And today we have a wonderful, little-known Christmas song, "All I Want for Christmas is You." But wait, I hear you cry, didn't you have that song yesterday, and didn't you say it was very well-known?? Yes and yes. But this is a different song with the same title. And actually, though some of you may not know it, really isn't "little known" per se -- just little known compared to the Mariah Carey song with the same title. But it was a massive hit on country music radio about 20 years ago and still gets played a great deal there. (In fact, it was written before Marah Carey's, in 1989.) It was recorded by an odd group, Vince Vance and the Valiants, with Lisa Layne as the leader singer. Whenever I've heard the song, this has been the only version, in large part because the rendition is so vibrant -- but as it happens, finally last year, while wandering the grocery store, I heard it for the first time in a cover version piped in with their other holiday music, and the singer (whoever it was) did a very good job. But -- this is the version. While Mariah Carey's version of her song may be most people's favorite, so many others have recorded it and done it very well. But as good a pure song as is the Vince Vance Version, it's Lisa Layne's gut-powerful performance that ratchets it up for its popularity. How big a hit was it on country radio? I remember the year it finally caught on (it had been written a few years before) the country station in Los Angeles would literally tell listeners when they would next be playing it -- usually within the hour. The Valiants have an official video of the song, but they have a model in it lip-synching the song. So, on her own without the Valiants, I decided to post a video of Lisa Layne singing it on camera in a concert. She softens it a bit for the live audience, compared to the grittier (and better) version of the recording, but it still has her rasp. And is still terrific. Which of the two songs is the best? Oh, who knows? The joy is that they're both wonderful. Mariah Carey's is probably the most fun. Lisa Layne's performance is probably the best. Or vice-versa.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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