"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" Song #6: Gayla Peevey - "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski"

Song #6: Gayla Peevey - "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (1953)

"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" - Single

"Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then, teacher says the hippo is a vegetarian."

I was working late at the liquor store late on Christmas Eve; it was around 7pm and we still had two more hours to go on what had already been a taxing and absolutely exhausting day. The Christmas vibes were in full swing, with people coming in with Christmas attire on, snow on the ground, and Christmas music blaring over the store's radio, cycling through what seemed to be an equal mesh of tolerable Christmas tunes and insufferable ones. Suddenly, one came on the radio I had never even heard of, and the music-recognition app Shazam informed me it was Gayla Peevey's 1953 novelty tune "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas." Now this was my kind of Christmas song.

The song is clearly a product of the fifties, from the occasionally-scratchy, sensitive microphone being utilized to the classic instrumentation of the song, which has trumpets blaring at several moments in the song. The song featured a ten-year-old Peevey singing about how the only thing she wants for Christmas is a hippopotamus, to feed, wash, and massage, despite the potential dangers and the overall improbability of living with a hippo, as told by her mother. 

The song perfectly captures the asinine gifts you want when you're young, whether they be the hottest toy on the market that year or, on the other hand, something completely unrealistic or silly. It's when your imagination takes over your rational thinking, and you become entranced with asking for the most ridiculous thing just because you have a free pass. However, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is made such a wonderful song not just by its themes and its qualities relatable to children with overactive imaginations, but Peevey's unique singing voice, only emphasized and exploited in the best possible way when set to such large and infectious orchestration. 

This is one of the most peculiar Christmas classics in a blue moon, rarely occupying the same breath as other holiday staples, but this one's hilarity and goofiness needs to be more formally recognized and seen as a great addition to the holiday season.

Give "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjwiwcUKK1c

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" Song #7: Joe Pesci - "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas"

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski"

 

Song #7: Joe Pesci - "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas" (1998)

Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You

"Now, they say he's got eight reindeer, for the sleigh he's driving here, but how the fuck's he go if it doesn't snow on Christmas this year?"

I still adore all the strange looks I get from people after all these years when I tell them that Joe Pesci - the same man responsible for playing pivotal roles in Martin Scorsese's mobster films like Casino and Goodfellas - also made two albums, his sophomore effort composed almost entirely of parody songs, novelty tunes, and cover songs. One of my favorite songs off of his second album, titled Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You after his character in My Cousin Vinny, is his Christmas song "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas," where he vulgarly asks us Santa's alternate method to deliver his presents to all the girls and boys if it doesn't snow on Christmas? It's a reasonable question, even if you don't like the song.

Pesci sings in his nasally, purebread Italian voice, and is even backed up by a few singing children towards the end, whom he hilariously interacts with before the song ends. Pesci suggests alternate methods of transportation for Santa if the weather doesn't provide for snow, like a train or a bus, even remarking how he sent him a "nice long letter" to question his backup plan.

Not only is the song hilarious, repeatedly asking a question that does definitely deserve some sort of yuletide amendment to convention, but to hear such a goofy tune sung by one of the most hardened tough guys film has ever seen is also something to behold. Contrary to what could reasonably be assumed from my explanation, Pesci's Christmas song definitely gets me in the mood for the holidays for questioning a ritually-accepted convention in a way that provides for some festive humor.

Give "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hawOAtZcW9o

"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

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" Song #9: Brenda Lee - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski"

  

Song #9: Brenda Lee - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (1958)

Merry Christmas, Brenda Lee

"When you hear voices singing, 'let's be jolly,' deck the halls with boughs of holly!"

Brenda Lee's Christmas staple "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is probably the last conventional Christmas tune on "The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski," but that shouldn't at all lessen its own impact as a song. Every Christmas I have had that I can recall, this song has been a part of it in some way, whether I was grooving to it in the backseat of my mother's Pontiac as a young child, picking up the pace at work when I heard the song come on the radio, or hearing it on the music channel while putting on my Christmas tree, the swinging sounds of Brenda Lee somehow always managed to find its way into my festivities.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is my kind of Christmas classic, similar to José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" (number ten on "The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski") in that it isn't overplayed like "Jingle Bells" or "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," but still has a sense of holiday traditionalism, being several decades old from a singer who embodies a classic sense. Not to mention, there's an undeniable level of fun that comes from the idea of embracing the holiday season so much that one's response to it is to "rock around" said Christmas tree. This is an enjoyable, quintessential tune to the season in my book.

Give "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is4NQkUN3AI

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" Song #10: José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad"

"The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski"

 

Song #10: José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad" (1970)

Feliz Navidad

"I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!"

Steve Pulaski's Foreword to "The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski:" As many of you know, I did a massive undertaking during the summer of 2014, where I cataloged the one-hundred songs I know that either shaped me as a person, had an immense personal effect on me, or I felt were underrated and deserved more recognition. With that enormous blog series laid to rest, I decided for the holiday season to resurrect a "sequel" of sorts, with my top ten favorite Christmas songs. These songs aren't necessarily as meaningful to me as the aforementioned one-hundred (which, for the record, you can view each individualized song and a writeup of its impact on me on this very blog), but these tunes get me in the mood for Christmas and strike an emotional chord in me that I always anxiously await to let free. This blog series begins on December 15, 2014 and will conclude on December 24, 2014, leaving you with the potential for a Christmas playlist on the ride to your loved ones' home. Are you ready?

Song #10: José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad:" I might as well use one of the two conventional Christmas songs to kick off "The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski," with the first one being José Feliciano's instantly recognizable "Feliz Navidad." Right off the bat, my first comment is a criticism, which is the song has unremarkable lyrics, especially for "the most wonderful time of the year." However, Feliciano makes us forget how monotonous the song is by combining tremendous orchestration with his enthusiastic vocals to create a song that gets anybody moving a bit quicker and ready to embrace the holidays. Employing fun and effectively-blended Spanglish to create the mood,Feliciano makes this song vibrant and terrifically uptempo, and when the instruments kick it up a notch for Feliciano's trademark chorus, each time I hear it, reminds me why I feel a bit more inspired during this time of the year. As simple and as beautiful as it is, it's easy to forget with the plethora of more famous Christmas classics coming to mind over this one, but rarely has a classic song been sung so well that any other version doesn't receive a fourth of the recognition.

Give "Feliz Navidad" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM70hBp2Fjk

"The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" in Summation: A look back at the three-month-long blog series and a brief look at another forthcoming endeavor

September 8th, 2014 marks the end to "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series, a massive, daily-undertaking of writing unique, individualized writeups on the one-hundred songs that a personal effect on me or songs that I felt were criminally underrated and deserved recognition. The blog series began June 1st, 2014 and continued all the way until September 8th, 2014 where a brand new writeup would be posted each day (with a few missteps and late releases) and would be marketed around social media, giving readers a more personal look into my upbringing and my views on music along with exciting and intriguing new music to check out.

In terms of readership, the blog series wasn't that successful, mainly because of the niche-topic and the different domain from my traditional ProBoards, Youtube, and Blogspot link. Admittedly, I was disappointed that readership wasn't higher and, in that regard, the blog series is, by conventional definition, a flop. Yet, in a money-driven, viewership-driven society, we think of how much we made or how much we got out of putting into a product, and it's hard to condemn or obscure that fact when it makes up so much of why we do something. However, I cannot measure the amount of personal gratification it took me to create and publish this blog, writing several unique writeups day-in and day-out, resurrecting memories and old favorite songs and reflecting on moments in my life gave me an incredible amount of happiness each and every day.

My neighbor described the series better than I have when I was telling him about what I was doing with this project. "It sounds like a diary," he said, "a public diary where people can read into you and your feelings, and the fact that you're honest and descriptive about your feelings on music make it that much more interesting." I couldn't have said it better. The blog series was a public diary; an entryway into my life and my emotions with music, and with that, I consider the series a huge success.

I'd like to take this time to announce that this isn't the last daily blog series you'll be seeing from me either. Starting December 15th, 2014 and going until December 24th, 2014, I will be doing "The Ten Christmas Songs of Steve Pulaski," where I list my top favorite Christmas songs, which will deviate greatly from your archetypal "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and "Silent Night." I also plan on doing a blog on my ten favorite musicians currently working today, a blog on my top five favorite songs from 2014 at the beginning of 2015, and continue doing album reviews on my main ProBoards site. I'll still be active with music, just not to the extent of "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series...for now, at least.

Below is some statistical data for "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski," with the songs broken up by genre and what percentage said genre made up of the entire blog series. Also included are the most common artists of the blog and ten songs that were originally slated to make it into the blog series but were cut last minute.

The most popular artists of the blog series, out of eighty-five artists:

Hank Williams III - 6

Gary Numan - 5

Hank Williams - 5

Chief Keef - 4

Dolla - 4

Toby Keith - 4

A breakdown of what percentage specific genres made up of the blog series:

Country (27%):

99. I Don't Have to Be Me ('Til Monday) - Steve Azar
92. Where the Blacktop Ends - Keith Urban
91. I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight - Toby Keith
90. Some Beach - Blake Shelton
85. Cocaine Blues - Hank Williams III
83. Common Man - John Conlee
82. Move It On Over - Hank Williams
80. The Race is On - George Jones
79. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
76. Why Can't We All Just Get a Longneck? - Hank Williams, Jr.
74. Brokenheartsville - Joe Nichols
73. Straight To Hell ("Satan is Real" Medley) - Hank Williams III
70. People Like Us - Aaron Tippin
66. Baby We're Really In Love - Hank Williams
60. When the Sun Goes Down - Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker
58. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On - Neal McCoy
53. Crazed Country Rebel - Hank Williams III
52. How Do You Like Me Now?! - Toby Keith
50. Settin' the Woods on Fire - Hank Williams
42. Gutter Town - Hank Williams III
39. Waitin' on Joe - Steve Azar
33. It's a Great Day to Be Alive - Travis Tritt
32. Should've Been a Cowboy - Toby Keith
31. If the Shoe Fits - Hank Williams III
21. Six Pack of Beer - Hank Williams III
7. I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive - Hank Williams
2. Beer for My Horses - Toby Keith feat. Willie Nelson

Rock (21%):
84. Lookin' Out My Backdoor - Credence Clearwater Revival
77. Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
71. My Back Pages - Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, and George Harrison
68. Can't Even Tell - Soul Asylum
67. I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins
65: Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
56. The Resist Stance - Bad Religion
54. Limelight - Rush
51. Carry on Wayward Son - Kansas
49. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty
45. Midlife Crisis - Faith No More
40. Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money
37. American Pie - Don McLean
36. I Fought the Law - The Clash
35. Ridin' the Storm Out - REO Speedwagon
30. A Horse With No Name - America
26. Proud Mary - Credence Clearwater Revival
22. Piano Man - Billy Joel
16. Life's Been Good to Me - Joe Walsh
13. Everything Louder Than Everything Else - Meat Loaf
11. The One I Love - R.E.M.

Rap (18%):
100. Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell 'Em
98. Got Them Bands - Chief Keef
93. Ride Wit Me - Nelly feat. City Spud
88. Super Size Me - Toothpick
87. Statistic - Dolla
78. Out Here Grindin' - DJ Khaled feat. Akron, Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy, and Ace Hood
69. Kay Kay - Chief Keef
63. Role Model - Dolla
62. Shit Bag - Plies
61. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
47. Real Nigga Roll Call - Lil Jon and The Eastside Boyz
41. Stepped on My J'z - Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, and Ciara
34. Savage - Chief Keef
28. Corner High School - Dolla
18. Lollipop - Lil Wayne feat. Static Major
17. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.
5. Who the Fuck is That? - Dolla, T-Pain, and Tay Dizm
3. Love Sosa - Chief Keef

Pop (16%):
97. Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley
96. Normal - Baha Men
94. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye feat. Kimbra
89. Ocean Man - Ween
64. Burning Love - Elvis Presley
59. They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson
57. Let it Whip - The Dazz Band
55. Move It Like This - Baha Men
48. Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson
29. Crocodile Rock - Elton John
25. Coconut - Baha Men
24. Dragostea Din Tei - O-ZONE
23. Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
20. Wavin' Flag - K'naan
15. Mayor of Simpleton - XTC
9. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Techno/Remix/Other (12%):
75. Reason - Giuseppe Andrews
72. Down in the Park - Gary Numan/Tubeway Army
38. Laroo - Giuseppe Andrews
27. Electrocuted - Giuseppe Andrews
19. Metal - Gary Numan
14. The Machman - Gary Numan
13. Everything Louder Than Everything Else - Meat Loaf
12. Schmoyoho - Bed Intruder Song
10. Cars (Remix) - Fear Factory and Gary Numan
8. In the Year 2525 - Zager and Evans
4. You Play to Win the Game - DJ Steve Porter
1. Cars - Gary Numan

Comedy/Parody (4%):
95. King of Suede - Weird Al Yankovic
86. Asshole - Denis Leary
81. Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song) - Warren Zevon
6. White and Nerdy - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Folk (3%):
46. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - The Four Lads
44. Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
43. I'm Henry the Eighth - Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone

Songs that were originally slated to be in the blog series but were replaced last minute (make no mistake, I still thoroughly enjoy these songs - maybe one day, they'll get a belated entry):

Didn't Make the Cut:
101. "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Glen Campbell
102. "Video Killed the Radio Star" - The Buggles 

103. "We Didn't Start the Fire" - Billy Joel 

104. "'Merican" - Descendants 

105. "Bad Moon Rising" - Creedence Clearwater Revival 

105. "Day 'n' Nite" - Kid Cudi 

106. "Already Gone" - The Eagles 

107. "Party Like a Rockstar" - Shop Boyz 

108. "Elvira" - The Oak Ridge Boys

109. "Rock N Roll Jesus" - Kid Rock

110. "Days Go By" - Keith Urban

I thank you once more for indulging in "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski." It was a privilege for me to publish and illustrate. 

Song #1: Gary Numan - "Cars"

Song #1: Gary Numan - "Cars" (1979)

The Pleasure Principle

 "It's the only way to live; in cars."

The obvious question I get why I try to explain the purpose behind my blog series "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" is "what song will be number one?" While I refused to even hint at any song that was on the list before the writeup was released, I informed people I wasn't ranking the songs from "favorite to least favorite" or vice-versa and that the selection of what song went with what specific number was entirely random and cherry-picked by me.

Song number one of "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" is Gary Numan's "Cars" to solidify that fact. I have a feeling when people see that this is the song I selected to conclude the three-month-long blog series, they'll realize, "he really wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't ranking them favorite to least favorite." However, do not get that fact twisted. Gary Numan's "Cars" is still a song I hold extremely dear to my heart, arguably more-so than many choices in this blog series. For such a simple song, it evokes so many emotions and is also a pioneering force for the electronic/techno style many people my age listen to today ("EDM" for electronic dance music as it is billed today").

"Cars" was released in 1979 and was one of the most unique and different-sounding tunes to hit the American airways. Short on the "new wave" movement in American music in the 1980's, "Cars" was a song recorded heavily with the assistance of computers, synthesizers, and sound mixing, all of which were relatively primitive compared to the high-tech mixing and audio manipulation that can be found in even the most basic song today. The instrumentation in "Cars," along with Numan's modified and synthesized vocals, which sound wholly robotic and almost like a humanoid, were beyond revolutionary for the time. The instrumentation, like much of Numan's early albums, created sounds that may have never been heard before, and structuring and mixing that may have never been employed to that effect before he came around. 

All of that makes "Cars" such a deeply original and unique song in its aesthetic. As for the lyrics, they make up about one minute of the three and a half minute song. Ironically, I stated in my writeup for Kansas's "Carry on Wayward Son" (number fifty-one on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski") that I wasn't a big fan of songs that were almost entirely comprised of instrumentation, and now I conclude my blog series with a song that is predominately instrumentation. However, the lyrics of the song are simple, mysterious, and different, as Numan finds solace in life while he is sitting inside his vehicle. He feels safe, comfortable, and protected in his vehicle, where "the image breaks down," so he says, and questions if people would visit him if he would proceed to open his door to them. His mind races through a great deal of thoughts, so he claims, but even as he rests there, "nothing seems right in cars," he claims.

Some have said the lyrics are simply about Numan's love for vehicles, and some have even said the song is an anthem against suicide. I can't even begin to make an assumption on the meaning of the song. What I can say is this is one of the most infectious and addicting songs I've ever heard. It "Cars" has solely been an instrumentation track, like most of the songs on The Pleasure Principle album are, I would have said it's pretty unique, but Numan's simple yet complex vocals and lyricism make for a song I love indulging in at any given time (for the record, when the song comes on where I work, which is maybe once a month, my productivity increases ten-fold).

A wrap-up blog for "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" will follow shortly after the publication of this blog post, along with an important announcement about a follow-up series in the vein of this one. Thank you all for the support and readership of this blog series. It has been an incredible experience.

Give "Cars" a listen,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXEu1odjKZM