Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling
The Andrew Sisters Makes Anything Better
Market Basket was the busiest I’d ever experienced; line all the way up the aisles, barely able to push a cart. Madness.
And despite the chaos, it occurred to me that the holiday music piping over the ceiling speakers was loud. Really loud.
It felt like adding a really loud Moriah Carey to the mix wasn’t going to help anybody.
And then The Andrew Sisters came on. I actually stopped and pushed my cart over to the side so I could concentrate.
Yup. Jing-a-Ling, Jing-a-Ling by the Andrew Sisters. As near as I could tell, it was the original version as well, a 1950 pretty obscure track with the Vic Schoen Orchestra. I’m not even sure what exact album that came out on, because the LP I own, “Andrew Sisters Christmas,” doesn’t have that song on it. So perhaps it was just a single. At any rate, give it a listen below!
(Sidenote: If you get a chance to listen to the Andrew Sisters / Bing Crosby collaboration of Jingle Bells, it’s a absolute delight! Look it up if you have a chance.)
Anyway, the song finished and I stood there trying to figure out exactly what subscription service Market Basket must be connected to in order to have The Andrew Sisters playing to their customers, when - and I swear to you this happened, I’m not making it up - a grown man walked by me wearing a full on elf costume, tights and everything.
“Nice costume,” I said.
“Thanks,” he said.
I don’t have any ending to this story to be honest, except, I suppose to say that The Andrew Sisters and a guy in elf costume put me in a better mood. But I’m a simple man and don’t require much.
Later that evening, I put on some Andrew Sisters and listened while I wrote this. The holiday season is upon us. It’s going to be impossible to avoid all holiday music, so why try. Dive in.
Tell us: What is your favorite holiday song - artist and year please!
actually my favorites are all in Polish... but wait... The whole Arthur Godfrey Christmas album epecially Hawaiian Meleke Maha is the Thing to Say on a Bright and Sunny Christmas Day... That's the island greeting that we send to you... i often taught it to my grade 3-4 in Somersworth... Wesolych Swiat! Karolina
Ahh, Christmas Music! Definitely a soft spot for me through the ages. Sooo many wonderful tunes, and "Jin-a-ling" would certainly be on my list of favorites.
Some other faves for me include the entire Charlie Brown Christmas album (with the exception of Für Elise" which just isn't a holiday song), an EP by the Cocteau Twins of "Frosty the Snowman, "and "Winter Wonderland" and a CD I found called "Hipster's Holiday" with a crazy version of Silent Night by The Tim Fuller Experience. But anything Christmas (especially older) tends to make me smile.