When Bing Crosbyrsquo;s "White Christmas" debuted in 1942; no one imagined that a holiday song would top the charts year after year. One of the best-selling singles ever released; it remains on rotation at tree lighting ceremonies across the country; in crowded shopping malls on Black Friday; and at warm diners on lonely Christmas Eve nights. Over the years; other favorites have been added to Americarsquo;s annual playlist; including Elvis Presleyrsquo;s "Blue Christmas;" the King Cole Triorsquo;s "The Christmas Song;" Gene Autryrsquo;s "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer;" Willie Nelsonrsquo;s "Pretty Paper;" and; of course; Elmo Patsyrsquo;s "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."Viewing American holiday values through the filter of familiar Christmas songs; Ronald Lankford examines popular culture; consumerism; and the dynamics of the traditional American family. He surveys more than seventy-five years of songs and reveals that the ldquo;modern American Christmasrdquo; has carried a complex and sometimes contradictory set of meanings. Interpreting tunes against the backdrop of the eras in which they were first released; he identifies the repeated themes of nostalgia; commerce; holiday blues; carnival; and travesty that underscore so much beloved music. This first full-length analysis of the lyrics; images; and commercial forces inextricably linked to Yuletide music hits the heart of what many Americans think Christmas is--or should be.
#1791222 in eBooks 2013-09-13 2013-09-13File Name: B00FDR18XI
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Ingenious and far reaching music history.By Andrew AppelThis book ckears up so many inaccuracies around the story of the performance of the Passiion. Through several routes to the same event; Applegate illuminates one if the most influential and important concerts in the history of Western Music.