CHRISTMAS CAR TUNES:"HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS"-BURL IVES 1965

It's late December 1965 and you're behind the wheel of your Rambler Marlin-the fastback from AMC. Marlins were pretty rare-even in 65, but the price was right. 

This car came with an all transistor AM radio-a brand new Christmas song pops up and it's done by a guy with a familiar voice...

Burl Ives was one of those guys that kids always thought was a good guy even though he had a few acting roles that made him wear a black hat-but kids in the 60s saw him as big friendly guy-a grandfather on nice guy steroids.

Burl sealed the deal when he agreed to narrate and do the voice for the lead guy in the Christmas TV classic “Frosty the Snowman”.

Then he did the song “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas”-the guy went straight to kid legend land.

This song does what every Christmas song should do-it gets you pumped for the holiday season.

Christmas songs are supposed to have a simple, positive message and Holly Jolly Christmas is a blueprint for holiday songs with lines like this “Have a holly jolly Christmas, It's the best time of the year, Well I don't know if there'll be snow, But have a cup of cheer, Have a holly jolly Christmas, And when you walk down the street Say hello to friends you know, And everyone you meet”.

Not exactly subversive lyrics and while Burl wasn’t the world’s greatest vocalist he made this song do the job it was written for-his folksy style just made it better.

Not only that-it was written for kids watching a kid’s cartoon.

Burl knew his crowd and he delivered a great Holly Jolly Christmas back in 1965.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1t5siifEw