I don’t think there’s anyone neutral about this song. Everyone loves it or HATES it. I love it. :)

y Ud. tambien, Jose…

About a tossup honestly because I really love the Roy Orbison original too but I give this a slight edge. The more understated Willie delivery allows you to focus more on the lyrics. (anti-materialism..because is Christmas REALLY supposed to be about “gimme gimme gimme”?)

One of the few times John allowed himself to sound sensitive on disk…

(whispered) “Merry Christmas Yoko…”

Took a long time for me to warm to this one but it’s slowly become one of my favorite Christmas tunes with a “peace” message.

Probably the only Christmas song that tries to explain WHY Santa can get to all the good boys and girls in one night. (“Just a little bobsled we call it old Saint Nick
But she’ll walk a toboggan with a four speed stick
She’s candy-apple red with a ski for a wheel
And when Santa hits the gas, man, just watch her peel”)

http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/beach_boys/little_saint_nick.html

Is it juvenile if I still feel the compulsion to interject “Like a lightbulb!” right after the part that goes “You could even say it glows”?

Was this REALLY one of the best country music had to offer in 2006? I sure hope not. I don’t even dislike Gill…some of his stuff has a chance at making my “lifetime 1000 best songs” list but this was an overlong uninspiring snoozefest full of cliche and boilerplate tunes. Gill really needed someone to help him trim this down to 1 GOOD CD instead of 4 ho-hum ones.

EDIT:
After listening to this a lot more, I wonder what I was thinking when I listened to this before. While I still think it could be edited down, there’s enough great material here for this to be worth listening to. But I could still probably distill it to 1 CD. :)

Start by eliminating the “rocking” record.

My tracklist:
The rock of your love (feat. Bonnie Raitt)
What you give away (feat. Sheryl Crow)
Faint of heart (duet with Diana Krall)
No easy way
Tell me one more time about Jesus (feat. Amy Grant)
Which way will you go
Sweet little Corrina (feat. Phil Everly)
Take this country back (duet with John Anderson)
All prayed up
Cold gray light of gone (feat. The Del McCoury Band)

An occasional chuckle or two but nothing I’d ever need to buy.

If you’ve seen DODGEBALL, this is basically the same type of premise and jokes (ping-pong instead of dodgeball and “underground” tournaments instead of obscure sports channels) but most of them aren’t as funny.

Rarely does Walken seem wasted but he is here….

Considered by several critics to be the FIRST rock and roll song. (A “Rocket 88” was a type of car engine…for a Buick if I’m not mistaken.)