Advent Calendar 2022: Day 19 🎁

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So, we’re into the final week of the countdown. The World Cup is over, which means that it is only a few more days until the Premier League returns, whilst Leyton Orient are miles clear at the top of League Two. Oh, and it’s nearly Christmas – I almost forgot! Some Advent Calendar tunes? OK, here you go.

I’ve played this one before but I really love the song and this video:

That was released by The Pretenders in November 1983, and I’ve always liked it. In the UK it reached #15, while in the US it was the B-side to the band’s single of Middle Of The Road, which peaked at #19. It also appeared on their 1984 album Learning To Crawl, which was #11 in the UK and #5 in the US. Cover versions include Coldplay and Kylie Minogue but I much prefer the original, and I’ve never seen a Salvation Army uniform look that good on anyone else. I’ve pinched a bit of background to the song from Wikipedia for your edification and erudition:

“While many people believe the song’s title and lyrics refer to two long-distance lovers who miss each other over the holidays, it was actually written for James Honeyman-Scott, the group’s original guitarist, who died the year before the song was released.The song frequently reappears in the UK Charts around Christmas time staying in the charts for a few weeks over the Christmas period. Similarly, in Poland the song plays everyday in December as part of the Christmas rotation on RMF_FM’s RMF Classic.”

To prove that point, it is #83 in this week’s chart.

This next one is also a long time favourite of mine, from a singer-songwriter who appears here each year. When I first shared this in 2015 it came with a lyric video, but a new video was released for it last year:

You may be having vague recollections of Mindy Smith’s name after seeing that – go back as far as Tuesday Tunes 80 and you’ll find her providing the harmony vocals for the lovely John Prine song I gave you that week, Long Monday. This song was the title track of a five song EP that Mindy released in 2013, comprising a couple of self-penned songs and some Christmas/New Year standards. They are all great, and you’ll be hearing another on Saturday – the other that she wrote, as she did this one.

After those two repeat appearances today’s final song is here for the first time, as it was only released three days ago:

Yes, Mungo Jerry, proving that they know there is more to the year than being In The Summertime. This one sneaked up on me, appearing amongst my YouTube recommendations, and I just had to play it for you – it’s rather nice, isn’t it, and the video is quite sweet too. I looked up Wikipedia but their page for the band hasn’t caught up with this one yet. I’m assuming that it has been released as a single under the band’s name, though Ray Dorset is listed as being the only current (and ever-present) member. They haven’t had a hit in years but have nevertheless released a steady flow of records since their heyday, and I hope this one generates some interest for them. They could help themselves by updating their website, though: it doesn’t appear to have been changed since last year and doesn’t mention this song either!

Throughout Advent I have been sharing with you again the excellent ads made by Hafod Hardware: you may recall that they have made four of these to date. This is the most recent, from 2020, and I’m hoping that it won’t be their last:

When I first shared this ad it was hot off the presses. As with all four of their ads they had a very limited budget, most of which was spent on acquiring the rights to use the music. The reason I played them all again last year and this is that I think they get right to the heart of what Christmas should be about, and they do it far better than the big retailers and their advertising agencies. The star of the video is little Arthur, who was 3 at the time. The music for all four ads has been by Andrea Von Kampen, and the beautiful simplicity of her songs is a perfect fit. The song in this one – Hard Times Come Again No More – is actually a real oldie, which has become a traditional folk song in the US. It was written by Stephen Foster (the ‘father of American music’) in 1854, and its message of asking the fortunate to consider those less lucky than themselves is just as true today as ever. It is just so right for Hafod’s message of giving what you can, which is possibly even more relevant now than it was two years ago.

That’s all for today. Having completed the Hafod re-runs I have a couple more non-music delights to share with you in the remaining days, so stay tuned. As always, I depart with an image:

See you again tomorrow 🎅

47 thoughts on “Advent Calendar 2022: Day 19 🎁”

  3. I didn’t watch a minute of the World Cup, but I heard about the competitive final.

    2000 Miles is right up there with my favorite Pretenders songs.

    The Mindy Smith tune is delightful.

    I know you have played Mungo Jerry a few times over the years, and I don’t usually care for their songs, but this one is great. You don’t usually do new releases, so that was a nice surprise too. The video steals the show.

    I didn’t notice the storekeepers wearing masks before, which also gives away the date. It would be interesting to see what Arthur looks like in a few years.

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    • Seems like you enjoyed these, Pete! That Mungo Jerry one was a real surprise – it just appeared in my YouTube recommendations and felt right to be played. Nice song and video.

      I hope we get the chance to see Arthur growing up – some new videos would be welcome!

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  8. Lots of snow in these videos the closest I’ll get to snow-smile- Like you, it will be nice if Mungo Jerry’s new release does well I think it will grow on people if it’s played enough.
    The Pretenders is always good to listen to as is Mindy Smith she has a lovely voice …loved your secret Santas crap 🙂 xx

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    • I like that one too. The Mungo Jerry video was released on Friday, maybe a late bid for chart success! I’d be surprised if it got much airplay though – too much competition 😊

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