Song Five (OT)

We're counting down the Songs of Christmas this week and next. For the Fifth Day of Christmas, we turn to Americana, a subgenre of country music.

Now, country is not my favorite kind of music, and I don't know much about it, but "Merry Christmas from the Family" is one awesome Christmas song—Texas songwriter Robert Earl Keen starts out with "Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk" as the clearly blissed-out audience chants along, and eventually he ends the video by ceremonially spittin' a little terbacky. In the meantime we get a cheerfully dysfunctional Murricun white-trash family Christmas and some foot-tapping holiday greatness. I don't know about you, but marketers are missing a trick, because I find this irresitable—makes me want to head straight to the Quickpak store and buy, brother, buy:

We need some ice and an extension cord
A can of bean dip and some Diet Rites
A box of tampons, some Marlboro Lights....

As a bonus, a great live recording. Enjoy.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Rogerbotting: "A great sample of Americana. Simple, honest, direct. Not the nasty crap, not the sappy stuff, just simple folk having simple fun."

Comments

[Bruce Mc]

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. There is happiness and there is despair here, and a lot of honesty. Robert Earl Keen has several good story songs that touch on these things, including, “The Road Goes on Forever (and the Party Never Ends),” and the more positive, “Feelin’ Good Again.”

Back to “Merry Christmas from the Family” - there is an studio version of this, which I think is the original, which is worth a listen. It’s a little bit more subtle! :-) Also, when doing this live, he has been known to go right into “Feliz Navidad” at the end.

[Tony Rowlett]

Got through about four seconds of this video and loved it so much I decided to stop it and save it for Chrismas 2015. Thanks, Mike!

[james wilson]

Robert Earle is more Texas than country and everyone could use a little more Robert Earle.

[Adam Weaver]

I'd forgotten this song for a few years, and then a few days ago it came up on the car radio... I almost had to pull over laughing. Later I dug out the accompanying book, which I received for Christmas maybe ten years ago. It's basically the family's (fictionalized) photo album from that Christmas party. The photos are outstandingly tacky-vintage (a hundred different color casts) and the book includes recipes such as "Eggnog from Hell" and "Mom's Bourbon Sandwich (ice cubes and bourbon.) If you're into crafting, and want to make a Tampon Angel, this book is for you. It really walks the line between hilarity and white-trash-bashing, but for me it passes out just on the hilarious side. It looks like Amazon still sells the book/cd- Mike, insert affiliate link!

[Dave Levingston]

When I suggested "Merry Christmas From The Family" I was afraid it might offend your sophisticated musical taste. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I love it because I grew up in that family (not literally, but close enough).

[Dogman]

My favorite Christmas song of all time. Almost forgot about it this year. Thanks for reminding me.

[Steve Deutsch]

A few of us recommended this song...and we have been rewarded.

Thanks and Happy New Year!!!