bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:23:44 GMT -5
Despite a whopping FIVE last place ranks, "The Christmas Guest" was able to escape even being a last place contender thanks to not one but TWO #1 ranks from castleoblivion26 and taylor ... Y'all, this literally isn't even a song. It's a very disappointing album for some of us, but how disappointing does it have to be to put a nearly 6-minute spoken story ahead of literally all of the actual songs?! I am utterly deceased.
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Post by tim on Dec 13, 2020 22:25:50 GMT -5
Listening to “The Christmas Guest” was torture. I never want to hear that again.
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taylor
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Post by taylor on Dec 13, 2020 22:26:42 GMT -5
I enjoy the poem, and I think it works rather well so no regrets from me. THANK YOU. The story told just hits like a ton of bricks. That twist at the end is a twist like just about any of Reba's greatest hits! I stand by my #1.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:31:14 GMT -5
'Cause what made it special was the baby in her arms. God sent Him down to give the world, a second chance for you and I. That's why we have Christmas at this time each year. It's the baby's birthday party that brings us so much cheer.
8. "Happy Birthday Jesus (I'll Open This One Just For You)"
Track 6 Runtime: 2:34 Songwriters: Traditional
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:33:39 GMT -5
"Happy Birthday" is one of the campiest Christmas songs I have ever heard, with Reba speaking to the children the whole time, including them in a chorus of "Happy Birthday Jesus!!!" at the end of the song, etc. That being said, I do think the chorus is quite catchy. I was really torn about this one! Lol. Despite a handful of top 5 ranks, it was always a bottom 3 contender.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:40:36 GMT -5
Then he walks outside And he climbs up on his sleigh And calls out to his reindeer. Off they fly away. Oh, tonight he'll make a million dreams appear While he wishes that his own dreams would come true this year.
7. "A Christmas Letter"
Track 9 Runtime: 3:12
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:45:15 GMT -5
Disappointed with how "A Christmas Letter" did. This song actually has a really interesting story, with an old man sitting at a desk writing a letter asking for more kindness in the world, before revealing that he is actually Santa Claus, and he's fixing to go out and make everyone else's dreams come true, but he's still waiting for someone to make his dreams come true Heartbreaking, really! And the song has a pretty catchy hook too, with "All I'm asking for is a little more love" having a catchy melody that could have just as easily been lifted from a non-Christmas song. That easily put this one ahead of her boring covers of more classic Christmas songs for me. .indulgecountry loses his #1 here, while ClevelandRox loses his last place. This song had no consistency whatsoever, as it was anywhere from #2 to #9 throughout the submission process!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:52:33 GMT -5
Christmas Eve will find me Where the love light gleams. I'll be home for Christmas, If only in my dreams.
6. "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
Track 8 Runtime: 3:16 Songwriters: Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:55:43 GMT -5
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" is one of the most boring Christmas songs to me. And yet, this one has a nice unexpected uptick in tempo that helps it to stand out a bit from other versions! Definitely would have preferred to see this make the top 5 over something like "The Christmas Song"...
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 22:56:34 GMT -5
The top 5!!!!
Away In A Manger O Holy Night On This Day Silent Night The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:01:09 GMT -5
Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace.
5. "Silent Night"
Track 5 Runtime: 3:36 Songwriters: Franz Gruber, Josef Mohr
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:03:57 GMT -5
"Silent Night" is a beautiful song, and I really enjoy the simplicity of this one. Part of me was like "WTF WHY IS SHE STILL TALKING" when this song started for the first time, as I had just finished "The Christmas Guest", but it is kinda cool to have a little backstory about this song. The really minimalist production works pretty well too, and doesn't sound quite as dated as the rest of the album.
It's not NEARLY as good as the "Silent Night" that she would record like 30 years later with Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood, but it's still one of the nicest songs on this album! I might have even underranked it by a position or two.
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:10:17 GMT -5
Away in a manger, No crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus Lay down his sweet head. The stars in the sky Look down where he lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
4. "Away In A Manger"
Track 1 Runtime: 2:27
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:13:01 GMT -5
"Away In A Manger" is another song that typically bores me depending on the version, but I do enjoy this one! It has more tempo to it than your average version, which I like! The need to make it soooooo slow is typically what makes it boring for me. This song actually has a very good melody when the melody is allowed to shine.
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:17:33 GMT -5
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe Helps to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow Will find it hard to sleep tonight. They know that Santa Claus is on his way. He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. And every mother's child is gonna spy To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
3. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)"
Track 10 Runtime: 3:28
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:20:05 GMT -5
"The Christmas Song" has the unforgivable combo of being both insanely boring AND insanely over-covered. Unless it's Martina's version, this one has pretty much become an instant skipper for me through the years. Reba brings absolutely nothing new to the song other than that cool run at the end, so I feel like #3 is waaaaaaaaaaay too high. This one seriously overstayed.
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:21:20 GMT -5
Yay, here is our top 2!!!! How is this gonna play out?!
O Holy Night vs. On This Day
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:38:50 GMT -5
Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. The thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
2. "O Holy Night"
Track 3 Runtime: 3:54 Songwriters: Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight
The kids were up before dawn this morning. Right to the Christmas tree they ran, Called up the stairs for us to hurry. Wait for this day for about as long as they could stand. While trading presents the little one asks me, Why do we have Christmas each year? I said long ago a child was born this day. He's a gift more precious than all you see here.
1. "On This Day"
Track 2 Runtime: 4:04
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 13, 2020 23:53:07 GMT -5
All things considered, I'm pretty happy with this top 2! This version of "O Holy Night" is somewhat unremarkable thanks to how dated it is, but the song in general is still one of the best Christmas songs period, and deserves to be this high on that merit if nothing else! I mean, Reba does still do a great job with it too. I'd even be willing to bet this would have been much more epic back when it was first released. However, there are just several more modern versions that have come out since this one, which it simply cannot hold a candle to. Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Martina McBride are probably the three most noteworthy in the popular culture scene. Reba's version just does not hold a candle.
"On This Day" was a nice discovery for me. It has a great melody, and isn't in-your-face Christmasy. Like, melody- and production-wise it sounds like it could have come from any of Reba's '80s albums. That feeling of "original song" makes it a standout on this album for me. While many of the classic covers have since been eclipsed by more modern versions, a song like this feels like something that uniquely belongs to this album, and is not likely to be done better by anyone else. I'm glad to see it representing this album in our winner's circle!
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 14, 2020 0:02:05 GMT -5
Secret of Giving Rankdown: Results Time!
Final Participant List: (11)
1. tim2. someguy3. taylor4. castleoblivion265. .indulgecountry6. bboat117. Kris Kringle8. sbp179. RobbyFlorida10. ClevelandRox11. codyj100 **If anybody else would like to send in a last-minute list for this album, this is your FINAL CHANCE to do so!!!! I will be beginning results soon**
Questions to get us started:
1) What will be #1?
2) What will be #10?
3) Which songs will be in the top 5?
4) What song will be most polarizing? Least polarizing?
5) Which of the Christmas covers will place highest? Where will it place? ("I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus", "Mary, Did You Know?", "Up On The Housetop")
6) Which of the covers will place lowest? Where will it place?
7) What will be the highest-placing original track? Where will it place?
8) Any other thoughts/predictions?
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Post by RobbyFlorida on Dec 14, 2020 1:17:51 GMT -5
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Post by RobbyFlorida on Dec 14, 2020 1:22:12 GMT -5
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Dec 14, 2020 12:05:22 GMT -5
Yay @ getting the best possible top 2 and the correct winner after "A Chritmas Letter" was tragically done dirty. </3 That song and the top 2 were basically the only things I'd possibly revisit from this record. So much of this album was so unremarkable, especially that poem.
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Post by tim on Dec 14, 2020 19:26:33 GMT -5
I wish I had something more positive to say regarding Reba's Merry Christmas to You album, but I'm short on praise for it lol. It's almost a bit dispiriting to say that because of how well-regarded her work is overall (although this was the '80s were talking about). While George Strait's Merry Christmas Strait to You was released just a year before Reba's and also produced by Jimmy Bowen, his has almost gone on to become a classic that I believe still sells quite well to this day. Yes, his might sound a bit "dated" to y'all I'm sure but it has maintained its relevance as there are still a few of the songs from it played every holiday season.
Anyways...while I remember having Reba's playing on cassette while my mom was putting up Christmas decorations (not the one with the campy album cover!), it obviously didn't leave much of an impression on me as a kid because it was quite a chore to even get through for this rankdown!
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Post by tim on Dec 14, 2020 19:26:53 GMT -5
1) What will be #1? "Up on the Housetop"
2) What will be #10? "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus"
3) Which songs will be in the top 5? "Up on the Housetop", "Mary, Did You Know", "'Till the Season Comes 'Round Again", "One Child One Day", and "Santa Claus Is Coming Back to Town"
4) What song will be most polarizing? "One Child, One Day" or "This Is My Prayer For You" Least polarizing? "Up on the Housetop"
5) Which of the Christmas covers will place highest? Where will it place? "Up On The Housetop" in the top two
6) Which of the covers will place lowest? Where will it place? "I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus" in the bottom two
7) What will be the highest-placing original track? Where will it place? "'Till the Season Comes Around Again" (although this is technically a cover which I believe Vince Gill first recorded in 1993 followed by Kenny Rogers in '96 and Amy Grant and Reba in '99)
8) Any other thoughts/predictions? I wish I liked Reba's Christmas output more but there's really only one or two songs at most that I revisit from this album
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 18, 2020 19:32:33 GMT -5
I'm so sorry it took so long between these albums. This has been quite a week! I've been facing the triple-whammy of having a huge project due on Thursday and trying to get my students all set for winter break while also having my internet go out for most of the week... However, now the project is submitted, my Wifi is back, and my job has shut down for winter break!!! We'll be beginning this one very soon!
If anyone else would like to make predictions, please do so. I know that Tim isn't the only one with opinions on this album!
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someguy
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Post by someguy on Dec 18, 2020 21:29:09 GMT -5
1) What will be #1? "Up On The Housetop"
2) What will be #10? "Santa Claus Is Coming Back To Town"
3) Which songs will be in the top 5? "Up On The Housetop", "The Secret Of Giving", "This Is My Prayer For You", "Til The Season Comes Round Again", "Mary, Did You Know"
4) What song will be most polarizing? "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Least polarizing? "Up On The Housetop
5) Which of the Christmas covers will place highest? Where will it place? ("I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus", "Mary, Did You Know?", "Up On The Housetop") "Up On The Housetop" at #1
6) Which of the covers will place lowest? Where will it place? "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" in the bottom three
7) What will be the highest-placing original track? Where will it place? "The Secret Of Giving" at #2
8) Any other thoughts/predictions? I really do like this album, and it has grown on me with time. There are some really interesting original songs ("The Secret Of Giving", "This Christmas", "The Angels Sang", "This Is My Prayer For You") that I wish would have gotten some more attention. I also really like "Til The Season Comes Round Again" (though not a Reba original), and it is usually the last Christmas song I listen to every season.
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Post by Kris Kringle on Dec 21, 2020 12:20:16 GMT -5
1) What will be #1? "The Secret of Giving"
2) What will be #10? "The Angels Sang"
3) Which songs will be in the top 5? "The Secret of Giving", "Mary, Did You Know", "'Till the Season Comes 'Round Again", "This Christmas", and "One Child, One Day"
4) What song will be most polarizing? "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Least polarizing? "The Secret of Giving"
5) Which of the Christmas covers will place highest? Where will it place? "This Christmas" in the top 5
6) Which of the covers will place lowest? Where will it place? "Up on the Housetop" will be in bottom 2
7) What will be the highest-placing original track? Where will it place? "The Secret of Giving" should be #1, but probably in top 3.
8) Any other thoughts/predictions? I'm just really happy there isn't another rendition of "The Christmas Guest" on here.
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 30, 2020 0:34:13 GMT -5
Gotta get to a new page!
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Post by bboat11 on Dec 30, 2020 0:34:26 GMT -5
Last post!
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