Twelve Months of Music, Part 12: A December Mix
Dec 01 '06
The Bottom Line It's our last month list for the year, but remember, every ending is just another new beginning.
Time is an artificial construction of mankind. There's no more scientific logic for ending the year with December as opposed to July than there is to dividing the day into twenty-four hours rather than thirty. In fact, many cultures set their year-end celebrations at differing times throughout the year. Chinese new year typically occurs in late January or earlier February, while the Hmong culture celebrates theirs in November. Rosh Hoshanah, the Jewish new year, comes along in September or October.
For those of us is most western cultures, though, it's December that marks the end of the year. There's a sense of finality to the month – a feeling that all of our plans and schemes for the year are winding down to an end so that we can start fresh once the new years starts.
At the same time, December is a month of homecoming. The final leg of the holiday season falls at the end of the month, and whether we live across the street for our families or across the country, there are few times when the drive to gather together with all of the kinfolk in one place. It's a sad fact that some families out there are so fractured that they'd prefer to spend their time apart, but December should be all about coming back home, if even for just a day or two.
With those two sentiments in mind, here are a dozen songs that mesh together:
Chocolate by Snow Patrol
When there are lush, velvety string arrangements mixed together with rich xylophone licks as prominently as they are here, there's a certain wintry feeling that rises up to the surface of the song. Moreover, the lyrical themes in Chocolate revolve around a sort of spiritual homecoming, a re-birth, if you will. It's a song of endings that pave the way for glorious new beginnings. And as if that weren't already enough, December is the month when chocolatiers roll out their most elegant, festive creations, every bit as smooth, rich, and luxurious as the layered arrangements that Snow Patrol utilizes here.
♬ this could be the very minute
I'm aware I'm alive
all these places feel like home ♬
Holiday Road by Matt Pond PA
Yes, this is the same Holiday Road that Linsay Buckingham wrote and recorded for National Lampoon's Summer Vacation, but Matt Pond PA's cover version strips away all associations with the summery months. Amongst the slow tempo, the muted acoustic guitar arrangement, the resonant keyboard chimes, and the frosty dreamlike vocals, the whole song is a warm, glowing fireplace waiting with a mug of hot chocolate for us when we get to grandma and grampa's house after driving all afternoon through the snow to get there.
♬ I found out long ago
it's a long way down the holiday road ♬
Baby, It's Cold Outside by Pezband
And it's time to kick up the energy a few notches with some old school power pop. Just like the twinkling Christmas lights that brighten most of the houses across the country with a simple flip of a switch, Pezband's brazen electrical guitars crackle with an excitement that draws in listeners like moths to a flame. Just like that one house in every neighborhood that takes their enthusiasm for decorations a step too far, Pezband can seem a little gaudy at times, but their enthusiasm is infectious enough for us to forgive their indulgences. And hey, for many of us, it is indeed cold outside all December long.
♬ oh, yeah, I, I, I can't take it no more
it's bad little girl, what we're headed for
oh, and I, I, I can tell you right now
I'm through with your lies, this is my final bow ♬
Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer
From the plinky piano fills to the shimmery ride cymbal to the soulful horn riffs, Waiting on the World to Change mimics the arrangements of the most memorable pop Christmas carols. Mayer's soulful vocals and deep, universal sentiments make the song transcend all borders and limitations, though. It's a song about looking back over the mistakes of the past with a pensive, bittersweet eye, and about casting our gaze towards the future and the promise of all the good that might yet come. As December draws the previous year to a close and opens up the promise and potential for a brand new, Mayer's song put us in a perfect mood for pensive reflection.
♬ now if we had the power
to bring our neighbors home from war
they would have never missed a Christmas
no more ribbons on their door ♬
Reelin' in the Years by Steely Dan
Steely Dan continue those pensive, self-reflecting sentiments to fit with our year-end wrap ups, but unlike the restrained optimism of John Mayer, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen fill their song with bitterness and sour cynicism. Mingling with the tightly wound electric guitar lines, the smoky, soulful piano rhythms, and the complex harmonies is a subtle, scornful sneer cast back over the events of the past. Reelin' in the Years sets the prefect mood for anyone who's looking back over the past year with even a little bit of disappointment and a sentiment that the next one may not be much better.
♬ I spent a lot of money and I spent a lot of time
the trip we made to Hollywood is etched upon my mind
after all the things we've done and seen you find another man
the things you think are useless I can't understand ♬
Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel
I've never had to travel more than a few hours to come home for the holidays, but nevertheless I know how strong the feelings excitement and anticipation can be for year end homecomings. I can only imagine hoe much more intense those feelings can be for people who have to travel across the country or who can't even make it home at all. With it's blend of soft folk guitars, bouncy pop rhythms, and pensively wistful vocals, Simon and Garfunkel remind up just how strong that pull to return to where we originally came from, whether it be the end of the year or at any other time.
♬ every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines
each town looks the same to me, the moves and the factories
and every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be
homeward bound, I wish I was
homeward bound ♬
Keep Me in Your Hear for a While by Warren Zevon
There's a staple amongst newspaper columnists to do a year-end article in tribute to all of the famous people who've died over the past year. Too often those articles turn out to be tacky, sentimental schlock, but every so often you get to read one with a genuinely heartfelt feeling behind it, truly honoring the memories of those who have passed. A few years ago, Warren Zevon had the unique opportunity to write and record such a tribute for himself shortly before he succumbed to cancer. The richly emotional folk-pop and poetic lyircs of Keep Me in Your Heart for a While will forever be tied to Zevon's own passing, but the lyrics are universal, and will always help us to reflect on the fond memories of anyone who's left this world, be it this year or any other.
♬ hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
touch me as I fall into view
when the winter comes keep the fires lit
and I will be right next to you ♬
Valley Winter Song by Fountains of Wayne
Winter's onset can prove to be dismal and bleak, but most often those first signs of winter come during November. By the time we hit mid-December, there's often a thin, sparkling layer of snow that's been on our lawns for a few weeks. We've grown accustomed to the chill, and we're starting to notice the serene beauty of the season. The normally warm, summery Fountains of Wayne aim themselves in a much colder direction with the jangly folk rock arrangement of the guitars and the chugging steam-train quality to the percussion line in Valley Winter Song. As you listen to the song, you can practically see your breath condensing in the crisp December sunlight as you exhale.
♬ the snow is coming down on our New England town
and it's been falling all day long
what else is new, what can I do?
I wrote a valley winter song to play for you ♬
2000 Miles by The Pretenders
Even the most cursory listen to 2000 Miles makes it clear that we're dealing with a song about Christmas, what with Chrissy Hynde singing "it must be Christmastime over and over throughout the song. Unlike most songs about Christmas, though, this once transcends the confines of "Christmas songs." The resonant guitar riffs that resound like chimes. The ethereal keyboards that float through the air like a condensing breath of air on a morning breeze. The crisp percussion that crackles like freshly fallen snow underfoot. 2000 Miles captures all the austere splendor of a crisp winter day, and works at any time of the year to remind us of our fonded December memories.
♬ outside under the purple sky
diamonds in the snow sparkle
our hearts were singing
it must be Christmastime ♬
Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp
December winds down the year, drawing many of our big plans and schemes to quiet, subtle conclusion as the temperature drops and the snow starts to pile up. But as we settle in for a long winter, there's still time for one last push to make something of the year. Even in the Quietest Moments simmers quietly with its soft acoustic guitar rhythms jazzy woodwind licks, and its breathy vocals, mimicking that feeling of shutting ourselves in for the winter. At the same time, though, there's a seize-the-day spark to the lyrics, giving us a quiet push to make something meaningful and lasting with those last few days of the year.
♬ and even when the song is over
where have I been?
was it just a dream?
and though your door is always open
where do I begin?
may I please come in? ♬
Do You Realize? by The Flaming Lips
The end of December finishes the final chapter on the complex story that is the year. Afterwards, it's easy to shut the door and close our minds to everything that happened in the past twelve months, especially the memories of pain and disappointment. To shut out all the bad, though, is to deny everything that makes the human experience such a vibrant celebration. To remind us how important the whole spectrum of our experiences are, we've got the indulgent psychedelic pop of Do You Realize? filled with sensual strings, dreamlike guitars, and sweeping choral voices. As the lyrics remind us, our happiness can be truly painful and our pain can bring about the greatest joy, and we must never forget any of it.
♬ do you realize that everyone you know someday will die?
and instead of saying all of your goodbyes
let them know you realize that life goes fast
it's hard to make the good times last
you realize the sun don't go down
it's just an illusion caused by the sun spinning 'round ♬
Closing Time by Semisonic
December marks the end of the year, but it's an arbitrary designation, since there's no real end to time. We have a brand new year waiting around the corner, and December's "end" simply sets up a brand new beginning. Few songs capture the spirit and the wonder of the end-to-beginning cycle as well as Closing Time. With its solid pop arrangements built upon rich guitar and piano licks, there's a real sense of wonder and optimism to the song. Dan Wilson's vocal are filled with a sense of cautious excitement, uncertain of what the future holds, but eager to find out, making this a superb selection to mark the transition from one year's end to the start if the next.
♬ closing time, open all the doors and let you out into the world
closing time, turn all of the lights on over every boy and every girl
closing time, one last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer
closing time, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here ♬
December draws the year to its inevitable close, but at the same time, it sets the stage for a brand new one right around the corner. We've heard some interesting music to mark the different moods and themes over this past year, but they're hardly the final word. As we move on into the new year, find your own music to build on all these lists and expand them to fit your life.
Why stop here? Be sure to also have a look at:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
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