"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" Song #8: Jeff Foxworthy - "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas"

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski"

 

 Song #8: Jeff Foxworthy - "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas" (1995)

Crank it Up: The Music Album

"Or if you leave cold beer and pickled eggs for Santa Claus."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I didn't say anything's wrong with it; it's hard to beat!"

I'll be the first to admit, if you told me to recite the famous "Twelve Days of Christmas," I would stumble on more than a few. Now, if you told me to recite the "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas," I wouldn't stutter. While I have never been entirely immersed in the proclaimed "redneck" culture, I have, however, been fascinated with one of Jeff Foxworthy's biggest musical hit since the start of his career as a comedian, actor, game show host, and musician ever since I saw the music video for it when I was around five. My father was flipping through channels and settled on Great American Country (GAC), for what he probably assumed was just going to be a minute. We caught the middle of the "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas" music video, and while I could see he just couldn't wait to change the channel, I wanted it left on; I found the concept of parody and homage fascinating at that age (which would later explain my fixation for "Weird Al" Yankovic in my tween years) and Foxworthy's tune captivated me.

The song is just about what you'd expect, especially the music video, which is painted in broadstrokes and heavy on caricaturing popular redneck archetypes. However, there's a pleasant corniness with the material in how far it took this particular idea of what a redneck would receive for each of the twelve days of Christmas. Everything from a twelve-pack of Bud Light, to eleven wrasslin' tickets, ten packs of Copenhagen, and nine years probation, it's all here, and Foxworthy sings it in a breathless (literally) and entertaining manner, as he converses with a miniature elf-version of himself (who sounds suspiciously like Larry the Cable Guy).

The song is everything a novelty song is and never fails to excite me whenever I hear it in its ridiculous glory. Don't knock it until you hear it.

Give "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4kbdVMCYHI