Happy Christmas Mix 2014! Music and Memories...

YES, YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE – THE STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS, FOR THE 2014 ‘JOHN YOUNGREN HAPPY CHRISTMAS DISC’

John Youngren’s Christmas Mix CD

2014 Release – “Bronx Bomber Edition”

Dropped Dec. 19, 2014

Editor’s Note: You’ve really gone deep if you’ve gone this far, but thank you. This mostly dormant johnyoungren.com blog and website is in the last few years little but a repository for the background on my annual Christmas CD, which you can see if you scroll down a bit. I wish I had the energy to do something more with this damn blog – maybe that’s a 2015 resolution. In the meantime, on with the stories behind the songs. If you have no idea what I’m talking about and want a copy of the 22^nd annual Christmas Mix, send me an email at johnyoungren@mac.com and describe, in 25 words or less, why you should be on the list. (Just kidding, sort of.)

By JOHN YOUNGREN

It was mid-November and I began struggling with what would turn out to be a bulging disc in my lower back. I had no idea what was happening at the time. I just knew it was a particularly unpleasant Monday morning and I had to demand a chair to sit on at work to get through a weekly edition of staff meeting, which I normally moderate standing up.

And I couldn’t stand up.

Frustrated and in a wee bit of pain, I made my way back to my office and began sifting through emails on what was going to be a day of discomfort and uncertainty. I made an appointment to get into my doctor within a day. Fortunately, I had been playing around with various versions of Christmas CD Mixes for the previous 2-3 weeks, as my family was scheduled to be out of town for Thanksgiving Weekend itself, and that was the traditional timeframe when I would typically put together the first draft of the annual mix.

Wincing while I worked, I received an email from the (normally) very dependable gentlemen who both masters and duplicates the copies of my CD mix every year (or at least for the past decade or so). And he had news. After doing it for more the a decade, he wanted to give me notice that he wouldn’t be able to do CD duplication going forward, and wanted to give me time to find another source.

And that’s how I began that week. I had (back) disc problems. And, then, I had (Christmas Mix) disc problems.

As it would all turn out, as I’ve told people since, I was able to overcome those obstacles – mainly due to great friends and colleagues like Joe Evans and Anthony Oliver and Jared McPherson and Kelli Fratto and Aaron Evans. These were people around my office who stepped-up and said, “how can we help?” and tried to make me think around the challenges that were presenting themselves, even when I wasn’t at my best. Kelli was mostly inspiration, as were old friends Laura Snow and Heli Nielson.  Everyone had advice. Aaron helped me bat around ideas for duplication and distribution. Anthony and Jared stepped-up and in less than an afternoon presented me with a technically viable version of my iTunes mix, mastered to a CD that could actually be duplicated. And Joe? As always, Joe. Patient and supportive – and so willing to take on the less-than-sexy tasks of printing, trimming, cutting and stuffing, under the radar and off the clock, year after year.

This year’s CD doesn’t exist without those people. And no Christmas CD of the last decade exists without Joe Evans. Thanks be to all.

Finally, on the list of “couldn’t do it without them…” My cousin in Newburgh, Greg Roe, who largely put up with me and my various wants and desires on a trip this summer at what we would later deem "Camp John." He took the pictures you see in the design (especially the front cover, which he snapped on his phone) and back cover, which he took while I was standing at Seven Seas Restaurant & Pub in Milford, CT, with my hero, Dan Patrick (doesn’t really come through on the back but you can see if you hold it up to the light). Greg pretty much made all of it happen.

Maybe I’ll write my version of the Dan Patrick story in the near future on this blog, for it is a classic.

And, finally, to Adam Fox, who left Love Communications a couple of years ago but somehow continues to be the primary creative force behind the design and “look” of the last several Christmas CDs, despite the fact that he lives in St. Louis these days and has no reason to help me other than he’s a nice, talented guy. Because of my various back-related ailments, I had to kind of take some shortcuts this year – thus I “locked” the mix sequence and songs just after that fateful Monday and kind of had to surrender my design ideas to Adam via Dropbox so we had plenty of time to spare. He took it and ran – creating, unbelievably, the cover design I pretty much saw in my head long before I sent it off. He also developed – on his own – the “John Youngren Bronx Bomber Edition” seal, or stamp (the top-hat design) you see on the front cover and throughout the disc materials (and above). That was pure gold, Jerry. Really great stuff – and the kind of thing I’ll be using as an avatar on social media for the rest of my life.

Thanks, Mr. Fox.  (Doing my best David Caruso voice, there.)

So … on we go. A couple of more things: 1) Like I said, I locked the disc and didn’t worry too much about previous rules, such as songs I’d used before on other mixes, etc., etc. I had to NOT care about that. So I think there may be at least one and as many as three songs on this year’s Christmas Mix that I have used before – over 522 different tracks, or whatever. As Tom Carlson said upon hearing the mix, “I don’t care. They’re YOUR rules.” And this year, for various reasons, I had to break them. (But, mix buffs, let me know what I’m re-using if you hear something and I’ll send you a Yankees T-shirt.)

2) As I established, I had to go to a new audio reproduction source this year. Turned out great and all, but they weren’t able to cross-fade the tracks at the end of each song, which was a party trick I’d gotten used to. Next year we’ll fix that.

Finally (and I know I've been whiny so far, but it's a theme, so go with it), as I was having an MRI on the day before Thanksgiving and an Epidural spinal shot on Dec. 12^th, there were plenty of times over the past month or so when I thought, “screw it. If this doesn’t work out this time, I’ll just call off the disc.”

You know what? Everything worked out in the end.  (Including the part where I didn’t put any actual Beatles songs on the mix for the first time in what must be forever, but I’ll have to get an intern to do the research there. Get ready, Jessica.)

Enjoy the 22^nd annual edition. Hashtag: Christmasmiracle

1. “Run Run Rudloph” … Kelly Clarkson. The usual mix leadoff (and one and only actual Christmas) song shouldn't be too long, should be more contemporary and will be quickly forgotten once the holidays are over. No great mysteries here. So Ms. Original American Idol fit the bill.
2. “Substitute” … The Who. This is one song I suspect I’ve used before, but my own research proved otherwise, at least on Christmas CD mixes in the past decade. No mysteries here. Good riff; fun start to a CD.
3. “Basket Case” … Green Day. Maybe one of the few songs on this year’s disc that lives up to the old rules of having been inspired by a group moment of the year. This time was from this fall, when the reunited band Probable Cause did a benefit fundraiser for a friend. And the impressive Brad Brusa sang lead on this song. Brad, you’ve never been part of the Xmas CD tradition – but feel free to let me know!
4. “Call Me Back Again” … Paul McCartney & Wings. Saw Macca on a crazy week for me; he and his current band were in SLC in early August. He did NOT sing this song that night, but he might as well have; it’s always been one of my favorite album cuts and was featured by iTunes this year. That’s it.
5. “22” … Taylor Swift. Ms. Swift exploded this year. I was way ahead of this curve, and saw this song coming from her last CD. That was around the time I set aside “22,” which I always knew was going to be on my 22^nd Christmas CD. (You see what I did there, right? Can’t make-up this stuff!)
6. “We Can’t Stop” … Miley Cyrus. I had a lot of fun with Miley last year once I put “Wrecking Ball” on the 21^st CD and opened some eyes. I still like Miley, and I particularly like the version of “We Can’t Stop” she did last year with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (look it up).
7. “Earthquake Driver” … Counting Crows. Sometimes, you just find new songs by artists you always have liked, which is what I did with Counting Crows, who have informed many a previous Christmas CD. They had a new CD this year. I liked this track. So here it is.
8. “American Kids” … Kenny Chesney. See description for No. 7, above.
9. “Point At You” … Justin Moore. He’s a midget country guy and, I suspect, a sort-of one-hit-wonder (see: Chris Cagle). Still, this song and video captivated my country flame and, I dare say, is the most “country” song on this year’s mix (the mix's country count is down from many previous years … only four of 23 this year. No, I don’t count Taylor and Miley. Take that, Rich).
10. “Sweet Annie” … Zac Brown Band. I guess it could technically be called a country song but I just liked it, because in previous years it could have been sung by James Taylor … or Hootie & The Blowfish.
11. “Fly Me To The Moon” … Grace Potter. Seemingly, a throwaway cover, but three reasons it’s here: 1-I’m always looking to include old songs I love with new variations, so I can break my own rules. 2-A visit to Dean Ferguson’s town of Seattle first inspired using the Sinatra version of this song, which ruled a Christmas Mix in like 1994, or whatever. 3-Friend and would-be lover Heli loves Grace Potter, who I know from her duets with Kenny Chesney. So that’s what makes this beautiful.
12. “Best Day Of My Life” … American Authors. It took us about 12 hours, but this was the song we arrived at earlier this year when trying to score a convention video for Sheriff Jim Winder’s re-election announcement. Makes the list.
13. “What Makes You Beautiful” … One Direction. I accidentally got into this song around my birthday this year (I think I heard it in a commercial) and somehow am actually part of two (yes, two) videos online singing along with it. Feel free to search. Start on Facebook.
14. “Locked Out Of Heaven” … Bruno Mars. Great mix song. Great sound. I like Bruno. Not much more.
15. “We Are Young” … Fun. Has been in the on-deck circle for a Christmas mix for the past couple of years. Just fit this year. Nothing more.
16. “Girlfriend In A Coma” … The Smiths. No idea why, but this song from my teenage years re-rooted itself in my brain about three months ago, and I haven’t been able to let it go.
17. “Train In Vain” … The Clash. Some of you have been around me since the “KOLY Morning Announcements” at Olympus High School in 1982-83. This was a quintessential “announcements song,” and, in fact, I used it on my very last announcements ever. Can’t believe I haven’t done a Christmas CD with it before.
18. “Giving It Back” … Matthew Sweet. I think I’ve used this on a Christmas Mix CD before, but I couldn’t find a record of it, so I gave up because I have a bulging disc and it just sounded good right here, as the 18^th song on the mix.
19. “Rolling In The Deep” … Adele. Been on deck for a mix for the past 2-3 years. Was sliced off of last year’s at the last minute. As I said, I had to decide what I was doing earlier in the scheme of things this year, as described above. So here we go. A classic "credits" song.
20. “7^th Inning Stretch” … Gin Blossoms. Look at the cover of the CD and tell me why you still need some extra insight here. (Don't mean to sound snarky. Just having fun.)
21. “My Car” … I know I violated everything here, because I have used this song before (and almost used it again in the last 2-3 mixes) but, still: Gin Blossoms designed “7^th Inning Stretch” to be followed by “My Car” on their original album. So how could I violate THEIR rules?
22. “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” … Dwight Yoakam. This song’s been on deck every year for the past 10 years. Love the operatic sweep and sense of the song, plus the feeling of longing and searching. But I couldn’t get it on a Christmas Mix before. It’s always been a placeholder. This year, it stepped in, largely due to problems described above. I think it works.
23. “Go Now!” … The Moody Blues. Can’t believe I haven’t pulled this song sooner in 22 years. Can’t believe I only had the original Moody Blues version to work with (Wings did it much better). Can’t believe it cuts off so soon (see above, as it applies to technical duplication and mastering issues!).

Happy Christmas! See you in 2015!

Follow John on Twitter and Instagram @jtyoungren

Visit John Youngren’s Christmas CD Fan Club on Facebook. (Just search for it. If you want to be a member, Heli will let you in, for sure.) 

And now,  follow Twitter @JYXmasmix22 (This isn't going as well as I would like, by the way.)

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ON THE DOT: I’ve got to recommit. I started this blog back around the 2002 Olympics. Other than Christmas CD entries, I haven’t updated in a thousand years from nowhere. But I’ll try to rectify that in 2015. To encourage or berate me, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com 

Labels: Christmas mix, Christmas songs, tradition, #jyxmasmix, #22mix, johnxmasmix, #campjohn

Happy Christmas Mix 2013

WHY ARE THESE SONGS THESE SONGS? THE STORY OF THE 2013 ‘JOHN YOUNGREN CHRISTMAS’ MIX

John Youngren’s Christmas Mix CD 
2013 Edition – "It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere"
First Released Dec. 19, 2013

 [Editor’s Note: As before, this blog entry may not make sense to some people. It’s the story behind the 21st edition of my Christmas Mix CD. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and would like a copy, email me at johnyoungren@mac.com]

 By JOHN YOUNGREN 

Like I said, I was thinking I was done. Good old 2013 has been a crazy freaking year, full of wild ups and downs, personally and professionally. And I had served up a perfect walk-off – a 20-year retrospective CD last year that left things on a high note. The Christmas CD had come of age. Always leave them wanting more.  

But I couldn’t let it go. Certain songs had a way of burrowing into my brain and finding their way onto the iTunes playlist I was keeping all year “just in case.” I couldn’t imagine going empty-handed to holiday open houses. This is what I do. Instead of baking hams and hanging lights, I make Christmas Mix CDs.

Technology, of course, makes the idea of a Christmas Mix CD all the quainter. It’d be easiest for me to just send a link around via email with a list of songs for the year. But the tradition of having something tangible carried the day here, too. My pal Adam Fox was the final push. When he agreed to design another cover for me despite the fact that he lives in St. Louis, I knew it was game on.

There was a day when the songs all used to “mean” something. Not really, anymore. I’m basically just amusing myself, and/or sequencing songs I like in a pleasing way to me. I used to encourage people not to read the list of songs and just give the disc just one listen first. That said, I know there are some of you – not very many, really – who will want to know why I chose what I chose. So now I’ll use this social media platform to support a very traditional media execution … the disc itself. And I’ll explain…

1. “Jingle Bell Rock” … Blake Shelton (with Miranda Lambert). I look every year for a song I can find to represent Christmas (for many years I didn’t have an actual Christmas song on the Christmas mix, which was admittedly weird). Rules here. It can’t be too long. It has to be something more current. Blake and Miranda are Country’s reigning couple (sorry, Tim and Faith). They belong here.

2. “A Hard Day’s Night” … The Beatles. And then I look for a good riff or something to get us off to a good start after the holidays, when the disc stops being about Christmas and can lend itself to your CD player for the year. And I can’t believe I’ve never used “A Hard Day’s Night” before, but it is the theme of my year.

3. “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” … Paul McCartney. Essentially, I’m doing Macca back-to-back, which breaks a rule of my own, but I had to go with it. “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” is another theme of my year; I feel as though I’m getting older and less and less likely to show up at late night parties and special events and make appearances. Nothing deep. Just more about me being tired.

4. “Lost Horizons” … Gin Blossoms. I nearly always use a Gin Blossoms song. I can’t believe I haven’t used this one before. After 499 songs, that’s hard to believe. That said, once I had established this year’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” theme, this drinking song had to make the mix. Come on.

5. “She Don’t Want Nobody Near” … Counting Crows. A longtime favorite and another of those that I can’t believe didn’t make the mix before … until it did. It sort of means something about something else, but I'll leave that alone.

6. “Me And Charlie Talking” … Miranda Lambert. This one comes because I wanted Miranda on the CD … but couldn’t find the right song to fit with the rest of the mix. Sometimes, it’s just about that. So I went back to her first hit, “Me And Charlie Talking,” from a few years ago. Always loved the song, and the sentiment. You do what you do.

7. “Lights” … Gretchen Wilson. Have had several Journey covers on Christmas mixes over the years, and this one presented itself and was on the list from middle of 2013. I love me some Gretchen Wilson; always have. I love this song from the days when Peter Behle and I would sing it on our drive to San Francisco (I was helping he and his wife Shia move there) in 1987. It’s just a John song.

8. “Springsteen” … Eric Church. This was on the list for last year before I went in the 20-year anniversary direction. A great song by a solid country artist referencing The Boss. Love it when “Glory Days” can be part of someone else’s history.

9. “Wagon Wheel” … Darius Rucker. Love Hootie. Love this fucking song. May be the whole reason I decided to do a 21st version, even though I had it good. This is the song on which the whole rest of the Christmas Mix is built.

10. “Further On” … Bronze Radio Return. I know this song because it’s in those Golf Channel commercials promoting Phil, Tiger, Rory, etc. I’m obsessed with TV golf. Plus, it turned out to be a good song and fit-in well.

11. “Cruise” … Florida Georgia Line. These country dudes are like the new-age Montgomery-Gentry, and you heard that first from me. I didn’t pay them any particular attention until they racked up about 38 hits, of which this was one. And damnit, it fits in this mix. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

12. “Kiss On My List” … Hall & Oates. I’ll date myself with this, but this song was a big hit for my gang when we were in high school, which was 30 years ago today, more or less. And it’s a song we began referring to a few months ago with the guys in my office as it pertained to a client, in an odd way. Scott, Dan and Brian … this one’s for you.

13. “Stacy’s Mom” … Fountains Of Wayne. Was looking for a way to fit Fountains of Wayne in. Much more obscure songs kept creeping into the lineup. And then there was a car commercial that was using “Stacy’s Mom” during the actual time I was mixing the Christmas CD. And it’s a more complicated song than the chorus would have you think; it’s actually kind of funny and creepy. And that made it onto the Mix.

14. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” … The Beatles. A Beatles pull might be obvious; really, I try to avoid them. But this one sounded so good and organic in this particular stretch – Hall & Oates, Fountains of Wayne, Beatles, Taylor Swift and Miley – that it just brought it all together. Can’t believe I haven’t used it before. Someone will tell me I did.

15. “Red” … Taylor Swift. Well, I’m a big fan of Ms. Swift, as fans/followers/critics will attest. Almost had her here on the disc more than once. Settled down for this one, which is brilliant. Not much more than that, but get used to her if we’re doing some variation of this for another few years.

16. “Wrecking Ball” … Miley Cyrus. Love Miley. Love this song. Love her voice. Met her, at one point. That’s it. Plus, it sounded good in the overall flow.

17. “Moves Like Jagger” … Maroon 5 (with Christina Aguilera). Been sitting on this since last year, like “Springsteen.” Still works now. (Or not?)

18. “Pirate Flag” … Kenny Chesney. Wanted to have some Kenny, but this is more about a good CD transition song than anything else.

19. “Operator (That’s Not The Way It Feels)” … Jim Croce. Been on a “tryout” list for for Xmas mix for 10 years. In this year because it reminded me of Jimmy Buffett, and the two co-existed in earlier drafts. But then I killed “Come Monday.” Yet somehow, “Operator” survived. That’s just the way it feels.

20. “The Ugly Truth” … Matthew Sweet. Was particularly grumpy during final mix period and wanted to use Matthew Sweet song. Had just found out I had broken a bone in my foot and would need to be walking around in a walking boot for six weeks. Wasn’t happy. The Ugly Truth.

21. “See You Again” … Carrie Underwood. Ignored this huge hit all summer, until high school reunion. And then started “hearing” lyrics and theme, around 30-year reunion time. So Heli and Tracey, this one’s for you. Here’s to my favorite Saturday of all time!

22. “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” …. Alan Jackson (with Jimmy Buffett). See the CD and its cover. Do I really need to explain?

Thanks again for your interest and for listening, everyone. Here’s to a great 2014.

Thanks again to my friend Adam Fox for doing the design, even long-distance. And to Scott Talbot at Love Communications, who helped me print them in a pinch. And to Joe Evans, my longtime pal, who somehow assumed the role of cutter and stuffer (don’t ask) about a decade ago and does it tirelessly every year. Joe’s the Man. And my sister, Michelle, who’s always a great sounding board.

Finally, thanks to all of you who told me I had to do it when I couldn’t/didn’t want to. Like I said, I was done. But people started asking and so I started thinking. And when everyone encouraged me to go for it, even in this digital age, I knew I had to. Even when I broke my foot on the night before Thanksgiving. The Christmas Mix lives on.

So, Kelli, Sarah, Chris, Tom C., Rich, Heli, Tracey, Michelle, Adam, Joe, Aaron, Angie, Scott, Holly … there are others; you know who you are. You forced me to slay another dragon. Thanks again and happy holidays to you all.

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Follow John on Twitter and Instagram @jtyoungren 

Visit John Youngren’s Christmas CD Fan Club on Facebook. (Just search for it. If you want to be a member, Heli will let you in, for sure.) 

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ON THE DOT: I’ve got to get this going again. I started this blog back around the 2002 Olympics. Other than Christmas CD entries, I haven’t updated in a while. But I’ll try to rectify that in 2014, so check it out again when you can. To contact me, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com

Christmas CD Mix and Memories

BEHIND THE MUSIC: THE STORY OF THE 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY MIX

John Youngren’s Christmas CD

2012 Edition – 20^th Anniversary Mix

First Released Dec. 20, 2012

[Editor’s Note: This blog entry may not make sense to some people. It’s the story behind my 20-year anniversary Christmas mix CD. If you don’t know what I’m talking about and would like a copy, email me at johnyoungren@mac.com]

By JOHN YOUNGREN

Two decades ago, when I was more or less 11 years old (bah dah dum), I started doing this thing for my friends. It was inspired – as I detail on this year’s CD liner notes – when my close friend Greg Simos moved away, for a job in North Carolina. 

Greg (we called him “Filo”) was at the center of a group I ran with at the time – and we spent a lot of time together, closing down bars and partying too much and doing crazy things like singing karaoke on the deck at Green Street on hot summer nights.

It was a great, great time in my life. We were all a lot younger (we had to be). And we had a lot of fun.

A few other things played into the evolution of the original Christmas mix concept: In college, when I had friends spread out all over the world serving LDS Missions (yes, really), I put together these kind of group mix tapes that I would send to a handful with jokes and news and music about life back home. Those tapes had my voice on them, though, and I didn’t think they’d stand the test of time. So I took one part of the idea and tweaked it.

Also, a former boss of mine (many will remember the late Don Ware from Harris & Love days) had a Christmas tradition I always thought was great. He’d assemble a Christmas cookbook (with personal recipes) each year to share with friends and family and send them out accordingly.

What could I do in to capture that spirit? That's how it started, basically, as a glorified mix tape, designed to capture the year that was in music. In the original days of the tapes, there were a lot of rules: Each song had to “mean” something, meaning either we had to have referenced it or sung it or been somewhere where it had been played during some kind of group gathering over the previous 12 months. For many years, I would document whatever concerts or other similar events had taken place during the year by including a song or two from that artist on the mix tape.

It was all on cassette tapes in those early years (the first eight or so), and my distribution list was really pretty small. There were no fancy covers and pretty limited duplication resources. I would copy the tapes (cassette to cassette) in “real” time; meaning 45 minutes for Side 1 and 45 minutes for Side 2. I was lucky if I could make 20 duplicates in any given year, so they went to just a handful of people, the early list of friends and family.

Over time, it grew. Phase II of the history probably started around the time I moved from cassette to CD, in the year 2000. That was a big deal because I jumped ahead in terms of technology (laughable now) and distribution possibilities. Because of price breaks and so forth, I could suddenly make multiple copies of the CD relatively cheaply and certainly easily.  My art direction skills were another issue, however. With the move to CD came the opportunity for CD covers. The first couple I struggled through. Then I started working at Love Communications in 2001 and befriended a certain art director named Craig Lee. Craig was generous enough with his time and talent that he was able to take a simple picture of me and turn it into something fun – the 2001 Christmas CD (the first of the modern era) features me wearing a Santa hat on the cover.

And that led to a kind of Phase III. Because each year, it became a challenge to “top” the previous year in terms of design, photographs and other conceptual matters. Sometimes, the music I chose was directly reflected in the cover concept, or vice-versa. Sometimes, the cover overshadowed the mix; people would react to whatever concept or photograph we had and not even listen to the songs. A few years, it hit on all cylinders.

I was also duplicating a lot more CDs – as I started giving one to everyone I worked with, as well as the now familiar “friends, family, former and would-be lovers, past and present colleagues, drinking buddies and football league foes.” Some loved it and took to the new tradition. Some looked at me like I was crazy. All this attention for a mix CD?

Around this time (and really because the audience had well broadened beyond its original scope) was also the period when I dumped the whole idea of these songs all “meaning” something, or necessarily being tied to any specific year or group connection. The group had grown too diverse. So, I just started picking music I like or had been attracted to over the course of the year, and began building The Mix principally for entertainment value above all else. Leading off the Christmas mix with an actual Christmas song didn’t become a standard until the 10^th annual mix, believe it or not, and I ran out of Frank Sinatra songs (which always used to close the mix) somewhere around the end of the first decade, too.

It was probably also around 10 years ago that my interest in country music started to evolve; country songs (much to the chagrin of Rich Love) have appeared ever since. But I’ve always tried to keep a balance – lead off with a hard rocker or two; respect the classic bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and not be afraid to go to the songs I like by artists who are consistent “mix favorites,” like Matthew Sweet, the Gin Blossoms, John Mellencamp and a handful of others.

Prior to this year’s special 20^th anniversary edition, I had used 453 different tracks (repeating a song only three times, and once was on purpose). 

(I still have great respect and appreciation for those early souls – like my sister, Michelle Watson, or my friend Tom Carlson – who still follow all the early rules; who actually listen to every song before they look at the list of songs and give the music the time to speak. But those people are rare in today's hustle hustle world, and I understand everyone else's need to move through it all in a hurry. Where's the songlist? What's next?)

I had a few people suggest that I put together some kind of compilation over the years, first at the 10-year anniversary and later at the 15-year mark. While I didn’t necessarily think I’d make it to 20 years, I always thought that would be the ideal time to do it, basically because for every year of the CD era, I could generally fit between 20-22 songs in the 80-minute play limit. That’s where the idea of doing one song from each year along with the Christmas song and a “surprise” song came from.

With all that as background (I’m just assuming you want it all if you’re here at all), I offer the behind-the-scenes on the 20^th anniversary mix, as outlined below. Funny thing is, this “Greatest Hits” collection features many of my favorite songs of the past 20 years, sure-thing party starters (at least in my mind) I’ve likely pulled out in one of those games of iPod roulette at the Carlsons' house. And if you listen to it in sequence, that’s how it plays, too – like I’m controlling your iPod, and I get to select each song.

So imagine me sitting right there next to you as I work my way through your play lists. (But don’t get scared. I’m not really there.)

1)   “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)." John Lennon and Yoko Ono. From the 2002 mix (it mistakenly says 2003 mix on the CD cover. A typo got through in the pre-holiday rush). One of my favorite modern Christmas songs of all time, this seemed appropriate because of its place in the history of the Christmas CD and the fact that it’s the one modern Christmas song I sometimes find myself singing.

2)   “Day Tripper.” The Beatles. From the 2001 mix. Nothing too mysterious. It took me several years to use this the first time around, which still amazes me, because I think it’s one of the Beatles’ great riffs and songs of the period. I opened with it this year because I think it’s a strong rocker.

3)   “Tumbling Dice.” Rolling Stones.  From the 1994 mix. Though it’s one of my favorite Stones songs of all time, the main reason it made the 1994 mix – following my logic of the early era mixes – is because that was the year the Stones performed at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake, a landmark concert of the era, and “Tumbling Dice” was one of the songs they sang.

4)   “Beautiful Girls.” Van Halen. From the 2006 mix. Another of those, “I can’t believe it took me that long to get that song on a mix” songs. Great riff and just a whole lot of fun. Good leadoff song, which it did back in 2006.

Past the leadoff hitters, we enter kind of a “second phase” of the 20^th anniversary mix – period pieces that are sure to take you back….

5)   “Hannah Jane.” Hootie & The Blowfish. From the 1995 mix. No song or band better defined the mid-90s for me, and Hootie was a band I saw live several times in 1995 and other years of the period. “Hannah Jane” stands the test of time as one of my particular favorites, a party starter still. I can still see it all in my mind. “Friends” was on the air; I had my Doc Martens on, Zima in hand. Hootie was in the house.

6)   “Girlfriend.” Matthew Sweet. From the 1999 mix. Though I didn’t get around to using it until a few years later (it seemed too obvious, because it was his first big hit, so I went with other more obscure Matthew Sweet tracks first), “Girlfriend” is another defining era song for me. I was introduced to the album by my friends Dean and Robin in Seattle in what had to be 1993 or 1994ish; I became an addicted fan shortly thereafter and have seen Matthew Sweet a number of times over the years, particularly in the mid-late ‘90s. He’s been a mix staple for two decades.

7)   “Something So Strong.” Crowded House. The title of the song is “Something So Strong,” not “Something’s So Strong,” which it mistakenly says on the label. Again, a typo in the pre-holiday, post-Fox haste (see below). It’s a song from the 1993 mix. If we follow the original philosophy of the mix, this is a quintessential song. The strum-strum-strum-strum opening guitar bit was some I always did on the old Bud Light guitar, and it’s one of those we’d do in the old corner table on a “Talk Show” Friday night at D.B. Cooper’s. The original mix tapes were practically invented so I could put this song on them. It’s still a favorite song to sing in the shower, even today.

8)   “These Are Days.” 10,000 Maniacs. From the 1996 mix. The song sums up a particular period of my life – On The Run with Hendy, On The Town with The Crowd, closing down Baci and Oyster Bar and whatever other hot spots we could find. Too many fuzzy Friday nights, too many cloudy Saturday mornings, credit card receipts for drinks I didn’t remember buying. A great time in my life, from what I can – or can’t – remember.

The third phase … much to Rich’s chagrin … is my little country outing for the disc, batching three heavy hitters (all mix standard artists in the country era) with three classic songs, then segueing my way back into the mainstream with a couple of favorites for the teenage girls in the audience. (Just kidding. But they’re all good songs.)

9)   “The Good Stuff.”  Kenny Chesney. From the 2002 mix. While a bit downbeat, this song launched me into being a Kenny Chesney fan – I’ve seen him four or five times over the years live – and pretty much solidified the country music muse going forward. This is one that’s fun to sing by yourself while driving. At least it’s fun for me to do that.

10)                 “Red Dirt Road”.” Brooks & Dunn. From the 2003 mix. This is one of those “damn country music” songs I wish I could get the non-country music fans to just shut up and listen to. It’s a Brooks & Dunn classic and a mix favorite because it hits upon – as many of my favorite mix songs have over the years – the big themes of life and friends and memories and love. People who get caught up in the twang and the fiddle are missing the point. For, when you think about it, those are some of the big themes of the mix, no matter the year.

11)                 “Whiskey Girl.” Toby Keith. From the 2004 mix. Nothing too earthshattering here – I believe I saw Mr. Keith in 2004. Why does it make the greatest hits collection? Part of my criteria in choosing songs for the 20^th anniversary was to try something that defined the particular era of mixes for me. And in the early 2000s, I was seeing all the mainstream country acts, including Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Big & Rich, Toby Keith, etc., etc.

12)                 “Sparks Fly.” Taylor Swift. From the 2008 mix, more or less. This is the one sneaky thing I did as part of the "Greatest Hits" 20-year mix. It was supposed to be Taylor’s Swift “Love Story,” which did appear that year. But I just didn’t like the way “Love Story” sounded in this particular retrospective mix. I did use “Sparks Fly” in 2011, but that year was represented by “The Lazy Song,” which also had to stay. I wrestled with this for a few weeks. How could I have both? Simple. Knowing that to many of my followers any and all Taylor Swift songs pretty much sound alike and knowing that pretty much no one else would notice this unless I pointed it out, I went with “Sparks Fly” as a sort of generic Taylor Swift song that had to be in the lineup. In my defense, this is the only song on the 20^th anniversary mix that got this pass. Also in my defense, it sounded better and it’s my mix. So I can break my rules.

13)                 “Party in the USA.” Miley Cyrus. From the 2010 mix. This is total guilty pleasure, a song that no one my age should like. But I do. I like Miley and this song was used as play-up music everytime shortstop Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies was introduced in the summer of 2010. I like the Rockies, and I like Tulo. The song defined the year. It made the 20^th anniversary mix.

The final batch of songs is sequenced very intentionally for the 20-year mix, as we hit the last third of the song list. With the exception of the first song, “The Lazy Song,” (which came from last year, when it summed up my weekends almost perfectly), all of the songs are meant to be thematic in terms of tone and message.

While they don’t necessarily mean anything specifically, at least on a song-by-song basis, they are meant to generate an overall feeling of contemplation and resolve when thinking about one’s life. (And trust me – I did this same kind of thing 20 years ago. It’s not a matter of age, though that doesn’t help.)

14)                 “The Lazy Song.” Bruno Mars. From the 2011 mix. See above. This song is just fun, and doesn’t really fit into the whole contemplation zone.

15)                 “Daylight Fading.” Counting Crows. From the 1997 mix. Another defining song of the mid-late ‘90s era, and an easy pick for this retrospective. A lot of different Counting Crows songs could have made this list; this just always seemed like a favorite.

16)                 “I’m A Loser.” The Beatles. From the 2009 mix. This song has actually appeared a couple of different ways on Christmas mixes over the years. It’s here again because of its larger themes – a Lennon/Beatles song of raw emotion. It’s also here, moreover, because it was a favorite of the Salt Lake City band Mocha Joe, which performed throughout Salt Lake in the early ‘90s. They would often do their cover of “I’m A Loser” while performing at D.B. Cooper’s … around the same time a certain group of friends was sitting in a certain corner booth, leaning into their beers and singing along.

17)                 “Human Wheels.” John Mellencamp. From the 2005 mix. See everything above about contemplation. It’s a hidden gem from Mellencamp, not one of his classic hits but one of my favorites.

18)                  “Cajun Song.” Gin Blossoms. From the 2000 mix. When I discovered the Gin Blossoms in the late ‘90s, they began to inform nearly every year’s mix; they’re right up there among the all-time leaders in terms of overall appearances (I believe it's 13 times). This is just a Gin Blossoms classic, and it sounds good in the final set of songs on the 20^th anniversary mix. Sometimes, as with Taylor Swift, above, that’s I’ll I’m doing is picking a song that “sounds” like it meshes with what’s before or after. People looking for the hidden meaning in those instances should realize that sometimes it’s just that.

19)                 “Drunk On You.” Luke Bryant. New for the 2012 mix. Like I said, I got one “official” new song for the new mix; something from this year that would have been on the CD for the first time. I chose, for various reasons, “Drunk On You.” Luke Bryant has emerged as a country star over the past 18 months, though he’s appeared on Christmas CD mixes before. The video for this song is clever. The guitar riff is memorable. It “fits” the final sequence. And the song contains the lyrics, “girl, you make my speakers go boom boom,” which is so silly it’s great. Plus, it’s kind of the male version of “Sparks Fly,” reflecting the Taylor Swift choice above.

20)                 “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” Green Day. From the 1998 mix. Anyone who can’t see how this song would fit in on the 20^th anniversary mix and can’t appreciate the pace and where it fits in this retrospective collection is probably just not a fan of John Youngren Christmas CDs.

21)                 “Bitter End.” Dixie Chicks. From the 2007 mix. Same goes for this one as for No. 20, above. Just a great song – more than what it says lyrically than anything else. Typically, I like to end on a wistful note; it being the New Year and a time for reflection and all that. Dixie Chicks hit it with me on that note with this song five years ago. I thought I’d reuse it for almost the same purpose on the 20-year mix.

22)                 “Zou Bisou, Bisou.” Jessica Pare. New to this year as a surprise song. And, at the same time as the ending wistful note, I like to puncture the “big finish” feeling with a hidden gem or amusing throwaway, so that everyone knows I’m not taking myself too seriously. Last year, it was the “Mahna Mahna” punchline to the “Rainbow Connection” finish; a perfect example of what I’m talking about. (It’s the same philosophy that kept me from using a Sinatra finale, which always used to close the show. Just feels a bit too spot on.)

This song, as fans of “Mad Men” will recognize, was used in a particularly sultry scene in an early episode of “Mad Men” from its fifth season. Don Draper’s younger trophy wife serenades him at his birthday party as his colleagues watch and drool.

The song’s lyrics as loosely translated from their original French:

Kiss kiss kiss
My God, how soft they are!
Kiss kiss kiss
The sound of kisses!
In the bushes, under the August sky
Lovers glide stealthily
Like birds, they have dates
Everywhere you hear:
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft they are!
But tell me, do you know
What that means, between us,
What does “zou bisou” mean?
It means, I confess to you,
But yes, I love only you!
Kiss kiss kiss etc.
My God, how soft it is!

So what’s all that supposed to mean? Nothing, really. I’m stealing from a memorable scene of “Mad Men.” If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you haven’t missed much.

And that’s the 20-year anniversary story. I hope you enjoyed the CD, and I’m glad you’re interested enough to want to find out a little more. Like I said, there’s not much to most of it, other than – it’s my mix, so I’ll do what I want. And always leave them wanting more.

Two other notes: My friend Adam Fox fit this annual project in – he’s a talented art director who just left the staff at Love Communications for a new job in St. Louis. He’s been the one who’s done the photographs and concepts for my CDs for the past several years. I owe him a great deal, especially this year, because he promised to do the layout and design of the CD cover and label before he left – meaning we had to accelerate the process. It’s also the reason we didn’t do any high concept photograph or anything like that this year – no me as Abe Lincoln, or whatever – meaning a journey through the Youngren Archives for photographs. Thanks, Adam. And thanks to whoever took the handful of photos we used but I couldn't remember...

And a quick shout out to Bret Ivory, also on the staff here at Love, for tweaking the design before we printed them, just the other night. And Joe Evans, as always, for the trimming and stuffing of the CDs at the wire.

Thanks be to all.

ON THE DOT: Now sometimes back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) hasn’t been updated in a while. That’s on me; I’ll try to do better going forward. To contact me, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com

TAKE A SAD SONG – AND MAKE IT BETTER, BETTER, BETTER

Paul McCartney in Concert – “Up & Coming Tour”
Rio Tinto Stadium, Salt Lake City
July 13, 2010

THE DOTTED LINE: ••••

By JOHN YOUNGREN

SALT LAKE CITY – I’ve seen Paul McCartney live twice before, once in Berkeley, Calif. in 1990 (it paid off in a job interview shortly thereafter) and again a few years later – another epic show – in Boulder, Colorado in 1993.

On both occasions, the performances were memorable, once-in-a-lifetime spectacular, McCartney at the top of his form and furthering his solo music, embracing his past (“we’d like to go back through the mists of time … to a place they called the ‘60s…”) while welcoming new audiences with whatever CD he happened to be hawking at the time of the tour (“Figure of Eight” opened the 1990 show, for example).

So when Sir Paul McCartney announced his visit to Salt Lake City – where he has never been before, either as a member of the Beatles or some kind of solo show – in mid-May, I was a bit skeptical. Because I have great Macca memories. In Berkeley and Boulder, he had been magical; otherworldly – and those concerts were 20 years ago, when he was, one would argue, closer to his prime. So I was worried that when he hit little ol’ Salt Lake City – or, more specifically, Sandy, where I have a love/hate relationship with Rio Tinto Stadium – he’d have lost his mojo, and only have been basically showing up for what I’ve heard is a $2 million payoff. The last thing I wanted to see was Macca phoning it in, or resting on his considerable laurels.

The Salt Lake stop – the second on McCartney’s current “Up & Coming” tour – raised another red flag, at least for a Macca buff like me: No artist has done a better job of periodically packaging his live concert videos into merchandising opportunities; in just the past decade, McCartney has released at least four live DVDs featuring he and his band in concert (“Paul McCartney’s Get Back: The World Tour Movie” in 2001; “Paul McCartney: Back in the U.S.” in 2002; “Paul McCartney – Live In Red Square” in 2005 and, just last year, “Good Evening, New York City,” the DVD documentary of McCartney’s triumphant return to Citi Field, near the site of the now-demolished Shea Stadium concert the Beatles played in the mid-60s).

I own every one of them, of course, and have watched them all on multiple occasions. And, in my mind, McCartney circa 2010 in-person might be hard-pressed to compete with his perfectly edited, color-corrected, audio-enhanced on-screen persona.

On the other hand, it wasn’t like I was going to miss the show. Through a friend, I dutifully got tickets. With my sister, I made plans – she had been there 20 years ago today (more or less) for the Berkeley show and remains a huge fan. Rio Tinto Stadium was a decided letdown when it played host to Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert a year or so ago, but the stadium staff seems to have gotten its act together 12 months later; things were organized and orderly. And, though there were lines for the $9 Bud Lights, they were relatively quick. Can’t blame the venue if things go wrong.

The crowd on this evening was a spirited mix of nearly every shape, size and generation – from the teenage boys who somehow knew every word of “Band On The Run” to the aging hipsters with the vintage Beatles T-shirts standing up when a particular Beatles hit was unveiled. A lot of beer appeared to be selling on this sweltering summer night, made bearable only by combination of a slightly overcast sky and the sheer anticipation for the act you’ve known for all these years.

No opening bands for McCartney – now, or ever. It’d be difficult to imagine any opener (say, Sheryl Crow? Jet?) living up to the legend that was to follow. On this night, at about 7:40, the lights dimmed as much as possible in the sunshine and a video appeared on the big screens, featuring an electronic audio mix of Wings/Beatles songs over a collage of images of the Beatles, McCartney and various iconic images associated with both from throughout the years. Though interesting to watch in and of itself, the video mainly served to signal the still-arriving crowd (ticket time was 7:30 p.m.) to find their seats and get serious. The show was about to begin.

And, sure enough, that was the story – about 30 minutes later, or around 8:10. With very little fanfare other than the crowd reacting to his actual appearance, there came McCartney and his crackerjack band – Paul 'Wix' Wickens (keyboards), Brian Ray (guitar/bass), Rusty Anderson (guitar) and Abe Laboriel Jr. (drums) – on stage and poised to play, opening with a crowd-pleasing surprise version of the Wings’ classic “Venus & Mars/Rock Show.”

Based on anecdotal evidence only, I believe this is the first time since the 1970s’ “Wings Over America” tours that McCartney has actually opened a live show with this song, written for exactly this type of scenario when he first recorded it more than 35 years ago. (Yes, it's been that long.)

Sitting in the stand of the sports arena
Waiting for the show to begin
Red lights, green lights, strawberry wine,
A good friend of mine, follows the stars,
Venus and Mars
Are all right tonight.

In his black Nehru jacket and slacks, wearing his Beatle boots and plucking his Hofner bass guitar, McCartney was every bit the iconic image from the opening note on, as if it was an album cover or concert poster coming to life. His gestures with whatever guitar he’s playing are theatrical and animated, yet also familiar, a showman’s flair polished over more than 50 years of performances in arenas of every size. He can mug for the front row and play for the bleachers, and his energy and passion for the songs he sings – even the Wings-era album tracks that might be a bit obscure for the casual fan – is infectious. From the opening notes of his second song, Macca – his lyrics seemingly prophetic three decades after the fact – had us in his proverbial hand:

What's that man holding in his hand?
He looks a lot like a guy I knew way back when
Its silly Willy with the Philly band
Could be . . . Oo-ee . . .
What's that man movin' cross the stage?
It looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page
It’s like a relic from a different age
Could be . . . Oo-ee . . .

If there's a rock show
At the concertgabow
They're got long hair
At the Madison Square
You've got rock and roll
At the Hollywood Bowl
We'll be there . . . Oo yeah . . .

“Rock Show” segued into a spirited “Jet,” and then a quick foray into the Beatles’ songbook with “All My Lovin’,” but it was McCartney-solo, Wings-era stuff that drove the first hour of the show, including an incredibly ballsy, yearning version of “Letting Go,” a psychedelic “Let Me Roll It” and three Wings’ fastballs in quick succession: “Nineteen-Hundred-Eighty-Five” (“for the Wings fanatics,” McCartney announced); “Let ‘Em In,” (another rarely performed mid-‘70s Wings classic) and “My Love,” the first of the evening’s tribute songs, for the late and lovely Linda McCartney.

McCartney removed his jacket due to the heat early in the show, but he and his band were smoking on all cylinders from the very first beat, underscored by the fact that the current group – now together nearly a decade – was celebrating its 200th gig together in Salt Lake City. Ray and Anderson are versatile vocalists and guitarists (both have to swap around instruments with The Boss depending upon whether he’s playing bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, ukulele or piano) and fill the parts once played by John, George or Denny (Laine). Laboriel is a gifted vocalist who can nail high notes with consistency, sometimes covering (or at least aiding) McCartney’s higher register and Wickens (the only holdover from the McCartney band of the early ‘90s) is a masterful keyboardist, capable of recreating the varied sounds that go into so many Beatles recordings, in particular.

Though breaking a sweat – but in a good way, with some Utah-oriented banter and clear enthusiasm – McCartney made his way into hour two of the show, featuring more Beatles material as well as a few recent era McCartney solo hits and a track or two by his alter-ego, The Fireman. A tribute to his slain former bandmate John Lennon (“Here Today,” from the early '80s album “Tug of War”) was well-received, as was a truly emotional tribute to the late George Harrison, whose “Something” McCartney covered with verve, starting on ukulele (given to Macca by George) and finishing with a full-out electric play-through that rivaled the original "Abbey Road" recording.

There was something about McCartney’s emotion and vitality as he sang some of his more memorable songs, or tributes to his fallen friends and lovers. A sense that, at 68, his life at this point has included losses and disappointments as well as triumphs and joy. To a degree, this wisdom informed much of his performance – you get the sense that the 68-year-old McCartney singing “The Long and Winding Road” is feeling the song a lot more than the 28-year-old McCartney was when he wrote it.

As the night wore on, the crowd, enthusiastic all evening, leapt to its feet in response to a surprising trio of tunes as hour three of the concert dawned: Wings' classic “Band On The Run” followed by a spirited “Ob La Di Ob La Da” and a rocking “Back In The USSR.” McCartney then gritted out a harder version of “Paperback Writer” than its recorded Beatles' track might suggest before reproducing Lennon’s vocals in a haunting mix of “A Day In the Life” and “Give Peace A Chance.”

Though I’ve seen McCartney do live versions of his three closing songs – “Let It Be” (complete with people waving their cell phones), “Live and Let Die” (complete with the fireworks right on cue) and “Hey Jude” (complete with the Macca-led crowd sing-along) – before, the emotion of the moment was in no way limited; as my sister said, McCartney seemed to grow younger as the show went on, and his vocals and vibrancy were unassailable. But the time he came to the show’s nominal end, it was hard to believe he was really going anywhere – and indeed, he wasn’t, as evidenced by his first encore, highlighted by a spirited (and vigorous) “Day Tripper,” and hard pop versions of “Lady Madonna” and “Get Back.”

This guy really wrote all these songs.

With the crowd of 25,000 now on its feet for good, McCartney appeared for a second encore, featuring memorable versions of “Yesterday” (Macca alone with his acoustic guitar put to rest any talk of loss of vocal range), an over-the-top, I’ll-show-those-kids-how-to-rock “Helter Skelter,” and a customized marriage of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “The End.”

McCartney likely could’ve gone on; he told us it was time to go home, and his incredible musicianship, vocals and artistry were on full display until the final bow. “You’ve been brilliant,” he told his first-time Utah audience, promising another visit. “We’ll see you next time.”

It’s been nearly 50 years since the Beatles and McCartney first conquered the world; I won’t hold my breath about his returning to Utah anytime soon. But if this was it, if this was McCartney’s one-and-only appearance in our fair city, it was truly memorable – a tour de force of talent, material, showmanship and legacy.

It was, literally, one for the ages.

# # #

ON THE DOT: Now back in business (with a modified rating system) the “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (once known as “Pop Stew”) should be updated regularly. And remember, as always, this is just an exhibition; it is not a competition – so please, no wagering. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com

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