork Might Break Your Heart
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
Let's get existential up in here!!! In this episode, we discuss two bummer songs beautifully delivered: "Christmas Eve Can Kill You" by the Everly Brothers, followed by "Christmas Will Break Your Heart" by LCD Soundsystem. The ranking music in this episode is "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" by LCD Soundsystem.
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Episode 380: Our Everybodies, Our Everyselves
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
International Women's Day is right around the corner, and in this episode, women are taking the mic! Uh, a few women, anyway. Performing a pretty specific sub-category of songs. And they are all from the same one country. Regardless!! First, by request, we listen to "Merry Christmas Everybody", a cover of Slade's Christmas hit performed by Sohodolls. We pair it with another woman vocalist covering another UK Christmas #1 song, "Merry Christmas Everyone" performed by Rae Morris and Lucy Rose. The ranking music in this episode is "Punk Rock Christmas" as performed by Majorettes. Thank you to CJ...
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Episode 379: Vaguely Valentine's Day
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
Valentine's Day is almost here, and we're celebrating! Uh, sort of? Most importantly, the songs are good. They're decent. Give them a chance. In fact, "Christmas Baby" by Infinity Song is practically begging to be given a chance, for better or worse. If second chances (or lack thereof) are more your thing, try our next selection, "We Should Be Together" by Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens. This is a simple theme! It's romance songs!! Simple!!! The ranking music in this episode is "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey.
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Episode 378: A Balm on the Bus
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
As Groundhog Day approaches, we recognize the cultural association of the holiday with the concept of repetition and take some repeat requester's requests! The two songs suggested by longtime listener Liam present us with two distinct flavours -- though both are very much of the year 2020, and both come to us from Scottish artists. "Humans Are Not Worth Saving" by Michael M is a catchy little pop-punk ditty about immortal zombie Santa having an existential crisis (like you do). On a completely different emotional wavelength, "(I Wish You) Peace In Your Heart" by Blue Rose Code featuring Karine...
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Episode 377: Vegeta Rap Vejanuary
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
I don't want to mislead you. We don't actually have any Dragonball Z related holiday hip-hop songs to cover. Sorry. To be clear: we're very, very open to theming an annual celebration around them if you find any! For now, all we have is "Grinch" by Jae Wes, followed by "Grinch Rap (Santa Diss)" by Ess. The ranking music in this episode is, of course, "Grinch 2000" by Jim Carrey and Busta Rhymes.
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Episode 376: Danuary
HARK! The Holiday Music Podcast
It's our first annual, definitely real and permanent, mark-it-on-your-calendar-for-January-2026 feature: Danuary, a celebration of singer-songwriter Dan Wilson! You might know him (and love him) from his band Semisonic (FYI, all of Feeling Strangely Fine slaps, not just "Closing Time", and you should revisit it), but did you know he's written lots of songs for other artists? Learn this and more in this inaugural Danuary episode!! To kick off Danuary, we review "Holiday (What Do You Want?)" performed by Mike Doughty and Rosanne Cash (but written by Dan Wilson, of course), followed by "What a...
info_outlineIt's been almost a year, and the time has come. In August of 2023, Ian was incorrect about something. More incorrect than we usually are about things on this podcast. And so, we attempt to set things right by giving ska its due. Our ska education starts with Al and the Vibrators' "Merry Christmas", followed by Toots and the Maytals' "Christmas Feeling Ska".
The ranking music in this episode is "Polka Face" by Weird Al Yankovic. (For the record, Ian chose this.)