Blog Posts by Robert of the Radish

Christmas would just not be the same without Santa Claus. His image has changed a bit since the time he evolved from Saint Nicholas, but it's safe to say that he has settled comfortably into his iconic features.

If you happen to be a jolly, rotund, older man with a long white beard, wearing a red suit lined with white fur, chances are you can't walk by children without causing a ruckus. Santa represents many of humankind's finer traits, including kindness, generosity, humor and a strong work ethic. Santa is a great role model for children, and for those of us that celebrate Christmas, he's a big part of our childhood and indeed our lives.

It's not surprising that Santa has inspired his fair share of songs. For this playlist I have selected a dozen songs that use the word "Santa" or "Santa Claus" in the title.

What am I missing?

Bing Crosby's 1942 recording of the Irving Berling penned "White Christmas" is the biggest selling single of all time. The song has sold in excess of 50 million copies worldwide. Berlin wrote the song while relaxing by the pool in a Phoenix, AZ resort in 1940, and Crosby would record and release it two years later. "White Christmas" has become one of the most recognized songs in the world, and can instantly stir that Christmas feeling in old and young alike.

No other song has come close to this incredible sales number. The nearest competition is Elton John's remake of "Candle In the Wind", which he released as a tribute to Lady Diana in 1997. That single has sold around 37 million worldwide. But where the sales for the Elton John single were driven by a singular event (the death of Lady Diana), "White Christmas" continues to sell year in and year out as new generations add it to their must-have lists.

For this playlist I've selected only the biggest selling Christmas singles. To make this list the song had to be released as a single, and had to sell at least 5 million copies. As you will see, Bing has three of the seven Christmas songs that made the cut. These three singles account for over 86 million units sold. That is an unbelievable number, and Mr. Crosby will surely hold the record for some time to come.

Certainly, most of you are familiar with all of the songs in this list, but what songs would you add to make the perfect Christmas playlist?

Christmas is such a huge holiday that it's nice not to take it too seriously once in a while. Christmas novelty songs help us do this, if only for a fleeting moment.

Many holiday-themed novelty songs have become gigantic hits in their own right. One such song, "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," has even made a whole career for Dr. Elmo, who released it over 30 years ago. It's the song that just keeps on giving for Elmo Shropshire in the form of fat royalty checks.

We all have our favorite novelty holiday songs and for this list I've included the 10 that popped into my head first. Please let us know what your favorite holiday novelty song is in the comments and I hope you include a lot of laughter in your celebrations this year!

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, which is more well-known by the acronym ASCAP, collects royalties for songwriters from businesses that  license songs for commercial use. This includes broadcast television, cable television, background music services, restaurants, bars, theme parks, radio stations, and more. So when you hear songs on the radio, it's not free, someone is getting paid.

During the holiday season, the airwaves become crowded with Christmas music. My wife turns to the "Christmas station" as soon as it becomes available. And there are millions like her. This means that copyright holders who are lucky enough to score a Christmas hit can look forward to a nice fat Christmas bonus year after year.

For this playlist I've pulled together the top 10 most played Christmas songs according to ASCAP. These are the songs that you simply cannot avoid if you turn your radio on this time of year.

Christmas is right around the corner. You WILL hear these songs.

It's amazing how Christmas themed  television shows from the 1960's and 1970's, like those made by Rankin/Bass, continue to be such hits year after year. I think a big part of it is due to the fact that parents want their children to have the same kinds of Christmas memories they hold dear themselves. And television Christmas specials were a part of it.

Even today, with the amazing computer graphics available, I haven't seen any modern Christmas television specials that I think will be around 40 or 50 years from now. The animations were much simpler in those days, but the stories and the music just worked, and they will always work, no matter how advanced our technology becomes.

For this playlist I've looked for cover versions of songs found in many of the Christmas-themed television shows I grew up with. These are shows that I still look forward to seeing every year with my own children.

What's your favorite Christmas television show?I'm  gonna go with "The Year Without a Santa Claus".

Man, did four years fly by or what? Another Presidential election is upon us. This is a time when we get to see government for the people and by the people in action.  I'm one who takes my responsibility to vote seriously, but not too seriously. You won't hear me saying something like, "this is the most important election of our lifetime". We hear that every four years, and it's never true.

This year, a young friend of mine made a decision to vote for a third party candidate and made the mistake of announcing it. He was promptly and harshly reprimanded by both republicans and democrats alike. "You've wasted your vote", they screamed! "How could you just throw your vote away in such an important election", they asked?

I say bravo, young man! I for one, am proud of anyone who gets to the polls to take part in our democracy, no matter who they vote for. I don't care if you're a single issue voter, a party line voter, or someone who weighs every issue before making your decision. If you have voted, you're alright with me.

If you don't vote. Keep you're mouth shut. You have no right to complain.

This playlist includes a dozen election day songs. What would you add?

sleepwalker1-2_thumbSomnambulism is a sleeping disorder better known to most as "sleepwalking". It's a real disorder that affects just under 4% of adults, but it's more common among children. Sleepwalking is clustered in families and is not necessarily linked with mental disorders. Most sleepwalkers do simple actions like sitting up in bed or walking into a different room. But there are reported cases of much more complex actions being done by sleepwalkers, like driving, having sex, or even murder. I suppose sleepwalking would be a pretty convenient excuse and it has been used as a defense for crimes, although not very successfully.

Sleepwalking is certainly mysterious and it's been used a great deal in popular music. A songwriter can use a sleepwalker to describe someone doing something they're not consciously aware of, whether for benefit or for ill.

In other words, it's a great theme on which to build a story.

For this playlist I've pulled together an eclectic collection of songs that all use sleepwalking as a theme.

What would you add?

Halloween is not just for kids. Even now, when I find myself dressing up my own children to take them around the neighborhood for trick-or-treating, my wife forces me to put on some costume that she's  picked out so we can go to numerous costume parties.

No matter how much I complain about having to do it (and I do complain every year) it's still always a great time. There's just something incredibly fun about taking on a role and seeing people's creativity come to life.

Every Halloween party needs music. The biggest problem for me when selecting a Halloween playlist is not finding songs (there are thousands to choose from), it's deciding what genre to go with. Ambient spooky music is my personal favorite, but this is a better fit for greeting trick-or-treaters. If you're hosting an adult party, you may want to get people onto the dance floor to enjoy themselves.

This playlist has been designed to do just that.

It features a dozen songs with a Halloween theme that will make you want to move.

What would you add?