Where Shall I Send Thee?

Kelly Pace, Aaron Brown, Joe Green, Paul Hayes, and Matthew Johnson “Holy Babe” – This is a bit late for Christmas, I know, but since this song is less about the holiday and more about the actual Nativity, it doesn’t have an implied expiration date like most modern secular Christmas tunes. I’m no musicologist, so I have no idea if this song predates “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” (my guess is that it does not), but it follows a similar lyrical structure. That’s where the similarities end, though – it’s hard to imagine anyone performing “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” with as much soul and jaunty charm. This was recorded in 1939 on a farm in Gould, Arkansas and was recently unearthed and reissued on the excellent Where Will You Be Christmas Day? compilation. (Click here to buy it from Dust-to-Digital.)

Ron Rogers “Yaya” – Like any good celebration of the id, the lyrics of this song are deeply ridiculous and full of silly nonsequitors (I really do hope that I get to slip the phrase “let’s change the subject and talk about whiskey!” into a real conversation someday) while the music takes the business of revelry and hedonism very seriously, as though it were some kind of divine mandate. (Click here to buy it from Ze Records.)

Elsewhere: As part of his nearly complete analysis of The Fiery Furnaces’ Blueberry Boat, Eppy at Clap Clap Blog has recut the album into what he believes to be the proper chronological order of the lyrics and has posted the whole thing as mp3s here. If you haven’t already read through his essays about each of the songs and have a bit of time on your hands, I highly recommend that you do so, since his annotation and analysis are very helpful tools in making some sense of the album’s labyrinthian structure and many obscure lyrical references. His recent entry for “Mason City” is particularly useful, since it decodes the seemingly unknowable third section of the song.