Episode 412: Three Lions and a Plesiosaur

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Despite our best efforts, the World Cup is happening again, and it’s happening here. Though we were able to put it off for 400+ episodes, it’s finally time for us to do some winter holiday songs about the so-called beautiful game. Ian, in particular, has a lot of say. First up, we hear “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home for Christmas)” by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, a 2022 holiday version of their 1996 hit. Then it’s “Star of Lisbon” by Celtic FC (I guess), a holiday song that is, in a rare event on our show, not really about the holidays and ALSO just barely a song.

The ranking music in this episode is the theme to “Taskmaster” as performed by David Baddiel.

Episode 411: Pride Intensifies

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It’s almost Pride Month and we’re getting ready with some queer (or at least queer-adjacent) holiday songs! By request, we’re listening to Girl in Red’s “Two Queens in a King Sized Bed”, a Christmas song featuring sapphic love and potential body horror, followed by “Happy Hanukkah (Will We Still Be Friends)” by Philip Labes, a Hanukkah song featuring theatre kids and a brief digression into Clinton-era political policy.

The ranking music in this episode is “Cool for the Summer” by Demi Lovato.

Thank you to Jolene for these requests!

Episode 410: The Five Stages of Travel

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Since we’re away this week, we pre-recorded this episode! Appropriately, the theme of the requested songs is travel, and in particular, travel gone wrong at the holidays. Or maybe just being stuck in a place during Christmas? But not like a place-place, like, a liminal place. Airports, ships at sea, that kind of thing. Which is to say: exactly and exclusively like those two things. “Christmas at the Airport” by Nick Lowe is a light little tune about spending a holy night trapped in one of the earth’s least sacred places. “Christmas at Sea” offers a more profound sentiment, performed by Sting and Mary Macmaster.

The ranking music in this episode is “Watermark” by The Weakerthans.

Thank you and congratulations to Andy for this request and on the marriage, respectively!

Episode 409: Maypole Sitta

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In honour of International Workers’ Day on May 1st, we’re listening to two songs about the plight of those who have to work on Christmas Day. First up is an epic song about an achingly mundane world. Specifically, Seattle in the 1990s: it’s “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)” by Harvey Danger. Then we earn some overtime with Modern Modem’s retail-centric “Working on Christmas”.

The ranking music in this episode is “Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger.

Episode 408: Dashing Through the Weed

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It’s April, all. And I know you depend on us, annually, to deliver only the best winter holiday songs about marijuana. Well, good news: we have not let you down. So grab some cookies, sit back, relax, and partake with us in “Cookie Doe” by Sly Til I Die featuring Woe and “Smoked Out Santa” by Big Freedia.

The ranking music in this episode is “Make It Jingle” by Big Freedia.

Episode 407: Death and the Opposite of Death

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Just in time for Easter, we’re covering two Christmas songs that are, uh, maybe kind of appropriate? The first song is about death, but also kind of about everlasting life: “I’m Spending Christmas with Jesus This Year” by Brenda Ontko Boulton. The second song is about… well, birth on one level, and condoms on a much more literal level. It’s “Condoms for Christmas” by Milo Bobbins and the Budget Boys.

The ranking music in this episode “Christmas Song” by the Dave Matthews Band, which is famously, an Easter song.

Thank you to CJ for requesting both songs featured in this episode!

Episode 406: Linguistic Noodles

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As the vernal equinox approaches in our hemisphere, we are saying goodbye to winter with two snow-themed songs! First, by listener request, we hear “50 Words for Snow” by Kate Bush — a real arthouse-film of a song, complete with a beloved celebrity there to impart gravitas. We pair it with “Snobows” by Stan Beard and the Swinging Strings, which we are disappointed to report is NOT about the elbows of snowpeople.

The ranking music in this episode is “December Will Be Magic Again” by Kate Bush.

Thank you to merikus for the request!

Episode 405: A Warning, An Apology, A Promise

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Inspired by the approaching time change, we spring forward into two songs about winter sunlight and, specifically, Seasonal Affective Disorder. We expect a spooky twist from Lemon Demon’s “SAD”, but it mostly does what’s written on the tin. There’s also a literal story of SAD in Sunturns’ “First Winter”, but with layers of meaning and metaphor that give it the vibrancy of a sunrise.

The ranking music in this episode is “Aurora Borealis” by Lemon Demon.

Fun fact: we recorded this exactly one day before British Columbia announced that it’s adopting permanent Daylight Savings Time, so we got to this theme just in time!!!

Episode 403: A Family Can Be a Belgian Women’s Choir and Two Guys

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It’s almost Family Day here in British Columbia, and to celebrate, we’ve got a tenuously connected episode theme! By request, we listen to “Christmas Must Be Tonight” as performed by SCALA and Kolacny Brothers, a song about the son of a carpenter. Then we pair it with “Let’s Make a Baby King” by Wynnona Judd, a song about that same guy and also his mom and also his cousin, and also maybe the concept of an infant-based form of government.

The ranking music in this episode is “Nothing But a Child” by Steve Earle.

Thank you to Liam for requesting this version of “Christmas Must Be Tonight”!