Strung Out Episode 230: MARTYMUSIC HOLIDAY SONGS

In this special holiday edition of Strung Out, host Martin LaOrence McCormack shares a collection of Christmas songs he composed over the years. From the evocative 'Gift of Peace' to the whimsical 'Marvin the Moose Saves Christmas', Marty presents a mix of live performances and heartfelt stories, perfect for getting into the festive spirit. Tune in and enjoy these musical treats and join us in celebrating the season!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to Strung Out, the podcast that looks at life through the lens of an artist. Your host is the artist, writer, and musician, Martin Lawrence McCormack. Now here's Marty. Hey everybody, welcome to Strung Out, and we are winding down the year. And, uh, it's time for my annual presentation of Christmas songs.

[00:00:28] And that's, uh, what we're going to do right now, uh, because over the last four years now, uh, starting with the pandemic, uh, I put together several, uh, songs for Christmas writing and, uh, just kind of fun, uh, just thought that it would be, uh, good to share with you starting with the most recent piece that I did.

[00:00:57] It's called the gift of peace. And, uh, this just premiered on December 13th, took place at, uh, uh, in Evanston, Illinois with the North Shore Chorale, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, and the Evanston Children's Choir. And, uh, I wrote it at the request of, uh, our director of the Evanston Children's Choir and good friend, Gary Geiger.

[00:01:26] And, uh, he did some arrangements on it as well as Paul von Mertens. So we're going to start with that piece and, uh, enjoy it. It's a live version of the Gift of Peace complete with a solo by Some Screaming Baby. Here we go. It was composed by an Evanston Children's Choir member of the Board of Directors named Martin McCormick.

[00:01:58] And it is called, The Gift of Peace.

[00:02:41] Choir singing Peace when there is no one around. I'm dead but in the peace. Peace, peace. Dead but in the peace. He is peace, gift of, gift of peace. He is the servant of the Lord. Let in peace, Lord, be done in you. Tell the great to be done in you. For give the gift of peace. Peace, Lord, be done in you. Come, Lord, on earth.

[00:03:56] Be seated. Peace, peace, oh, country. I give the gift of peace. Peace, peace. I give the gift of peace.

[00:06:23] Now we're going to jump to a couple other pieces here. The next piece I want you to, uh, enjoy is a song that I wrote called Merry Christmas, My Friends. Uh, I was channeling my inner Donovan when I wrote it. So, um, there's a little bit of a, kind of a, Kind of a affectation to my voice. Well, that's deliberate because I was trying, I was trying to sound like Donovan.

[00:06:51] I don't know why, but just felt like this song would be a song that Donovan would have sung if he was going to do a Christmas album. So Merry Christmas, my friends.

[00:07:17] I believe love. Eventually,

[00:07:24] it's a gift we can give again and again.

[00:07:33] Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, my friend. We have the power to eliminate pain.

[00:07:57] A world without fear, wouldn't that be great? Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, my friends.

[00:08:38] Even if they act like Scrooge, call you a fool, say you're a stooge, Don't give up, don't run away.

[00:08:53] It costs not a penny, needs no ribbon or bone.

[00:09:00] Can't get it online, it's yours to grow.

[00:09:09] Christmas,

[00:09:13] Christmas.

[00:10:07] Lead with your heart, don't be afraid.

[00:10:14] Even if they act like Scrooge, call you a fool, say you're a stooge. Don't give up, don't run away.

[00:10:29] It's a wonderful life if we only believe.

[00:10:37] Better to give than to receive

[00:10:45] Christmas.

[00:10:49] Christmas.

[00:10:54] My

[00:11:03] merry.

[00:11:11] Christmas

[00:11:37] and we're back. And a fun piece, uh, called Christmas Kiss wrote this, uh, back, uh, a couple years ago. And again, uh, the great Paul von Mertens, uh, does a wonderful musical arrangement to this with clarinet and oboe and just, uh, uh, nails it, uh, kind of, uh, again, uh, this piece, uh, what I heard in my head was like, if Leon Redbone was going to sing this song, I don't do his voice, of course, nobody should, but, um, that's, uh, That's the idea, kind of a, uh, a nice, smooth, kind of southerny, kind of a New Orleans feel to it.

[00:12:29] So, uh, Christmas. Kiss? I can't wait For Christmas,

[00:12:51] I hope you can't wait, too.

[00:12:57] There's a present that I have, I want to give to you.

[00:13:07] It's wrapped up and it's ready Not too hard to miss

[00:13:19] I can't wait to see you my dear And give you a Christmas kiss It's a tingle and a jingle And it's a ho ho ho It'll warm you from your eggnog and to the tips of your mistletoe toe toes. I can't wait for Christmas, you've been on my list. You're the very first and only one. To get my world's finest Christmas kiss.

[00:14:12] Take it away Paul.

[00:14:59] I can't wait for Christmas. I hope you feel the same. We'll share a warmth of happiness, hotter than a yule log's flames. It can't be found anywhere else. I don't know if you've ever seen a star, but it's quite priceless, to show the world you have my heart, is my Christmas kiss.

[00:15:45] A and a it. A

[00:16:00] to the of your miss.

[00:16:12] And I'm on my list

[00:16:17] You're the very first and only one To get my Christmas kiss

[00:16:28] You're the very first and only one To get my Christmas kiss

[00:16:40] Yeah, you're the very first and only one I'm the only one to get my world's finest Christmas kiss. World's finest Christmas kiss. Nothin but the very best for you. Comin at ya, My world's finest Christmas gift. The next piece for your enjoyment is, uh, uh, that's what Christmas should do. Um, this piece I, I wrote, uh, the idea was, um, to try to go back into like the great American songbook.

[00:17:36] Um, and, uh, try to be like, uh, a Nerving Berlini kind of feeling to it. Um, that's what my hope was. Uh, so.

[00:17:52] See if you like it, alright? That's what Christmas should do.

[00:18:14] Make you wanna reach out to the lonely,

[00:18:21] sit down and write a letter.

[00:18:28] Deck the halls again with family and friends. That's what Christmas should do.

[00:18:43] See the magic in the children's eyes

[00:18:51] and believe in it too.

[00:18:58] There's a Santa Claus in town. There is just because. That's what Christmas should do.

[00:19:13] Open up our hearts. Reach out our hands. For one day of the year. Understand.

[00:19:27] Each day should be Christmas. Two and three sixty two On three sixty five Start all over again That's what Christmas should do

[00:19:45] Make all wars cease In our world and on our streets In our hearts and in our minds In our hearts and in our minds Humankind, that's what Christmas should do.

[00:21:15] I

[00:21:22] see the. Make each day a gift. Other spirits lift. That's what Christmas should be. See the magic?

[00:21:50] In the children's eyes, And believe in it too.

[00:22:02] There is a Santa Claus, There is, just because, That's what Christmas should do. A spirit so profound,

[00:22:25] Make it last the year round,

[00:22:32] That's what Christmas should do.

[00:23:06] Back again, and this will be the final piece that I'll offer for this year. I have a couple other pieces sitting in the wings, but, uh, this made it down to, uh, The album, the children's album, Miss Rack's Zoo. Miss Rack was, uh, Anya's kindergarten teacher. And, uh, during the pandemic, uh, I wrote, uh, a series of songs that made its way into an album.

[00:23:37] And I'm so glad that I did cause, uh, sadly, uh, Judy Rack passed away from cancer less than a year ago. And, um, Um, I just felt very happy that I was able to create something that she was able to personally enjoy, uh, and know how much she was appreciated. She was just a tremendous human being and, uh, miss her, miss her terribly.

[00:24:06] So this was a little whimsical piece called Marvin the Moose. Uh, and, uh, Marvin the Moose Saves Christmas, I think is the full title, I'm pretty sure. So that will be, uh, the final piece of, uh, Christmas music for you to enjoy. And, uh, here it is.

[00:24:43] Good job. Well, we've got another Christmas song here to sing, right Anya? What's this song about? Marvin the Moose. Marvin the Moose. Marvin the Marvelous Moose. I like that. Everybody knows. In this case, it's Marvin the Generous Moose. The Generous Moose. Yeah, Marvin is a generous moose. Everybody knows that moose are much better than reindeer.

[00:25:12] It's just a well known fact. Everybody knows. Everybody knows, everybody knows. Anybody that loves moose and knows and studies mooses. Alright, let's sing a song. Well, gather round kids and listen well. To the story I got to tell, About Christmas Eve, way up North Alaska way, When Marvin the Moose pulled Santa's sleigh.

[00:25:39] Okay, okay. The old tall story couldn't be told, Marvin the Moose was a son of a gun, What happened that night was a million stories, Marvin the Moose pulled Santa's sleigh.

[00:26:02] Around the world, right? Now I'm Marvin, folks! He was the loner type. He wasn't so hip to the reindeer side. Oh, they're always bragging about Santa's crew. There's only a job a reindeer could do. Oh, they laughed at Marvin. He lived all alone. Way out there in his willow twig home. But he was happy and he didn't mind.

[00:26:29] That the reindeer were so unkind. Oh, oh, oh, oh. It couldn't be done. Martin Luther King was gone. What happened that night was really cool. And now he's with Santa around the world. Well it was Christmas Eve, when Santa got word, from the chief elf of the reindeer herd. Santa in agony, he fell down on his knees when he heard, the reindeer herd.

[00:27:02] The reindeer had chronic wasting disease. Well, Justin Marvin, he ambled by. It made him so sad to see Santa cry. He said, Hey there Santa, I'm your guy. Just give me that stuff that makes the reindeer fly. If you know what I mean. All the elves all said it couldn't be done. Marvin the Moose was gonna be done.

[00:27:33] Well, how's that? Yeah, it was a miracle. Marvin pulled Santa around the world. Boy, these costume changes are good. Well, the elves all chuckled. Had Marvin there. Decked out in that reindeer gear. Oh, it was all too tight and all the wrong places. But then Santa, he picked up the traces and said, I'm Marvin, and Marvin ran.

[00:28:01] Just down the runway, half was planned. It all looked like they were both gonna crash. Then Santa and Marvin took off like a flash. Well, that's it, uh, for, uh, the Christmas selections for this year. I am getting terribly close to having, uh, all the music put together for a Christmas album. Uh, Marty music that will come out in 2025 and, uh, I was trying really hard to get it done this year, but things got in the way.

[00:28:52] So we'll kick it one more year, God willing, I'll, I'll be able to get her done in 2025. So, uh, but for now I'm wishing everybody a very, very Merry Christmas on behalf of Strung Out. Bye bye. Thank you for listening. For more information about this show or a transcript, visit martin mccormack.com. While there, sign up for our newsletter.

[00:29:21] See you next time on Strung Out. So

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