As we await spring here in Canada, we take a week to recognize our friends who are right now moving into autumn. Two Australian holiday songs come to us by anonymous request: “How To Make Gravy” by Paul Kelly and “White Wine in the Sun” by Tim Minchin.
It’s International Women’s Day, and so we’re doing songs about Mrs. Claus, goddammit. Santa’s often-nameless wife gets a sort-of kind-of feminist anthem in “Mrs. Santa Claus” by Angela Lansbury. Then there’s “Mrs. Santa Claus” by R Kelly. Guess what that one’s about. Thanks again to Andy for the requests!
This week we cover some punk rock by request: “I’m Getting Pissed for Christmas” by Peter and the Test Tube Babies and “Oi to the World” by The Vandals. Thanks to cs2-6 for the requests! We had a technical issue while recording and Ian did his best to fix it, but the audio quality is a bit off on this episode. Apologies, angels!
Ian and RJ celebrate Mardi Gras the only way they know how: talking about Christmas music. Specifically, New Orleans themed Christmas music: “Christmas in New Orleans” by Louis Armstrong and “Santa’s Second Line” by New Birth Brass Band.
This week we listen to selections for Black History Month, covering Billie Holiday’s 1937 recording of “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” and the 1973 single by father-daughter team Akim and Teddy Vann, “Santa Claus Is a Black Man”.
We keep knocking out requests with two songs for Valentine’s Day! “Santa Forever” by Mia Crosby and “Dear Santa” by Girls Generation both implore Father Christmas to help solve romantic troubles – though one song pretty explicitly seeks matchmaking services while the other is asking for, I don’t know, cheer? Who knows, but the costumes are amazing.
In our third straight week of covering requests, we tackle a recent Christmas original, “No Snowmen in LA” by Ms. Maura and the Misters. And since the Superbowl approaches, we make a tenuous sports connection, pairing it with a song we like MUCH less about a city we like much more: “Merry Merry Merry Frickin’ Christmas (World Champion Red Sox Anthem)” by Frickin’ A.
We joke a lot about not knowing anything regarding music on this here music podcast. This week, we take a request that has us analyzing another medium we’re not particularly qualified to talk about: TV! Hear what we had to say about “California Christmastime” performed by the cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and “That’s What Christmas is For” performed by the cast of Community, plus our unpopular opinions about some other beloved/not-beloved shows.
This week, we get back to requests and cover two very different songs about the haves and/or the have-nots – “No Christmas in Kentucky” by Phil Ochs and “Toy Jackpot” by Blackalicious. Thanks again to Benito for the request!
This week on HARK, we cover a pairing of songs that we’ve had in mind for one hundred episodes – cover versions of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” and “Wonderful Christmastime” by two bands that make us talk about high school again, The Polyphonic Spree and The Shins.