• From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Topic: "A Poignant Festivus"

Here's a slightly-twisted little holiday number for slightly-bent fellow Festivus celebrators.

By the way, it is Elvis's birthday this weekend - sing one of his many great songs in tribute.

Cheers, James
[SONG]
{t:A Poignant Festivus}
{st:by, James McCormick, 1/5/2007}
{c:To the tune of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"}

Let's [C]have our-[Am]selves a [Dm]poignant Festi-[G7]vus
[C]  Erect the [Am]metal [Dm]pole  [G7]
Ad-[C]mire it's [Am]high [Dm]strength to weight [G7]ra-t--[E7]--io  [A7] [D7] [G7]
. . . .
[C]Have your-[Am]self a [Dm]poignant Festi-[G7]vus
[C]  The pole stands [Am]all a-[Dm]lone  [G7]
[C]There's no [Am]need for [Dm]tinsel, gifts, or [G7]pretty [E7]bows  [A7] [D7] [G7]
. . . .
[C]Gather [Am]'round let's [Dm]share a noisy [G7]meal
[C]  Talk and [Am]laugh at [Dm]length  [G7]
[C]Later [Am]on we'll [Dm]all engage in [G7]feats of [E7]strength  [A7] [D7] [G7]
{sob}
[F]Festivus comes just [Em]once a year
That is [Dm]why we're [G7]here once [Cmaj7]more
It's a [Am]golden oppor-[B7]tunity to air our
[Em]grie-[G]van-[Am]ces ga-[Dm]lore  [G7]
{eob}
[C]Festi-[Am]vus might [Dm]last until the [G7]wee hours 
[C]  Let's have a-[Am]nother [Dm]toast  [G7]
[C]Some one [Am]will e-[Dm]ventually pin [G7]our [E7]host  [A7] [D7] [G7]
So let's [F]have ourselves a [Dm]poignant little [G7]Festi-[C]vus
[/SONG]

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • From: Ohio
  • Registered: 2006-10-02
  • Posts: 230

Re: "A Poignant Festivus"

awesome! i love slightly twisted songs, like songs that make you smile + they actually make sense.  all a good song needs is three chords (in this case 12), the truth, and someone good to sing/play it.


keep rockin

If you spend your life judging people, how will you ever have time to love them ♥
  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: "A Poignant Festivus"

Thanks & glad that you like it - you're right, there are alot of chords in this song, but since I chose to model it on a pre-existing song I didn't really have alot of choice in the matter.


"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is from way back in the heyday of Tin Pan Alley songwriting. In those days, they composed primarily for piano, orchestra, and big band combos . . . this 12-chord voicing for the song is actually a tremendous simplification of the original score.  I love those old Tin Pan Alley songs - beautifully crafted lyrics and masterful musical compositions.


Studying those lovely old compositions makes me appreciate why many people in the 1950's were mystified and horrified when popular music suddenly became dominated by primitive 3-chord rock&roll songs.


Of course, a couple of decades later the 'serious' rock&roll types were horrified and mystified in the 1970's when complex and conceptual (& rather pretensious) art rock was suddenly displaced by simplistic punk and new wave bands.


At any rate, I'm glad you like my little Festivus ditty - I can't wait till next holiday season to sing at a Festivus celebration . . .

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: "A Poignant Festivus"

Well, I dragged this little ditty out of the archives and made a recording just in time for the holiday season . . .

Hear it here:

  http://www.myspace.com/r200james

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website

  • Registered: 2007-04-03
  • Posts: 3,489

Re: "A Poignant Festivus"

James,
was on my space when i listened to this one.

Reading the post here it makes more sense to me.
Anyway, when your singing this one do it early?  As someone with
a grivence may just clatter you around the Gob.   Watch out for flying
turkey Drums lol   Gobble Gobble  Smack!   lol

Old Doll.

Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !
  • From: Starkville, Mississippi USA
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,069

Re: "A Poignant Festivus"

Sorry if this does not make much sense to non-Americans, or even Americans too young to remember the Jerry Seinfeld TV comedy show.

Festivus was a made-up holiday celebrated by George Costanza's family.  The family would gather around a bare metal aluminum pole (tinsel is too distracting), share a meal, air grievances against one another, and then wrestle.  The gathering would continue until somebody could pin the host.

Festivus has become sort of an anti-holiday hoopla celebration.  Google up Festivus and you can find lots of info . . .

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

James McCormick's Website