Category Archives: Music

2018 “Uketide” Tunes – Part III

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The last ukulele outing was a raucous time with the whole family in front of the Christmas tree. Today it’s Aria and me (Lisa is off-camera but providing much needed vocal help) with the tragic tale of big hair and unrequited love that has been a mainstay of holiday radio since 1984. Wham!’s Last Christmas.

My wife despises this song (gasp!), but my daughter loves singing along on the radio. “Turn it up!” she always says. I was hooked on the tune when it came out the Christmas of my eighth grade year. That may have had a little something to do with a girl I knew, a big crush, and a regrettable lack of courage to act on it. Hey, it’s tough being a middle schooler.

Our video has a lighter touch. No tears! No acne!

Coming up next, we go back to 1949 for a holiday classic…

2018 “Uketide” Tunes – Part II

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After a serious carol, it’s time to have a little fun at the uketide concert. Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano wrote and performed the macaronic Christmas pop song, Feliz Navidad, in 1970. It continues to get an enormous amount of radio airplay during the holiday season and is one of the top 25 played Christmas songs in the world.

This version isn’t getting anywhere near a radio playlist, but it’s still a good time! Chords, strumming, singing, and a little help from the family:

A blast from 1984 is coming next!

2018 “Uketide” Tunes – Part I

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The ukulele lessons have been going great! For the last month I’ve been working on Christmas songs. Since there are requests to hear what I’m doing, the easiest way is to put videos online. I’ve got a set list of seasonal tunes for this “uketide” concert, and there may even be props and help from family members throughout December…

One of my favorite Christmas hymns is Once in Royal David’s City. The lyrics were written in 1848 by Cecil Frances Alexander and set to music a year later by Henry John Gauntlett. I’ll always remember it as the Christmas Eve processional hymn at church. The choir sang the opening verse with the organ joining on the second. It was always majestic.

While the humble ukulele isn’t quite as regal as a pipe organ, this is a beautiful song, and the first Christmas carol I learned to finger pick:

Another song coming next week!