Music Monday: And The Runner-up Is…

Blogging, family, happiness, lessons learned, music, passion, rankings 2 Minutes

Last week I started the countdown of my top three Christmas songs.

In third place was the beautiful song Oh Holy Night, sung by the remarkable Josh Groban.

Today I am announcing my second favorite Christmas song, the runner-up for the title:

Christmas in L.A. by The Killers

Like all of my top three songs, it is one I have written about before.

Here’s what I wrote five years ago about the song, which was released in 2013:

Christmas in L.A. – one of my favorites, the video features Owen Wilson. Dawes co-write and also performed on the track. Great animation. While it may be considered somewhat depressing, it could also be viewed as a tribute to those who follow their dreams, despite the cost.

That was an excerpt from a post about the band The Killers, who released a Christmas song every year from 2006-2016. I wrote a post in 2018 that includes all 11 songs. The profits from the Christmas record go to support the Product RED campaign to end AIDS.

Here’s some information about this song from Wikipedia:

The song was written by Brandon Flowers and Mark Stoermer of The Killers and Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes. Irving Berlin also has a writing credit due to the song featuring lyrics from “White Christmas”. The music video for the song was unveiled on December 1, 2013. The video features actor Owen Wilson portraying a struggling actor in Los Angeles at Christmastime. Actor Harry Dean Stanton also appears as a voice of reason. The music video was directed by Kelly Loosli and filmed and animated by students and alumni from Brigham Young University.

There’s also a subtle reference to Warren Zevon’s song Carmelita, along with an animated cameo of Zevon at the 2:32 mark.

I remember the first time I heard the song I must have played it five times in a row.

I really can’t put my finger on exactly what moves me so much about the song. The singing, lyrics, music, and video all combine to create a beautiful work of art.

But if I had to pick one thing that makes this one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs it’s just the overall message of not giving up on your dream, even if it means time away from your family and friends during the holiday season.

Next week will be the big reveal of my favorite Christmas song, and for people who know me, it probably won’t come as a big surprise…

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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37 thoughts on “Music Monday: And The Runner-up Is…”

  1. You have sophisticated music choices. My favorite Christmas song is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It takes a lot of sacrifice sometimes, to pursue our dreams, including that of being lonely over the holidays. So it seems like a fitting song for the season.

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    1. Yes! I definitely never heard this on the radio before. (This was actually my first time hearing it.) It lacks the glitz and glamor that is normally associated with Christmas. But is thought-provoking and relevant to more people than I would have realized.

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  2. I listened to Josh Groban last night. O Holy Night is a favorite of mine as well. I had never heard “Christmas in LA” , it is a poignant song, glad you shared it! Looking forward to tomorrow night. I am guessing its “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” 🙂

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      1. OOPS! Guess you did say next week! I need to go to bed! LOL! Actually its Tippy’s fault, he had my brain all messed up due to his comment on my post about the Chicken Man! Going to go “smack” my head down on a soft pillow now. Goodnight! 🙂

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  3. Great message. Sometimes you have to have an incredible amount of faith in yourself to follow your dreams, especially if you don’t feel like you have anyone in your corner.

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  6. If I had only heard the song on the radio, it may not have been memorable for me. But the video creates such a powerful story and adds great weight to the lyrics. Hard not to be moved by the song and images together. Great choice, Jim! Looking forward to next Monday for the title spot!

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  8. I think the video really makes this song complete. As for it being by the Killers – it wouldn’t be out of place on a Dawes album, their influence is huge. Try the video for their song All Your Favourite Bands and you’ll see what I mean!

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    1. I don’t really know much about Dawes (in fact I had never heard of them until this Killers’ song). But that song and video about your favorite bands was wonderful; I could hear their influence in the Christmas song. And the ending with the kids was perfect. Thanks for letting me know about it…

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      1. I’ve been a fan of theirs for about ten years. Their second album, Nothing Is Wrong, begins with a track called Time Spent In Los Angeles. Spot the link! Glad you enjoyed the video: it’s beautifully done, and the cast of guest singers is like a roll call of current Americana artists.

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  12. An awesome video which carried the lyrics…following your dream is rarely easy if successful worth all the blood sweat and tears and if not as is often the case…” It is better to have tried and failed” Merry Christmas to you and your family, Jim from sunny Thailand 🙂 x

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