Usually, I’m the one who cries on Christmas. This is the month that I allow myself to get sentimental and everything. Seeing my presents. Getting my presents. Unwrapping my presents. Trying my presents on. Showing my presents off. Seriously, it touches my heart every time.
Enjoy!
Eraserhead (1977, dir by David Lynch)
Today would have been the 82nd birthday of Jack Nance, the talented but troubled actor who was a favorite of David Lynch’s and who died under mysterious circumstances in 1996. Born in Massachusetts but raised in Texas, Nance first won acclaim as a star of the stage show, Tom Paine. The director of Tom Paine later received a fellowship to the American Film Institute where he met a young director named David Lynch and recommended that Lynch cast Nance as the lead character in his film, Eraserhead. Lynch and Nance were kindred spirits, two all-American eccentrics with their own unique view of the world. Lynch went to use Nance in almost every film that he made up until Nance’s death. Nance would also appear in small roles in films from other directors, usually cast as quirky and obsessive characters. Outside of his role in Eraserhead, Nance is probably best known for playing Pete Martell on Twin Peaks. Pete’s discovery of Laura Palmer’s body launched the entire saga.
Twin Peaks 1.1 — The Pilot (dir by David Lynch)
In honor of Jack’s talent and legacy, here is today’s song of the day!
This is apparently not the official video for The Waitress’s Christmas Wrapping. Instead, it’s a video that someone else put together using other clips of the band. I haven’t been able to find an official version so there might not be one. Or, at the very least, if there is one, it does not appear to be on YouTube. (If I’m wrong, let me know.)
Anyway, I like the song and tis the season. Interestingly enough, it’s often missed that the song is more about the chaos of the season than the joy of it.
Enjoy!
Inspired by a story that the Human League’s Phil Oakley read in a teen-girl’s magazine, Don’t You Want Me is a song not about love but instead a song about two people battling for control. While the song was originally conceived as being a male solo, Oakley made the last-minute decision to turn it into a duet, with Susan Ann Sulley taking on the role of the girl who once worked in a cocktail bar but always knew she was meant for a much better life.
After the song was recorded, Oakley disliked it because he felt that the song’s sound was too “poppy” and he was not happy when Virgin decided to release Don’t You Want Me as the fourth single off of The Human League’s third studio album, Dare! Despite Oakley’s misgivings, Don’t You Want Me went on to become the band’s biggest hit and one of its signature songs.
(As of 2014, Phil Oakley still didn’t think much of the song. In an interview with Classic Pop Magazine, Oakley said, “‘Don’t You Want Me‘ might have shifted gazillions, but either I’ve heard it too many times or the rest of Dare! is just so far ahead that it puts it in the shade. Still, it made the band.”)
Don’t You Want Me was the 1981 Christmas number one in the UK, where it has sold over 1,560,000 copies, making it the 23rd most successful single in the history of the UK Singles Chart. In 2015, in an ITV poll, it was voted the 7th most popular number one single of all time.
“Lyrically it doesn’t mean much but we had some fun writing it.”
— Chris Difford on Hourglass
In the 80s, Squeeze was one of the most popular bands in the UK but they often struggled to find the same success in the U.S. Some of that was because, much like Madness, Squeeze wrote songs that were undeniably British. Their relatively few U.S. hits were also the relatively few Squeeze songs not to feature any obviously British references in the lyrics.
Hourglass, for instance, was largely a nonsense song that had a strong hook and an unforgettable melody. What does “Take it to the bridge, throw it overboard, see if it can swim” refer to? No one knows and it doesn’t matter. Along with being insanely catch, Hourglass also had a memorable music video. The video was popular on MTV and, in the 80s, that usually led to success on the U.S. Charts. Hourglass became on the few Squeeze songs to break into the U.S. Top 40.
The video features the band performing amongst a series of optical illusions. The video was directed by Adrian Edmondson while the Salvador Dali-inspired concept for the video was credited to Squeeze’s keyboardist Jools Holland. Holland would later go on to host Later …. with Jools Holland on BBC Two and has become a British cultural icon.
Enjoy!
Though it may not be a Christmas song, this song from Ringo Starr feels appropriate for the season. Ringo sings for peace and hope in this song and he’s brought along an impressive supporting cast to help him make his case. Among those featured in the song and the video: Paul McCartney & Joe Walsh, Corinne Bailey Rae, Eric Burton, Sheryl Crow, FINNEAS, Dave Grohl, Ben Harper, Lenny Kravitz, Jenny Lewis, Steve Lukather, Chris Stapleton, and Yola.
Enjoy!
For today’s song of the day, we have one of the best Christmas songs ever written.
Nobody makes your jingle bells swing like Frankie, baby.
Enjoy!
Sorry, Wham fans. This will always be a Taylor Swift song to me.
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance
But you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby
Do you recognize me?
Well, it’s been a year
It doesn’t surprise me
Merry Christmas
I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying “I love you”
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I’ve been
But if you kissed me now
I know you’d fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special
Oh, oh, baby
A crowded room
Friends with tired eyes
I’m hiding from you
And your soul of ice
My god, I thought you were someone to rely on
Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
A man under cover, but you tore me apart
Now I’ve found a real love. You’ll never fool me again
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special
A face on a lover with a fire in his heart
I gave you my heart
A man under cover, but you tore him apart
Maybe next year I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone special
Special
Someone
Someone
I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone special
Who give me something in return
I’ll give it to someone—
Hold my heart and watch it burn
I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone special
I thought you were here to stay
How could you love me for a day
I thought you were someone special
Gave you my heart
I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone—
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
You gave it away
I’ll give it to someone—
I’ll give it to someone—
“Someone who’s in this relationship that they know they shouldn’t be in. It’s this dysfunctional relationship, and they don’t have the strength to get out. And ‘what have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this?’ – there’s a real sense that they shouldn’t be there, but they’re basically a slave to this obsessive love. It’s one of the few songs of mine that is about that but doesn’t turn itself around and go, ‘I’m leaving here, screw you, go make someone else miserable.’ Usually I don’t just leave it at ‘what have I done to deserve this,’ but it felt right for the group, so that’s what it was.”
— Allee Willis, co-writer of What Have I Done To Deserve This?
Though this song may be out a toxic relationship, I always think of it as being about the showgirl taking off her glasses before going out to dance on stage. That’s the power of a good music video.
This video was directed by Eric Watson, who spent most of his music video career working with Pet Shop Boys, though he also did videos for Samantha Fox, Rod Stewart, and Debbie Harry.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 