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Some might argue that Christmas songs start too early and play too often each season. But others can't get enough of those cheery tunes. ASCAP -- the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers -- has updated its list of most-played songs of the 2011 holiday season. For the second year in a row, "Sleigh Ride" tops the list of songs, which were all written or co-written by members of ASCAP. Since Oct.1, "Sleigh Ride" has aired 154,327 times.

Merry Christmas Freepers

VOTE: What are the best and worst Christmas songs of all time?Last Updated: 10:11 AM, December 20, 2011 Can't stand "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? Do you listen to "Santa Baby" on repeat? Vote for what you think are the best and most annoying Christmas songs below, and see the results in an upcoming Post story.

It's that tme of year again and in the spirit of the (political) season, we here at TalkingSides.com offer these somewhat less than traditional verses to some holiday classics. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (In Iowa) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas On the campaign trail Take a look at your tv screen, see what we really mean The nasty ads and talking heads galore It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Iowa's under seige But it's all cause we want to see a Republican will be Who we all vote for!

Cain Campaign Jukebox For The Good Guys Songs for the Pro-America Conservative Good Guys Hold On - Herman Cain Star Spangled Banner God Bless America - Kate Smith America The Beautiful - Frank Patterson My Country Tis Of Thee Pledge Of Allegiance - John Wayne Look At Us - Vince Gill (for Mr. and Mrs. Cain - the truth) The Herman Cain Train If I Can Help Somebody - Mahalia Jackson Go Cain Cain Campaign Jukebox For Bad Guys Songs for Gloria Allred, the Mean-Scum-Media, the Demon-Crap-Party, the Rino-Whinos, and other Bad Guys The Wanderer - Dion Wanted Man...

This is meant to be a sadly meager attempt at levity, while still sounding like the MSM/DNC/RINO-WHINOS and the other associated accusative miscreants. (As Pastor Cain said recently, we all need to lighten up a little, while still pursuing the overriding goal of expelling the B.O. from office, and thoroughly deodorizing that office.) These recent sexual harassment accusations sound like spurious prevaricated poo-poo from this gruesome collection of putrefying toxic flatulence in these three interelated groups. In order to try to illustrate the pitiful nonsense from this shrieking horde of fools who are making these phony-baloney sounding accusations, this post...

Okay, I'll start off, this one really gets to me, here's a classic video in HD of Dan Hill singing "Sometimes when we touch" with the classic touch of being introduced by Wolf Man Jack, but then, it's hard to tell who is the real wolf man in this video. However, this is a great song nonetheless, go ahead and cry you big burly freepers, it's okay, it's been almost three years of Obama, you can always blame it on that if somebody see's you. Sometimes When We Touch (Live Midnight Special)

CANADA'S broadcast standards council has amended an earlier ruling that deemed Dire Straits' hit Money for Nothing unfit for radio, saying that while the homophobic slur in the song is inappropriate, it must be taken in context. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission had asked for a review of the song after the standards council ruled in January that the British band's song was unfit for radio because its lyrics include a gay slur. The council had responded to a complaint from a radio listener.

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere will officially arrive on Tuesday (June 21) at 1:16 p.m. EDT (17:16 Universal Time ): the June solstice. At the same time, winter officially begins for the Southern Hemisphere

Name a song title that is appropriate for the Weiner weasel.

Click on year, and when juke box comes up click whatever song you want.

German kindergartens told to pay before they sing BERLIN — A body representing German musicians found itself accused of Scrooge-like meanness on Tuesday after pressing kindergartens to pay up for singing songs that are protected by copyright. The GEMA, the German musical copyright monitoring body, has written to 36,000 of the nursery schools telling them they have to fork out to photocopy song texts and to keep a proper record of which ones are sung. Kindergartens and MPs were incensed, with the mass-circulation Bild daily calling the move "bureaucratic madness." A spokeswoman for the Paritaetischer Wohlfahrtsverband Hamburg, an association representing...

A recent thread here talked about a Christmas song I enjoy, "Grandma got run over by a reindeer." It brought back to me all those goofy Christmas tunes I always enjoyed. We used to have an NPR DJ here, Glenn Mitchell, who did 6-24 hours of Christmas music you probably never heard, tons of good stuff. Here's my fave, from good old Robert Earl Keen: "Merry Christmas from the family" Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk at our Christmas party. We were drinking champagne punch and homemade eggnog. Little sister brought her new boyfriend. He was a Mexican. We...

Two country artists and their songs came to my attention recently, thought I'd pass this on to everyone here. One is Darryl Worley and his song "Keep the Change" - here's the chorus from it: I watch the news and have to wonder if this Country's going crazy Talkin' 'bout how much they love it here but how they wanna rearrange it I'm just your average Joe and that makes me smart enough to know There's a bunch of us out here that feel the same Gonna keep our God, our freedom, a little money in the bank Y'all can...

What is the greatest Independence Day song of all time? ... I suspect The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key would be the #1 choice; however there are others not nearly as well known. One of those songs is actually entitled Independence Day from the 1990 album Powerhouse by the Christian rock group Whiteheart. (whose concert tours included stops at UTA, Six Flags, and other DFW locations) If you never heard this band, or this song, you are in for a treat. ... two videos: The first one is the actual audio recording which includes an intro not found...

New hit children's song: When we die as martyrs 'Birds of Paradise' produces song in which children welcome death to regain Palestine. An Arabic children's choir has been racking up views all over the world with the new YouTube hit "when we die as martyrs, we will go to heaven." The song was apparently recorded by the Jordanian owned production company and television channel "birds of Paradise." According to The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), one of the world's most comprehensive data centers on radical Islamic terrorist groups, the song is a hit on Arabic and worldwide websites and the...

The new album from North Carolina country singer Rockie Lynne, Songs for Soldiers, is, if anything, a patriotic album chock full of songs praising the military, the sacrifices they make and their love of America. Lynne, who served in the U.S. Army and said “the military turned out to be the most shaping experience of my life, on so many levels. I learned perseverance, self-discipline and respect for self and others.” Knowing that about Lynne, when you listen to the 11 tracks on Songs for Soldiers, released this week, his delivery on each songs sounds that much more authentic. “Proud...

A ghastly discovery today: plans to subject Pope Benedict XVI to trendy musical tripe when he celebrates the Beatification Mass for Cardinal Newman at Coventry Airport on September 19. According to Nick Baty, a supporter of the little gang of composers who have liturgical commissions sewn up in this country, the music for the Mass will include:• Eucharistic acclamations by Fr Peter Jones, who wrote the tiresome Coventry Gloria for John Paul II’s visit in 1982. Yes, he’s still going strong;• Christ be our Light by Bernadette Farrell, one of the inner circle of old trendies whose work is forced...

I come from a day and age where rap was first making its appearance on the scene. I admit that I enjoyed Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, Will Smith (back then Fresh Prince), and Kid N Play as much as the next guy or probably more. However, the lyrics of those rap artists are a far cry from the violent and vulgar lyrics of many of today's artists. Today if I want to listen to rap music I will listen to Christian rappers KJ-52, T-Bone, or the eclectic styles of Toby Mac. Yes, there is such a thing as Christian...

"Sexy" is a relative term -- one man's baby-makin' music might be his woman's soundtrack for a snoozefest. But there's nothing subjective about this list. These are, literally, the 50 most popular songs about sex ever, as based on each song's performance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (from August 4, 1958 -- the inception of the Hot 100 chart -- through the Jan. 16, 2010 issue). Some songs are steamy slow-jams, some are hi-octane arena-rockers, but what they all have in common (and what got them on this list) is that the subject matter of each song is directly...

Bruce Springsteen wants his name off a lawsuit demanding licensing fees from a Manhattan bar where a band played his songs. A statement on Springsteen's Web site Thursday said he didn't know about the lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in federal court and wouldn't have agreed to be a plaintiff if he had been asked. It says Springsteen's representatives demanded the immediate removal of his name Thursday morning after learning about the lawsuit filed by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers... The suit claims Connolly's Pub violated Springsteen's copyrights by letting an unidentified band perform two of his...

Garrison Keillor, self-appointed cultural representative of regular old Americans, ruffled some feathers yesterday with a mildly xenophobic rant about Christmas. After lambasting a Unitarian church in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for “spiritual piracy and cultural elitism”—tweaking the lyrics of “Silent Night” for a singalong, in layman’s terms—he turned his ire in a different direction: And all those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys that trash up the malls every year, Rudolph and the chestnuts and the rest of that dreck. Did one of our guys write ‘Grab your loafers, come along if you wanna, and we’ll blow that shofar for Rosh Hashanah’?...

To put you in the holiday mood, here is video of a new parody song called "The 12 Days of O-Mas," with the "O" standing for Obama and Oprah. It is set to the tune of "the 12 Days of Christmas." . . . (VIDEO)

October 16, 2009 Dear Cecil:What’s the deal with getting a song stuck in your head? Why does it happen, especially if it’s a song you don’t like or don’t even know well? Yet all you can think about is that stupid tune. Please enlighten me; I’m getting really sick of “Tainted Love” running circles through my brain.— MegCecil replies:You think you’ve got problems? My assistant Una claims she had the same tune running through her head off and on for 27 years. Only after laborious research online was she able to establish what it was: a concerto by Antonio Vivaldi,...

I'll start the ball rolling. 16 Tons

School children in New Jersey have been taught to both chant and sing praises to President Obama, with YouTube video revealing them singing, "Mr. President, We Honor You Today" to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." The children also are seen being taught the chant: "Barack Hussein Obama." Columnist Michelle Malkin identified the children as students at B. Bernice Young Elementary School, Burlington Township, N.J. The children are lined up in front of a stage with the words: -------------------------------------------------------- Uhm, uhm, uhm, Barack Hussein Obama He said all should lend a hand to make the country strong...

BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP -- New Jersey's education commissioner ordered a review after a YouTube video shows school children learning a song celebrating President Barack Obama. The video shows more than a dozen youngsters at B. Bernice Young Elementary School in Burlington Township. The district said the students were participating in Black History Month in February. Education Department spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth said the commissioner has directed the school superintendent to review what happened. Forsyth said the commissioner wants to ensure that students can celebrate Black History Month without "inappropriate partisan politics in the classroom." Forsyth also said the teacher who directed the...

(IsraelNN.com) Croatian soccer teams are cheered on the field with popular songs glorifying World War II-era genocide played over the The Croat footballers faced off against Israel. loudspeakers and Nazi salutes in the stands. The United Kingdom's The Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday that the Croatian Football Association is apparently behind the fascist rabble-rousing. According to The Sun, some of the most inflammatory songs by neo-Nazi rocker Marko Perkovic as well as World War II slogans of the Nazi-allied Ustashe regime are chanted by soccer fans at Croatian home games. The national team's manager was said by The Sun to...

Sunday Poll: In your church, what kinds of songs do you sing? A Daily Poll

~Favorite Angel Song~ Amy Grant - Angels 1984 "Take this man to prison," the man heard Herod say,And then four squads of soldiers came and carried him away.Chained up between two watchmen, Peter tried to sleep,But beyond the walls an endless prayer was lifting for his keep.Then a light cut through the darkness of a lonely prison cell,And the chains that bound the man of God just opened up and fell,And running to his people before the break of day,There was only one thing on his mind, only one thing to say: Angels watching over me, every move I...

"Don't spend my grandson's paycheck. He's only two years old. With Obama in the White House, His future's bought and sold. Stop this immoral spending spree. Stop assaulting our liberty. Let me help you comprehend: It ain't your money to spend."

Canadians have made some mighty distinctive music, and CBC wants Barack Obama to know it. Starting next week, Canadians will collect some choice homegrown songs for the new president to groove to as he takes office Jan. 20. CBC Radio 2 is calling on the public to take care of business, tune-wise - to help select 49 songs from north of the 49th parallel that best represent the northern nation. "We believe that a country is defined by its artistic expression. If you wanted to know about Canada you just close your eyes and listen to our songs," said Denise...

Being the nit-picker I am, it's more occurred to me lately that there are many popular Christmas-time carols that are NOT really "Christmas" if you pay attention. Thought maybe we'd start a run-down of songs that aren't really "Christmas" even though they are treated like it. I have to say this is based on truly POPULAR carols (although nothing wrong with mentioning some that aren't really known) and only on the lyrics I know. 1 category would be totally non-Christmas songs. The 2nd might be "marginal" songs, where perhaps the word "Christmas" is mentioned once, e.g., or some other obvious...

Like most sporty pundits, I have opinions. And from time to time I like to share these opinions in an open forum as a means to spark lively debate.

I'm trying to identify a odd country/western tune that I heard a few times a while back. As I recall it had 3 or 4 established country/ western singers (I seem to remember Willie Nelson as one, i think) each taking a verse. The song was based on the lives of people who lived and died around the early to mid 1800's. Each verse had the deceased person telling who he was, how he lived and how he was died. People such as a soldier, an outlaw, ect., and each verse ended with the deceased person proclaiming that they did...

For the last month Rock's Backpages has offered up a slew of sobworthy classics from all walks of pop. Country, soul, AOR, dance: you name the genre, we've scoured it for heartbreak greats. So get yer handkerchiefs ready... here's our tearjerking Top 20 , from the Everly Brothers to George Jones via Lorraine Ellison and Little Feat. --Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages

After watching the debate, I have a new song that I'm singing at the top of my lungs. It's called the Canticle of the Turning. I emailed our choir director at church to sing this hymn the next 3 Sundays at mass. Here are the lyrics My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait. You fixed your sight on the servant's plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, So from east to west shall my...

Mike Meehan’s response to the reaction to the BillboardsI’m truly sorry if these billboards have offended some of you.  My purpose was not to hurt anyone, but rather remind us seriously of what we are challenged with and make us rethink.  The billboards are big but the bigger picture I’m conveying is that the security of our nation as well as our economic future is going to be determined by whether we have a democrat or a republican president.  It has basically come to this and it’s not complicated.  Let’s be honest of where we’re at in these times and...

The music staff at AOL Radio and AOL Music's "Spinner" has come up with a list of the 20 worst songs of all time. In the No. 1 spot: "Who Let the Dogs Out?" by the Baha Men. Other tunes that made the list include "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" by Will Smith, "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed, "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion and, in the No. 2 spot, "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.

The "Musicians Who Turn 50", "Musicians Who Turn 60", "Favorite Drummer" and "Favorite Guitarist" were such hit threads on FR, I've decided to do this one. Who is your favorite SONGWRITING DUO? We all know that Lennon-McCartney were amazing together and possibly the best songwriting duo ever. They might be mentioned several times on this thread. If you choose John & Paul, be specific about which song and lyric(s).

Day of Silence Soundtrack by: Malcolm A. Kline, April 25, 2008 As an alternative to the Day of Silence that the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community demands, and frequently receives, from schools, colleges and universities, we offer some retro music that you can listen to voluntarily at whatever volume you choose: 1.) That’s a Plenty 2.) Ain’t That A Kick In The Head 3.) Lady Is A Tramp 4.) Viva Las Vegas 5.) You May Be Right...

It's not as though Nasa is beaming out the Cheeky Girls back catalogue or the collected works of Florence Foster Jenkins. Nevertheless, scientists warn that transmitting songs into deep space could put the Earth at risk of an alien attack. They voiced fears that advertising humanity's place in the universe - as happened last week when Nasa broadcast a Beatles track towards the North Star - could attract the attention of aliens who are less friendly than ET. Dr Douglas Vakoch of the SETI Institute, which has been leading the search for extraterrestrials, told New Scientist magazine: "Before sending out...

'Santa Claus Is Coming To Get Me': Mental health charity sparks outrage with spoof Christmas carolsLast updated at 14:19pm on 20th December 2007  Traditional: But Christmas carols were given a radical make-over by a health trust in Salford A bad taste top ten of Christmas carols poking fun at mental illness has been slammed as "degrading" and "insensitive" after it was published with the backing of a social services department. The booklet contains a list titled "Christmas Carols for the Mentally Disturbed". It then names psychiatric conditions and suggests festive songs which would suit the illness. They include: Schizophrenia...

One Of Every Three Popular Songs Contains References To Substance Use ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2007) — Know what your kids are listening to when they’re blocking you out with their iPod earbuds firmly in place? If they are listening to popular music, chances are high that they are hearing references to substance use. According to new research presented at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C., 33 percent of the most popular songs of 2005 portrayed substance use. The study, in which researchers analyzed 279 of the year’s most popular songs according to Billboard magazine,...

More fun than a canker sore!

I am putting together a power point presentation and am having trouble trying to find out how to use music.

LISTEN UP EVERYONE Do you listen to music while on the web? I do, sometimes. I am right now. Everyone respond with the title and artist of the song you are listening to right this second.

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc. is expanding its online music section to include the lyrics of 400,000 songs, hoping to strike a chord with Web surfers looking for a more reliable alternative to Internet sites that publish the words without the permission of the copyright owners.The Sunnyvale-based company is touting the free service to be unveiled Tuesday as the Web’s largest legally licensed database of lyrics.“It fills a huge, gaping hole out there,” said Ian Rogers, general manager of Yahoo music. Song lyrics have been available through scores of other Web sites for years, but most of those destinations are...

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- The holiday classics haven't changed that much -- radio stations still turn to Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Burl Ives to spread yuletide cheer. But your chances of hearing them on the radio are growing fast. As of Monday, 399 stations from Maine to Hawaii were playing Christmas tunes around the clock to bring in listeners and advertising dollars. Portland has two stations competing over holiday listeners, and some cities have as many as five or six. Most of the programming kicked off after Thanksgiving; the earliest station made the switch in October before trick...

A bit ago, I heard Roger Hedgecock, filling in for Rush, say that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" should be put in the tradsh bin, or words to that effect. I'll freely admit that I could live the rest of my life without "The Little Drummer boy." I agree with Dave Barry's comment that it's a song "that consists entirely fo people standing around saying 'Pum.'" What Christmas songs would you like not to hear again?