Last time it was a hymn. Today, it’s a holiday standard. Johnny Marks was a prolific writer of Christmas songs. Entries that have become staples in popular music: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Holly Jolly Christmas, Run Rudolph Run, and my entry today, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.
Brenda Lee was 13 when she recorded the song in 1958 that we hear every holiday season. You read that right, 13. Talk about mature-sounding voices! Rockin’ is one of the best-selling holiday digital downloads in history, and it charts every Christmas on the Billboard Hot 100.
I started working on this last December but ran out of time before I could perform it. I played through the song once a week or so this year and then ramped up the practice and added a few elements starting in November. It was suggested I use a full strum through the verses of the song, something I hadn’t done before when playing chord melody. There is a challenge to this, as the booming low G string can drown out the other notes, but the change up is fun:
In the next installment, Aria and I pair up for a song that she chose from the 1950s. Perry Como was the first to record it, but the Carpenters’ version is the best known.
If you’re new to this blog, “Uketide” Tunes is in its third year of existence. We officially have a tradition of Christmas on the ukulele! Sometimes it’s solo chord melody and other times it’s hum and strum as my daughter and I ham it up. Kazoos and sleigh bells may be involved. Ugly sweaters, too. I’m still working up a schedule, so check back regularly this month.
Let’s get things rolling by starting on a serious note with one of my favorite Advent hymns, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. The song has a long history dating back centuries with text originally written in Latin. While it has been performed in both the sacred and secular worlds, I’ve enjoyed hearing it most sung a cappella or with light instrumentation. It’s hauntingly beautiful.
In my performance I play three verses. The first is a simple melody with single notes, followed by chord melody for the second, then single notes played high on the fretboard with chord melody for the final verse:
Next up, a Brenda Lee song recorded in the late 1950s that is a holiday standard.
Last month it was a fun Beatles romp. For November, it’s a love song wrapped in an existential crisis. Or vice versa. Either way, Clocks, released by Coldplay in late 2002, was a hit. The song appeared on numerous charts, peaking at 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one on the Billboard Adult Alternative chart. The song also came out a year before lead vocalist Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were married. An omen?
Clocks is famous for its piano riff that plays throughout. It’s more difficult to master on the ukulele but is instantly recognizable. Last summer, Trevor had me working on a few famous rock riffs to break up the monotony of practice. The riff for Clocks was one those. Later I got the sheet music for the full song written in a different key. The riff follows the chord progression of: C major, G minor, D minor with a variation to C major, G minor, F major.
Clocks is a repetitive but challenging song to learn on the uke. I use a lot of real estate on the fretboard, and the bridge is particularly demanding. In an attempt to vary the music a bit, I add my own touch in places. This song has a resigned tenacity to it, as reflected in the lyrics:
Lights go out and I can’t be saved Tides that I tried to swim against Brought me down upon my knees Oh, I beg, I beg and plead Singin’, come out of things unsaid Shoot an apple off my head And a trouble that can’t be named A tiger’s waiting to be tamed Singin’
You…are You…are
Confusion never stops Closing walls and ticking clocks Gonna come back and take you home I could not stop that you now know Singin’, come out upon my seas Curse missed opportunities Am I a part of the cure Or am I part of the disease Singin’
You…are You…are You…are You…are
And nothing else compares Oh, nothing else compares And nothing else compares
Home, home, where I wanted to go Home, home, where I wanted to go Home, home, where I wanted to go Home, home, where I wanted to go
I put together two different videos for the song. The first has a few elements (clocks everywhere!) to mirror the urgency the song imparts:
The second is simply a straight performance:
For the next month I’m taking a break from what I usually do to revive “Uketide” Tunes. Lots of Christmas songs to perform, and my daughter will be joining for a few, which is always entertaining! Otherwise, more “regular” music coming next year. At some point I hope to tackle a Carpenters song…
