Tag Archives: Christmas

2021 “Uketide” Tunes – Part I

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The band is back together! Aria joins me for a little fun with Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano’s macaronic Christmas pop song, Feliz Navidad, from 1970. It continues to receive an enormous amount of radio airplay during the holiday season and is one of the top 25 most played Christmas songs in the world. Not bad for something he wrote in 10 minutes that only has 19 words.

Strange how our version isn’t on any radio playlists, but it’s a good start to our holiday music season, nonetheless:

On the way is another collaboration, featuring a Wham song that has been covered many times and is a Christmas staple.

Christmas 2020

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If there was ever a Christmas in our modern history that needs an infusion of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, this is it. From the Gospel of Luke (and the lips of Linus from Peanuts):

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Wishing my readers peace this holiday season. Take good care and be well.

2020 “Uketide” Tunes – Part IV

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After a fun debut, Aria joins me again for the grand finale of our Yuletide ukulele series, Robert Alex Anderson’s Mele Kalikimaka. There is a twist, however! For fun, I rewrote the lyrics for one verse and changed the song title to Rainy Kalikimaka, which is typical weather for Christmas in Oregon. For the record, it’s in the forecast this year.

Here are the revamped lyrics:

Rainy Kalikimaka is the thing to say
On a wet and stormy Christmas day
That’s the Northwest greeting that we send to you
From the land where Doug firs sway
Here we know that Christmas will be gray and cold
Some years we may get snow but that gets quickly old
Rainy Kalikimaka is the Northwest way
To say Merry Christmas to you

Hope you get a few laughs from this. Listening to me try to hit those higher notes is definitely giggle-worthy. I need to work on transposing! That said, we enjoyed making the video:

Mahalo for watching us do songs for a third year in a row. May you have enough malasadas and shave ice to satisfy your sweet tooth…and spike your blood sugar. Ha! Mele Kalikimaka and best wishes this holiday season!