WHAT’S BEHIND THE SONGS – FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GOT THE 2009 CHRISTMAS CD

(For those of you who didn’t, but want it, send me an e-mail at johnyoungren@mac.com)

By JOHN YOUNGREN

Like I’ve said before, I used to do all this explaining in the CD’s packaging. I used to try to keep the songs a “secret” and explain their mystery meanings within the packet (and, after going through the 409 songs of the past 17 years, I did run into several that were just so obvious they made even me laugh).

For the rest of you, I guess I owe it to explain why I presented the songs that I did on this year’s John Youngren’s Christmas 2009 CD, which will be officially appearing within the next few days. Sometimes, the reasons are just musical or whimsical. Sometimes, one sound leads to another. Sometimes, I guess, they do sort of “mean” something. In this case:

1. “The Christmas Song” by Hootie & The Blowfish. This was the hardest track this year. I had Taylor Swift singing “Santa Baby” in this slot on all eight of the previous tryout mixes. I couldn’t get past using her twice. A friend, Greg Simos, wanted to hear some Darius Rucker on the mix. He meant using Darius alone, in his current guise as a country artist. But I saw a chance to use Darius as Hootie and get the Christmas song – in this case, literally – out of the way. Bingo bango.

2. “Rock & Roll Music,” by The Beatles. This was their cover song of Chuck Berry’s track, and always a great choice to get a party going – mainly because John Lennon’s vocal is so playful. I’ve used this song to lead-off a couple of personal mixes over the years and actually had to research (I need a Christmas CD intern) whether I’ve ever used it before on the Christmas Disc. But, no. So it set the pattern here.

3. “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” by Van Halen. A Roy Orbison cover, and kind of an old tune, so what’s it doing batting No. 3 in my lineup? First of all, the riff is spectacular. Second, the song rocks. I needed something to kick the CD off in a moving pattern. I tried to find ANY song released in 2009 that would do the same thing. Nothing did. Music these days is so screwy.

4. “Black Or White,” by Michael Jackson. This song has literally been heard and considered for Christmas CD fame for the past 10 years. Every year, I tossed it off or cut it for something else. I always loved the opening riff and the overall message. This year, Michael Jackson died. I can’t claim to be a huge fan of his in the moment with his songs, but when they started doing all that retrospective stuff, I knew I had to honor the “King of Pop” with a track or two (more to come) because when it came down to it, I loved his work.

5. “Photograph” by Def Leppard. Well, I would never use this song because it was the theme of one of my would-be successors for studentbody vice president in 1983. So for years, “Photograph” was on my “no” list – until Taylor Swift did her CMT “Crossroads” with Def Leppard. And she had the gold party dress and hot boots. Song on.

6. “Kick It Out,” by Heart. Stunning – I had never used Heart, ever before, though they’d been in the mix – so to speak – nearly every year. And this song is short, time-wise. Finally, it makes the cut.

7. “Never Going Back Again” by Fleetwood Mac. I’ve pretty much stripped “Rumors” bare, but surprisingly this is one song I had never used before. I liked it because – along with No. 8, to follow – they kind of bring the first phase of the 2009 mix to a close as we transition into some newer stuff.

8. “You’re So Vain” by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs. I’ve used cover songs from this duo for the past 2-3 years now, and this year they came out with a new compilation. It’s funny, because I chose “You’re So Vain” somewhat randomly but then really grew into it as I listened to the lyrics again while making earlier drafts of the CD mix. I think they do a great job with it, and it made me want to go back and appreciate the Carly Simon original.

9. “Southern Voice” by Tim McGraw. There was a lot of country I liked this year, but a lot of it tended to be by the same 3-4 artists, mostly women. I couldn’t spend too much time on the CD with Carrie, Miranda, Taylor and Miley (or my grown-up friends would never let me hear the end of it), so I had to make some tough choices and involve some of the guys. “Southern Voice” came late in the year and turned into a favorite – McGraw handles it well and I enjoy all the references.

10. “God Love Her,” by Toby Keith. Some of my issues, I describe just above. This time, Toby’s song gets me mainly on the strength of its video – a clever little ode to a hot girl, a bad boy and a forbidden relationship. I’m a sucker for that stuff.

11. “Out Last Night,” by Kenny Chesney. Kind of closing our mid-disc country sing-along. I saw Kenny live this year, which was always a pre-qualifier, and this song was a hit when he was here. I like the lyric, “I’m a doctor, a lawyer, a Senator’s son – Brad Pitt’s brother and a band on the run…” Plus, I’ve had a few too many nights like this.

12. “American Girl,” by Taylor Swift. Ms. Swift’s name and songs bounced up and down the mix tryout list this year – and yes, I actually saw her live as well, in early summer at Energy Solutions Arena, with 12,000 teenage (or younger) girls and their moms. She does a fabulous show. Funny, I ended up choosing a song she didn’t actually do in her show – a cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” I’ve used Petty covers – even of this song – before. Just a fun, fresh sound. I’m like that.

13. “Glory Days,” by Bruce Springsteen. This song has been around for more than 25 years, and honestly feels like a song I would have had all over mixes before, but my research said “never.” Finally, I use it – maybe because I’m old enough to finally feel it, rather than just sing it.

14. “Wheel In The Sky,” by Journey. This was a late addition, and replaced one of those songs by one of those country chicks when the back half of the CD mix was just kind of listing. Probably would have left well enough alone before determining kind of at the last minute that another shot of ‘80s would never do anyone wrong and turned to the Journey playbook, always a winner. It helped that a further association came from the fact that I narrated a slide show at Olympus High in the early ‘80s for which we used this music as the theme.

15. “Perfectly Still,” by Gin Blossoms. I used to call songs by these guys the perfect CD “link” songs, and I still think that way. So again, a late call from the bench – and a little research into what Gin Blossoms I’ve used before – led to “Perfectly Still,” a bouncy little number that rights a drifting ship with a little boost of ‘90s (counter-balancing the pinch of ‘80s that is Journey) and taking us into the final phase of the 2009 Christmas mix.

16. “Hi, Hi, Hi,” by Paul McCartney. A particular favorite of mine from the early ‘70s-era McCartney, this is literally a song I have had stuck in my head for 30 years and one that has for whatever reason never made a CD mix.

17. “Smooth Criminal,” by Michael Jackson. Mac leads to Jack – just like in the “Say, Say, Say” video. I pretty much knew all along I’d use two Michael Jackson songs this year. But I didn’t want to go the overused “Thriller” or “Billie Jean” route. “Smooth Criminal,” to me, always is a bit overlooked – even with its clever lyrical conceit and one of the best Jackson videos of all time.

18. “Cowboy Casanova,” by Carrie Underwood. Sometimes, a song just fits well and feels right. There is no other link to be made between Michael Jackson and Carrie Underwood than the shuffling transition between the end of “Smooth Criminal” and the start of “Cowboy Casanova.” I couldn’t have planned it better myself, though it seems like I did.

19. “Me And Your Cigarettes,” by Miranda Lambert. Ms. Lambert is one of my favorite country singer-songwriters, and this track comes from her still-new CD, “Revolution.” As I’m wont to do, I was wearing the CD out by replaying track No. 3, “Dead Flowers,” It was only after slipping on the “replay” button a few times and hearing the clever bounce and lyrics of the considerably lesser known track No. 4, “Me And Your Cigarettes” that I decided the more obscure track would make the Christmas CD.

20. “Cigarettes,” by The Wreckers. This is what replaced Darius Rucker on this year’s CD mainly because I wanted a sort of bluesy tone as it winds out. The title similarity between this and “Me And Your Cigarettes” is not lost on me, but wasn’t on purpose either. Both songs were long on the consideration list and just sort of ended up together.

21. “I’m A Loser” by The Beatles. The second Beatles song on the CD is also – trivia note factoid – the only time I’ve ever knowingly used the same song by the same artist twice in the 17-year history of the Christmas mix. You have to go back 17 years to find it, but on the first-ever Youngren Christmas mix (in those days, on cassette tape), “I’m A Loser” was prominently featured. It’s long been a favorite. Again, I was looking for a bluesy closer. And “although I laugh and I act like a clown … beneath this mask I am wearing a frown…” just seems to be a lyric I can identify with these days.

22. “Welcome To The Future” by Brad Paisley. Well, as I wrote in the liner notes for this year’s disc, I generally like to end on a wistful note. “We’ve completed our journey through the disc together,” is what I’m saying. No better song emerged this year for that purpose than this track from Mr. Paisley, with its messages of encouragement and wonder, progress and change. Please try to get past the country twang and give it a listen, if you haven’t already. “Wherever we we’re going, well we’re here.” Welcome to the future – and to the end of the Christmas mix – indeed.


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