Comments on: Thirteen Days of Christmas

Thirteen Days of Christmas

CrunchyFrog — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:11:37 -0800

Straight No Chaser (Indiana University men's acapella group) performs this hilarious rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Want to perform it with your own acapella chorus? You're in luck. The sheet music is available as an inexpensive digital download.

By: Caduceus

Caduceus — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:18:41 -0800

That was absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

By: DU

DU — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:26:23 -0800

Same song but performed by Klein Four, also known for this hit.

By: squarehead

squarehead — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:30:19 -0800

I liked that very much, and I usually hate a cappella music.

By: ba

ba — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:32:22 -0800

Ha!

By: onlyconnect

onlyconnect — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:34:55 -0800

Enjoyed it - thanks!

By: yhbc

yhbc — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:36:18 -0800

A version is also on the 1999 BOCA compilation, "Wasting Our Parents' Money" by the Washington U Pikers, but that one is different from the "dreidel" interruption on through the end. Interesting.

By: dismas

dismas — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:42:24 -0800

This has put me more in the Christmas spirit than anything else this year. Thanks!

By: found missing

found missing — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:46:27 -0800

superb

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:52:53 -0800

TOTO WARNING That was pretty damned charming.

By: rtha

rtha — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:52:57 -0800

Okay, that was fantastic. Had my cubemates chortling and asking for the link. Thanks!

By: inconsequentialist

inconsequentialist — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:56:36 -0800

Thank you. That was awesome.

By: wendell

wendell — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:58:59 -0800

That Toto Warning should've been added to the Front Page Post. (And while you're at it, MetaFilter Networks LLC should trademark "Toto Warning") Otherwise, a great bit... they did in three minutes what "Every Christmas Story Ever Told" takes 90 minutes to do.

By: rouftop

rouftop — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:14:53 -0800

I really loved it up to the Toto point. Having been heavily involved in a cappella way back when, I learned to loathe that song. Even mocking it puts yet another version out onto the aether. Please, think of the children. Otherwise quite amusing.

By: Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way down — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:15:44 -0800

Very charming--thanks.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:31:27 -0800

From Wikipedia: Virginia Coalition and Umphrey's McGee often perform "Africa" in their live shows, and the song has been a popular cover for a cappella groups. For the love of God, WHY? Can someone explain this to me?

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:38:55 -0800

That was great! (Fortunately, being unfamiliar with the Toto song, I was able to enjoy it all the way through.)

By: Caduceus

Caduceus — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:44:41 -0800

psmealey: It's an easy song to arrange for a cappella and make sound good; a lot of songs are impossible to do well a cappella, and Africa is one that's really easy.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:49:06 -0800

It's also a very pretty pop song, even if it's incredibly cheesy and overwrought and has been done to death and had some very 80's production decisions going on.

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:49:35 -0800

So...having covered the Judeo-Christian feasts, was the "Africa" bit a nod to Kwanzaa? Enquiring minds want to know.

By: HappyHippo

HappyHippo — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:52:11 -0800

This totally made my day! and at the risk of slings and arrows, I would like the record to reflect that I am a fan of Toto, but that Dorothy, she's a bitch.

By: Phire

Phire — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:33:02 -0800

that was AWESOME.

By: minervous

minervous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:55:51 -0800

I went to IU with these fine gentlemen. (Their website.) There was a heck of a creative flowering in the mid and late 90s there are IU, with student-created improv, dance, theater and singing groups that are still around today.

By: miss lynnster

miss lynnster — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:12:59 -0800

I love it when people work hard to actually perfect talents. :) But that said, let's just say this song choice... uhhh... surprised me a bit.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:13:02 -0800

Damn I wanna be an a capella groupie now. Freaking adorable.

By: Help, I can't stop talking!

Help, I can't stop talking! — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:24:42 -0800

Their (oft-copied) arrangement of Billy Pilgrim's "Insomniac" is just ridiculously good. (There's a live rendition on YouTube as well, but the sound quality is distractingly poor.)

By: Floydd

Floydd — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:25:14 -0800

All that and Toto, too! Thanks, I laughed.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:57:24 -0800

Do they usually make sheet music for a cappella perforamnces?

By: numinous

numinous — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:15:22 -0800

Fantastic! I will be sending this to my a capella-aficionado friends presently.

By: Medieval Maven

Medieval Maven — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:26:38 -0800

Ha! Love it. Reminds me of the Davidson Generals. As to why Africa is popular with acapella groups . . . much like Walking in Memphis, if you have a super awesome tenor, it pretty much doesn't matter what they are singing so long as it shows off your voice, and people go bananas for that song.

By: ubiquity

ubiquity — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:27:29 -0800

I haven't had so much fun with Christmas since "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie".

By: NorthernLite

NorthernLite — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:58:44 -0800

Thank you. I've had a rather stressful month (father in hospital, etc.) and that was fun. And why doesn't anyone ever break out into song at the fast-food places I frequent? (Yeah, I know - *I* should.)

By: Horace Rumpole

Horace Rumpole — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:27:41 -0800

MeFites who enjoyed this might also like Hi Fidelity's key-tastic rendition of "Bye Bye Blackbird". Since I can't seem to find it anywhere else, you'll have to go here, and start playing at around 23:00. I think anybody who's ever sung a note on stage will find it delightful and astonishing, and I say that with all the authority of a man who was in high school choir for two whole years.

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:36:35 -0800

Fans of this sort of collegiate acappella groups may want to check out the Acappella U. podcast. It specializes in these sounds.

By: Monster_Zero

Monster_Zero — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:01:21 -0800

This post, and Horace's Blackbird thing, are awesome. Thanks for making my day.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 20:15:55 -0800

For the love of God, WHY? Can someone explain this to me? Same reason female a cappella groups always end up performing Cornflake Girl. It's just how the planets spin.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:33:51 -0800

Thanks for the post! Solves next years' Christmas present for the inlaws. They like the a cappella. I kind of like it too, but in a painful nostalgic way, as I used to do the singing.

By: msali

msali — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:20:45 -0800

How funny to see this posted. Just last week, while walking on UNC's campus, we came across our own local, previously unknown, a cappella group, the Achordants. They performed that exact same version of "The 12 days of Christmas", and "Africa", to boot. I know it seems really strange, but the arrangement was really quite lovely. Didn't hurt that it was a beautiful day, and they were playing in front of the Old Well at sunset.

By: mogget

mogget — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:06:57 -0800

Finally got around to listening to this. Very entertaining!