PART 1: Christmas Time Is Here – Josh Kantor; We Need a Little Christmas (From Mame Original Broadway Cast) – Angela Lansbury w/Frankie Michaels, Jane Connell & Sab Shimono; Christmas Time Is (Coming ‘Round Again) – The Mavericks; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Los Straitjackets; Little Saint Nick (Alternate Take) – The Beach Boys; Christmas in Suburbia – Librarians With Hickeys; Christmas Outta Site (Wonder) – New Mystery Girl; Up on the Housetop – The Donnas; Here Comes Santa Claus – NRBQ; Jingle Bells – Booker T. & the MGs; Christmas Spirit?? – The Wailers; Marshmallow World – Darlene Love; (Jingle Bells/Jingle Bell Rock Medley – The Hollyridge Strings); Six White Boomers – The Fleshtones; Dancin’ With Santa – The Trashmen; Do You Hear What I Hear/You Really Got Me – Bobby Lloyd Hicks & the Skeletons; Blue Christmas – Porky Pig; Santa Claus Meets the Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley; AC/LeeC – Dirty Deeds Around the Christmas Tree – Bill McClintock; Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Dion; Beboppers Christmas – Cordell Jackson; Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry; All the Gifts I Need – JD McPherson; (My Little Drum – The Vince Guaraldi Trio)
PART 2: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band; All Alone on Christmas – Darlene Love w/The E Street Band; Just a Lonely Christmas – The Moonglows; I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm – Dean Martin; Christmas Makes Me Sad – Rodney Crowell; Just to Be With You (This Christmas) – Nick Lowe; The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – David Seville & the Chipmunks; One of You (in Every Size) – Marty Robbins; Winter Wonderland – Ty Whitney; Christmas Time With You – The Cheepskates; (Snowflakes – The Vince Guaraldi Trio); Christmas (I Remember) – The Smithereens; Christmas Morning – The Smithereens; Winter Valley Song – Fountains of Wayne; Charlie Brown Christmas Tree – Lara Herscovitch; River – Joni Mitchell; A Spaceman Came Travelling – Chris DeBurgh; (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Porter Music Box Co.)
PART 3: Santa Claus Is a Black Man – Akim & the Teddy Vann Production Company; I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Mitch Miller; My Mom and Santa Claus – George Jones; Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy – Buck Owens; I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – The 4 Seasons; I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus – RuPaul; Mama’s Twistin’ With Santa – Mark Anthony; I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – The Ronettes; I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus – Brenda Lee; The Best Darn Present in the Whole Wide World – Jon Aley; Santa’s Helper – Joe Poovey; Swingin’ Drummer Boy – Asleep at the Wheel; (Little Saint Nick – The Hollyridge Strings); Christmas in Prison – John Prine; Christmas in Jail – Asleep at the Wheel; It’s Christmas Time – The Five Keys; Can This Be Christmas – The Falcons; The Wexford Carol – The Chieftains w/Nanci Griffith; Po’ Folks Christmas – Bill Anderson; For Too Long – Eric Hisaw; If We Make It Through December – Merle Haggard; (Greensleeves – Porter Music Box Co.)
PART 4: Silent Night – The Everly Brothers; Go Tell It on the Mountain – The Blind Boys of Alabama w/Tom Waits; What Child Is This? – Ray Charles; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Jon Batiste (ft. Judith Hill); Christmas Love – Rotary Connection; Il Est Ne (Mistletunes Christmas Song) – Tom Tom Club; I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm – Billie Holiday; Just Another Christmas Song – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings; (Jingle Bells – Collection of Rita Ford); Old Toy Trains – Roger Miller; Christmas Wish – Darlene Love; Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday – William Bell; Jing Jing a Ling – Honey and the Bees; Merry Christmas Darling – The Uniques; The Christmas Song (live ’87) – Los Lobos; Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt; A Five Pound Box of Money – Pearl Bailey; (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus / Jingle Bells Bossa Nova – Eddie Dunstedter)
PART 5: You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors; Winter Wonderland – Aretha Franklin; Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Wally Gonzalez; Jolly Old St. Nicholas – NRBQ; Ding Dong Merrily on High – Woody Phillips; I Believe in Father Christmas – Greg Lake; Captain Santa Claus (and His Reindeer Space Patrol) – Bobby Helms; A Holly, Jolly Christmas (From Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer) – Burl Ives; Donde Esta Santa Claus? – Augie Rios; Here Comes Santa Claus – The Gypsy Hombres; Here Comes Santa Claus – Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans; (My Little Drum – The Vince Guaraldi Trio); What I Really Want for Christmas – Brian Wilson; Pretty Paper – Roy Orbison; Can’t Wait to See You on Christmas – Deni Bonet & Chris Flynn; Purple Snowflakes – Marvin Gaye; This Christmas – Donny Hathaway; A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn’t So) – The Flaming Lips; Will You Turn Up for Christmas – Irene Peña; Christmas Christmas – Cheap Trick; (Joy to the World – Porter Music Box Co.); Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – The Mavericks
… is the hostess of Franorama 2.0, most Thursdays from 1-5 p.m. Eastern Time on Cygnus Radio. So what’s a genre? I just throw everything against a wall and see what sticks. Rock’n’roll, garage, punk, soul (especially Northern), rockabilly, real country, cheesy goofball stuff – no matter what generation, if it has a heart and soul, it has a home here.