Christmas Cavalcade 2021: Part Two

Over the years, I have featured a number of festive-themed, Beatle-related novelties during the Christmas Cavalcade. In fact, it’s almost become a tradition In It’s Own Write (see what I did there?) There are so many Beatle-themed Christmas songs out there, ranging from the wonderful to the totally awful; why not grab those that I have already featured, add them to the ones from today’s post and compile your own album?

 

First up is Santa Bring Me Ringo, the 1964 single from Christine Hunter. Co-written by Angelo Badalamenti (yes, Mr. Twin Peaks himself) in one of his first credited studio roles, and covered in Britain by Ray Alan and his tearaway schoolboy puppet Tich (as featured on this very blog last year). According to Discogs, at the time she recorded this, Christine was a member of Capella Cordina, an American early music ensemble founded in 1963 by Alejandro Planchart and disbanded in 1975.  It is, of course, perfectly possible that there were two Christine Hunters recording around the same time.

 

I’ve also included the flip side of the disc, the oddly-titled Where Were You Daddy (Q) (When Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney Chute). Both sides of the disc were arranged and conducted by Badalamenti, and although he did not take a writer credit for this tune, both sides were co-authored by Murray Semos, best known for having co-written the wonderful Busy Line for Rose Murphy, the Chee-Chee Girl.

 

Next up, and again from 1964, is Ringo Bells from the Three Blonde Mice. The lyrics, credited to record producer George T. Simon, have been set to the tune Jingle Bells (as if you hadn’t already guessed), and the flip featured a cover of the traditional carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. As well as working as a producer, Simon was a jazz critic and former drummer in the Glenn Miller Orchestra; the following year the Three Blonde Mice issued a Chipmunks-esque cover of the Ray Charles classic What’d I Say, again produced by Simon.

 

Last up is I Want a Beatle For Christmas, by Patty Surbey and the Canadian VIPs, issued like all of the above in time for Christmas 1964, the year that the Beatles made their big breakthrough Stateside. First brought to my attention last year by blog follower Brett Alan, this is the third different song with the same title issued that year, alongside The Fans and Becky Lee Beck, both of which have featured on the blog previously. It’s not a bad record at all, and is included here simply because it follows my theme; Patty and her VIPs would issue one more 45, Hey Boy!, the following year.

Enjoy!

Download Santa HERE 

Download Daddy HERE

Download Bells HERE 

Download Beatle HERE