The variety of music in light shows is interesting

[Richard Hamilton]

Yes, this topic is not of any informational value.  Just entertainment.  I can't help but notice the wide variety of music that people use in their Christmas light shows these days.  It sure have evolved over the years.  I guess folks are tired of the old Bing Crosby type of traditional Christmas songs.  Hey, I am not complaining.   I do a wide variety of songs too.

Now having said that, I'm curious what is the strangest music you've seen on a Christmas display?   Last year, I was traveling in another state and saw an LOR Christmas display where "Black Sabbath" music was being played.  Somehow, hearing Ozzie sing about running from the devil didn't seem to fit on Christmas eve.  I wondered was he a big Black Sabbath groupie or did he just forget that Halloween was over!  ?

 

[dibblejr]

8 minutes ago, Richard Hamilton said:

Yes, this topic is not of any informational value.  Just entertainment.  I can't help but notice the wide variety of music that people use in their Christmas light shows these days.  It sure have evolved over the years.  I guess folks are tired of the old Bing Crosby type of traditional Christmas songs.  Hey, I am not complaining.   I do a wide variety of songs too.

Now having said that, I'm curious what is the strangest music you've seen on a Christmas display?   Last year, I was traveling in another state and saw an LOR Christmas display where "Black Sabbath" music was being played.  Somehow, hearing Ozzie sing about running from the devil didn't seem to fit on Christmas eve.  I wondered was he a big Black Sabbath groupie or did he just forget that Halloween was over!  ?

 

Halloween is the time to get all of the oldies, rock and roll and various genre of music out. However remember not everyone believes in Christ or they still want to show what they like. I do my shows for my family, everyone else is collateral damage.

Christmas is the time where I play mostly Christmas music from all cultures, yes Japanese, Vietnamese and Spanish find a song or 2 in my Christmas shows. 

The day after Christmas most Christmas music stops Santa stops singing and I turn to New Years music.

If you have seen my sharing threads you see music all over the spectrum. A lot of it is from requests. The requests expose me to music I would have never thought of or heard since I listen to mostly country (and western). Old rock and roll. With that being said there are some songs I can only sequence so many seconds at a time.

JR

[james morris]

I do a prodigy song Marlin Manison Beautiful People  Called A Beautiful Christmas

Edited September 25, 2018 by james morris

[Richard Hamilton]

6 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

Halloween is the time to get all of the oldies, rock and roll and various genre of music out. However remember not everyone believes in Christ or they still want to show what they like. I do my shows for my family, everyone else is collateral damage.

Christmas is the time where I play mostly Christmas music from all cultures, yes Japanese, Vietnamese and Spanish find a song or 2 in my Christmas shows. 

The day after Christmas most Christmas music stops Santa stops singing and I turn to New Years music.

If you have seen my sharing threads you see music all over the spectrum. A lot of it is from requests. The requests expose me to music I would have never thought of or heard since I listen to mostly country (and western). Old rock and roll. With that being said there are some songs I can only sequence so many seconds at a time.

J

It seems we do similar things ?   Yea, I understand not everyone is religious, but I would have guessed they would not celebrate Christmas at all.   I just thought it was funny that Ozzie was singing to the lights about the devil with Jesus and the manger on the lawn, and then right after that was a song of highly religious content.  I sort of concluded he likes hard rock.

[dibblejr]

Just now, Richard Hamilton said:

It seems we do similar things ?   Yea, I understand not everyone is religious, but I would have guessed they would not celebrate Christmas at all.   I just thought it was funny that Ozzie was singing to the lights about the devil with Jesus and the manger on the lawn, and then right after that was a song of highly religious content.  I sort of concluded he likes hard rock.

Yes, and maybe keep the traffic moving. LOL

JR

[james morris]

I love Rock so i use Christmas songs by Rock bands and old school Christmas songs

[Richard Hamilton]

Just now, james morris said:

I love Rock so i use Christmas songs by Rock bands and old school Christmas songs

Yup,  me too.  And sometimes songs with nothing to do about Christmas at all.   On rare occasions, I get a visitor with a comment like "Why you play Pink Floyd songs mixed in with traditional Christmas music? "  Obviously they are not my neighbors or they would know why.  So I usually reply with a stupid sarcastic comment like......   "Learning to Fly.... is appropriate.   Reindeer do fly don't they?"  ?

[james morris]

Lol

[75redman]

Probably Slayer Bob.

 

[rcktpwrd]

My wife synchronized Mr. Roboto:

 

[dibblejr]

19 hours ago, 75redman said:

Probably Slayer Bob.

 

Unique and creative 

JR

[dibblejr]

32 minutes ago, rcktpwrd said:

My wife synchronized Mr. Roboto:

 

She did really good

[radioguy1007]

A lot of the visitors to my display are families with small children, or those with older parents and buses from retirement communities in the area.  My songs include kid favorites like the Chipmunks and sing alongs like "Must Be Santa".  Yes the traditional favorites are all included.  But then I like to go a bit outside by using songs that are not Christmas tunes but have been resung changing the lyrics to Christmas ones.  Examples of that type are "Taking Care of Christmas" (Taking Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive), "Toy Sack" (Love Shack - B-52's), "Dueling Jingle Bells" (Dueling Banjos), "Mr. Santa" (Mr. Sandman - Chordettes), "Decorations" (Good Vibrations - Beach Boys), and "Yabba Dabba Yuletide" (Flintstones Theme).  I never understood why some shows use songs that had absolutely nothing to do with the holiday season. 

[Crimson Lane Lights Etown]

26 minutes ago, radioguy1007 said:

never understood why some shows use songs that had absolutely nothing to do with the holiday season. 

Sequencing a song is fun and rewarding.  Sometimes my kids ask if I can sequence a non Christmas song.  They might have been playing it in marching band which ends right before light up season.  Like Star Wars.   Who am I to disappoint kids.  Especially my own.  I insert non Christmas songs for fun on "Wacky Wednesdays!"  My viewers don't mind and a few only come on Wednesday because of the variety.

[dibblejr]

Some variety is good. Last year my friend Roverdish donated a great sequence to me. It is seldom that I use anyone's sequences besides my own or James Morris but Roverdish did a fantastic job with Boots. Played all of Dec right through New Years.

This year I will be producing the faces to accompany it and mix it in again. The people in the community liked it, its a coming home type of song.

JR

[k6ccc]

6 minutes ago, Crimson Lane Lights Etown said:

Sequencing a song is fun and rewarding. 

Glad you enjoy it.  I consider sequencing to be about one step above torture.  It's not that I can't make the software do what I want - no problem there.  I have absolutely zero artistic creativity, so I generally have no idea what I want it to do.  Therefore, for almost all of my sequences, I purchase the sequence for my pixel tree from people who actually do have some creativity.  Then I use their colors and light patterns as a basis to sequence the rest of the yard.  The one full length song I sequenced from scratch took me four months.  After that I spend money (or in a couple situations, shared sequences).

I've been adding one or two songs a year, and a lot of stuff gets minor tweeks every year, mostly because of hardware changes.  Up to 13 songs last year and no additions planned for this year because I am making major hardware changes, so that part is taking all my time...

With all that said, I have a variety of song types, but all at least something related to Christmas except God Bless the USA.  Here's my 2017 list:

Song title	Artist
Wizards In Winter	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas Cannon	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
You're a Mean one Mr. Grinch	Burl Ives
Jingle Bells	Barry Manilow with Expose'
Hark! The Harold Angles Sing	Lake Ave. Church Organ & Orchestra
God Bless the USA	The American Patriots
Deck the Halls	Mannheim Steamroller
Carol of the Bells   (Christmas Eve / Sarajeva 12/24)	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer	Gene Autry
All I Want for Christmas is You	Mariah Carey
Feliz Navidad	Jose Feliciano
The Hanukkah Song	Elliot Dvorin
Soldier's Silent Night	Father Ted Berndt

In addition to that, there are several announcement files and short clips.  Everything can be requested through MIIP.

 

[caniac]

5 hours ago, rcktpwrd said:

My wife synchronized Mr. Roboto:

 

Annie did a fantastic job, look forward to seeing you guys soon!

[Richard Hamilton]

18 hours ago, k6ccc said:

Song title	Artist
Wizards In Winter	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas Cannon	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
You're a Mean one Mr. Grinch	Burl Ives
Jingle Bells	Barry Manilow with Expose'
Hark! The Harold Angles Sing	Lake Ave. Church Organ & Orchestra
God Bless the USA	The American Patriots
Deck the Halls	Mannheim Steamroller
Carol of the Bells   (Christmas Eve / Sarajeva 12/24)	Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer	Gene Autry
All I Want for Christmas is You	Mariah Carey
Feliz Navidad	Jose Feliciano
The Hanukkah Song	Elliot Dvorin
Soldier's Silent Night	Father Ted Berndt

 

I like that list.

[keiheric]

I like to have one song that isn't holiday related. Most of the time, the song I select will be fairly well-known via pop culture, and will often have dark humor in the underlying theme.

This past Christmas, I programmed "Easy Street" by the Collapsible Heart Club. On the surface, the song is cheerful and uplifting. For any fans of The Walking Dead, they would recognize the tune as the song they used to psychologically torture one of the main characters in the show. Yeah - my sense of humor is a bit messed up. For Halloween this year, I've added the Baby Shark song - loved by toddlers and HATED by their parents.

[dibblejr]

3 hours ago, keiheric said:

I like to have one song that isn't holiday related. Most of the time, the song I select will be fairly well-known via pop culture, and will often have dark humor in the underlying theme.

This past Christmas, I programmed "Easy Street" by the Collapsible Heart Club. On the surface, the song is cheerful and uplifting. For any fans of The Walking Dead, they would recognize the tune as the song they used to psychologically torture one of the main characters in the show. Yeah - my sense of humor is a bit messed up. For Halloween this year, I've added the Baby Shark song - loved by toddlers and HATED by their parents.

Most everyone I know has added the Baby Shark Song, as much as adults dislike it, it has made its way in to the night clubs, imagine that.

JR