Top Christmas Songs of All Time

 

By Mark Pukalo

Here's my work on the top 20 Christmas songs of all time. There are so many great versions to some of these songs, but I went with what I thought was best for each. Merry Christmas everyone!

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Chrissie Hynde with the Pretenders - Chrissie's voice perfectly fits this song that was unveiled first by Judy Garland in the 1944 musical "Meet Me in St. Louis."

2. Please Come Home for Christmas, The Eagles - Blues singer and pianist Charles Brown wrote the song in 1960, but no one sang it better than Don Henley.

3. Happy Xmas (War is Over), John Lennon - John and Yoko wrote it as a protest song against the Vietnam War, but it has since fit in smoothly on Christmas.

4. River, Joni Mitchell - The Canadian great never released this beautiful sad song as a single, but apparently it has been recorded by other artists second most among her tunes. When I hear this song now, I always think of the long winding river from the airport to downtown Ottawa I drove back in the 90s. For miles and miles, I saw people skating "away."

5. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Bruce Springsteen - Clarence's Ho Hos put the cap on this classic live tune from the Boss. "Everybody out there been good or what? Oh, that's not many, that's not many, you people in trouble out here."

6. Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano - The Puerto Rican star wrote this simple song with a Spanish greeting in 1970. Jose wished a Merry Christmas from "the bottom of my heart."

7. The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole - Robert Wells and Mel Torme wrote the song in 1945 and no one performed it better than the great singer and jazz pianist.

8. Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy, Bing Crosby & David Bowie - The dynamic duo sang the two songs together on Bing's Christmas special in 1977, and the single made it to No. 3 in the UK.

9. Same Old Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg - This one tends to be forgotten by many, but it is a beautiful song about former lovers meeting by chance years later on Christmas Eve before the "snow turns into rain."

10. Little Saint Nick, The Beach Boys - Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote this fun song, released it as a single in December of 1963, and it went all the way to No. 3.

11. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

12. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - The Jackson 5

13. Let it Snow - Frank Sinatra

14. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey

15. Rockin Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

16. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - Alvin & the Chipmunks

17. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2

18. Jingle Bell Rock - Hall & Oates

19. Last Christmas - Emilia Clarke/Wham (I like Queen Daenerys' version best)

20. Do They Know it's Christmas? - Bandaid

Others Considered

Santa Baby - MaDonna

Christmas Pics - Barenaked Ladies

Blue Christmas - Elvis Pressley

Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen

I'll Be Home for Christmas - Aimee Mann

Winter Wonderland - Michael Bolton

Run Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

The Very Best of the Talking Heads

 

By Mark Pukalo

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band was formed in 1975 and put out eight albums in just over 10 years, creating a new wave sound that mixed several forms of music. They were certainly one of a kind while lead singer David Byrne's Broadway show and the movie version "David Byrne's American Utopia" features some of their best songs. Here's my list, although I have to say after the top 12 many tunes are about even.

1. Once in a Lifetime - Same as it ever was. A great tune. The lyrics and vocals were said to be inspired by preachers doing sermons.

2. This Must be the Place - Byrne said this was rare love song he wrote and it sounded great in the movie "Wall Street." It is one of the highlights "American Utopia" as well.

3. Burning Down the House - The Heads' only top 10 single on the US Billboard chart. Inspired by Parliament Funkadelic. 

4. Road to Nowhere - The group's lone top 10 hit in the UK. Byrne wrote it as a "joyful look at doom."

5. And She Was - The brilliant tune is said to be basically about a woman with the power to levitate above everyone and the man who loves her, wanting her to be normal. 

6. Life During Wartime - A song written apparently about "a post-apocalyptic landscape" with a punk/funk feel.

7. Take Me to the River - The Heads' cover of a song written and performed by the Reverend Al Green. The version by Green was ranked 117th by Rolling Stone magazine among the top 500 songs of all time.

8. Wild Wild Life - Ranked second among its singles on the Billboard chart, making it to No. 25. It won Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1987.

9. Stay Up Late - Bouncy song about a cute little baby from the 1985 album "Little Creatures."

10. (Nothing but) Flowers - From the band's final album "Naked." Johnny Marr from The Smiths plays guitar on the song. Used to open Kevin Smith's film "Clerks 2."

11. The Lady Don't Mind

12. Psycho Killer

13. Slippery People

14. I Zimbra

15. Making Flippy Floppy

16. Blind

17. Girlfriend is Better

18. Don't Worry About the Government

19. Pulled Up

20. No Compassion

Others Considered

Cross-eyed and Painless

The Big Country

Houses in Motion

Born Under Punches

Found a Job

Television Man

Radio Head

Love > Building on Fire

Heaven

Uh Oh, Love Comes to Town

Mr. Jones

The Good Thing

Cities

The Book I Read

The Great Curve

The Best of Neil Young: Top 20

 

I am an old man with a heart of gold, so Neil is one of my favorite artists of all time. We used to call him "The King of Distortion" in college jokingly for his electric guitar work, but most of his best songs - in my opinion - have been done acoustically. The guy is a legend and his library is so deep that it was difficult to rate them, especially from 13-30.

Neil Young

Top 20

1. Harvest Moon - A simple and beautiful love song that I could listen to over and over.

2. Heart of Gold - Neil's only No. 1 song on the Billboard charts hit the radio in 1972.

3. Old Man - Made it to No. 4 as the follow up to Heart of Gold and No. 6 on this list was the B-side.

4. Unknown Legend - An exquisitely-written song that just flows beautifully. "She used to work at a diner. Never saw a woman look finer. I used to order just to watch her float across the floor."

5. Like a Hurricane - Hard rocking tune. "You are like a hurricane, there's calm in your eyes."

6. Needle and the Damage Done - Neil wrote this sad, gripping song about heroin addiction among musicians he knew.

7. Rockin' in the Free World - Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the 216th greatest song of all time.

8. Sugar Mountain - Neil wrote this when he was a teenager in the mid 60s, mostly about his youth.

9. Hey, Hey My My (Out of the Blue and Black) - The song actually developed out of his work with the punk-art band Devo. "It's better to burn out than to fade away."

10. Comes a Time - Easy listening song. "Comes a time, when you're drifting. Comes a time, when you settle down." From the album by the same name in 1978, that includes No. 14 on this list.

11. From Hank to Hendrix

12. Southern Man

13. Prime of Life

14. Four Strong Winds

15. Cinnamon Girl

16. Long May You Run

17. Out on the Weekend

18. Walk On

19. Cortez the Killer

20. Transformer Man (unplugged)

Joe Lunardi's first six out

Lotta Love 

Powderfinger

After the Gold Rush

Down by the River

Pocahontas

Change your mind

A dozen others considered

Philadelphia

Sleeps with Angels

One of these Days

Helpless

Mr. Soul

It's a Dream

This Note's for You

Downtown

Walk Like a Giant

Cowgirl in the Sand

Tonight's the Night

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

The Best of Marvin Gaye

 

Marvin Gaye is one of the most talented artists that died way too soon. Even though we were only graced by his musical presence for a little over two decades, his library of great songs is very large.

Marvin Gaye

Top 20

1. What's Goin' On - One of the best-written songs of all time. "War is not the answer, for only Love can conquer Hate."

2. Mercy, Mercy Me (the Ecology) - Another masterpiece. Check out the cover by Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend at Live Earth

3. I Heard it through the Grapevine - The first No. 1 hit for Marvin after Gladys Knight took it to No. 2

4. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Beautiful tune written by the late Nickolas Ashford and the beautiful Valerie Simpson

5. Let's Get it On - Marvin's second No. 1 hit was about sexual liberation in 1973

6. Sexual Healing - The passionate song was Marvin's first single after he left Motown

7. I Want You - Song has a little disco edge to it in 1976

8. Gotta Give it Up - Marvin wrote this song in 1977 and you can dance to it

9. How Sweet It Is - The Motown-writing team put this to paper and Marvin took it to No. 6. James Taylor later made it his own and went to No. 5

10. Ain't That Peculiar - Smokey Robinson co-wrote and produced this wonderful bouncy number

11. After the Dance

12. Come Get to This

13. Inner City Blues

14. Can I Get a Witness

15. Pride and Joy

16. What's Happening Brother

17. Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing

18. That's the Way Love is

19. You're All I Need to Get By

20. Take This Heart of Mine

Others considered

When did you stop loving me, When did I stop loving you

Distant Lover

If I could build my whole world around you

Too Busy Thinking About my Baby

Trouble Man

Sad Tomorrows

Wholy Holy

You're the One for Me

Since I Had You

My Mistake (was to love you)

Heavy Love Affair

If I Should Die Tonight

How About A Three-Peat in Champa Bay?

 

By Mark Pukalo

Several issues can severely affect teams that win championships. They could get even worse when an organization celebrates two straight titles.

Salary caps may force management to break up the core, complacency can set in, they could get old all at once and the fatigue of two long postseasons can wear the players out.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning don’t appear to have any of those problems as the first full NHL season since 2018-19 begins on Tuesday night against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sure, they lost their entire third line from the last two seasons and must retool the bottom six a bit, but the Bolts have not lost any of their All Stars to free agency. There certainly isn’t a motivation issue with this group, which would love to notch a place in history with three straight Cups. The Lightning are still a young team overall, with veteran newcomers Pierre-Eduoard Bellemare and Corey Perry the only regular skaters older than 33. This team never seems to wear out physically, either. They have made a habit of rebounding from losses the last two playoff runs.

Mental fatigue? We’ll see, but not sure that will keep the Lightning from making another run either.

There is no reason the Bolts can’t win a third straight Cup, unless injuries to their top players slow them down. It certainly won’t be easy, with several teams knocking at the door. 

“We just can't rest on what has happened the past two years,” captain Steven Stamkos told NHL.com. “The start is critical to any season and I think maybe even a little more so for our group now. Let's get off to a really good start. Especially when you have a team that has been together for as long as we have, that's when you take advantage is at the beginning of the year when some teams are just feeling out their rosters, guys are getting a chance, everyone is not dialed in on their special teams.”

The trio of Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov has arguably become the best line in the league. That group is a given to put up big points. Like always, the Lightning will need complimentary scoring - primarily at even strength - from the other three lines.

How coach Jon Cooper will set up the bottom three forward trios is still unknown, but it would be a big plus if Stamkos can have an injury-free season, Alex Killorn can continue his increased production from the last two campaigns and Anthony Cirelli can have a breakout offensive season. Mathieu Joseph and Ross Colton must take that next step while Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh assimilate smoothly into the NHL. (I just love Katchouk's potential) Early returns on Perry’s production potential look good after a dazzling preseason and the edgy winger will be more motivated than anyone to win his second Cup (He won with Anaheim in 2007) after losing to the Bolts the last two years.

The defense is set, led by Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak. It would be a plus if first-round pick Cal Foote stepped up and put pressure or gave strong support to Jan Rutta and Zach Bogosian on the right side of the defense.

The loss of talented forward Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers to Seattle on Monday hurts the depth, but the Lightning think highly of centers Gage Goncalves and Simon Ryfors while others such as Gabriel Fortier and Otto Somppi showed in the preseason they could also help up front.

As Stamkos has said, the Lightning will always have a chance with the world’s best goalie in net in Andrei Vasilevskiy. How he did not win three straight Vezinas escapes me. But, the Big Cat has two Cups. I think he’ll take those instead. Veteran Brian Elliott (256 career wins) gets a chance as the backup.

Tampa Bay is the best team in the Eastern Conference, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will make another final. The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers look good on paper and gave the Lightning their toughest tests in the 2021 playoffs. The Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals are never easy to knock out and the Pittsburgh Penguins might be a threat again if they can survive without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the early months. The Philadelphia Flyers have upgraded their defense immensely and Carter Hart can't be that bad again, can he? The Carolina Hurricanes? There’s certainly a lot of talent there. The New York Rangers also have potential to make several steps forward.

But they will all have to catch the Lightning.

In my opinion, the only team that can beat Tampa Bay in the East right now is the Islanders. Lou Lamoriello did a masterful job in the offseason and if they can add another offensive player (Vladimir Tarasenko?) at the deadline or talented Oliver Wahlstrom emerges as a top-six scoring forward and/or Zach Parise finds the Fountain of Youth, this may be the team that ends the Bolts’ run.

Picks in the East:

Atlantic - 1. Tampa Bay; 2. Florida; 3. Boston; 4. Toronto; 5. Montreal; 6. Ottawa; 7. Detroit; 8. Buffalo

Metropolitan - 1. NY Islanders; 2. Philadelphia; 3. Carolina; 4. Washington; 5. NY Rangers; 6. Pittsburgh; 7. Columbus; 8. New Jersey

Wild Cards - Washington, NY Rangers

There’s no doubt the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are the teams to beat in the West. But who will be the squads that give them the most trouble? That’s impossible to predict because all the contenders look similar. But here are my guesses at the division finishes.

Picks in the West

Central: 1. Colorado; 2. Minnesota; 3. Chicago; 4. Winnipeg; 5. St. Louis; 6. Dallas; 7. Nashville; 8. Arizona (Razor thin between 2nd and 7th)

Pacific: 1. Vegas; 2. Edmonton; 3. Los Angeles; 4. Vancouver; 5. Calgary; 6. San Jose; 7. Anaheim; 8. Seattle

Wild Cards - Winnipeg, Vancouver

Lightning look to Rebuild Bottom 6 in Preseason

 

By Mark Pukalo

There are several challenges to start, and likely more obstacles on the horizon for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they set sail on another season.

But there is a comforting, confident feeling in camp as they dive deeper into the exhibition season with three games the next three nights.

The pain of losing four key players to free agency and expansion while having only pennies of cap space left to spend is easily cured by the exhilaration and satisfaction of two straight Stanley Cup runs

The fatigue of two long postseasons is easily mitigated by the belief that the Bolts still have their top six forwards, top-four defensemen and the best goalie in the world all healthy for a chance at a three-peat.

With some smart moves by GM Julien Brisebois in the offseason and a handful of prospects ready for an opportunity with the big club, the Lightning should still be the favorite when the 2021-22 campaign gets underway Oct. 12.

The exhibition games will give the first indication what coach Jon Cooper has in mind when he rebuilds the bottom two forward lines that were so important in both Cup runs.

Barclay Goodrow (New York Rangers) and Blake Coleman (Calgary) left for well-deserved paydays as free agents and the irrepressible Yanni Gourde was the forward the Bolts lost to expansion Seattle. That threesome was so good in the last two postseasons that you can’t begin to replace their production. Cooper just has to find the right mix of players to continue rolling four lines. Tyler Johnson, who had a good postseason, was also dealt to create another hole.

Ross Colton emerged as more than a dependable forward last season, Mathieu Joseph has shown he is a capable NHL player and the Big Rig Pat Maroon is back to take three of the spots. Veterans Corey Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were added by Brisebois at bargain basement salaries, which likely leaves two roster positions - assuming no injuries.

That sets the stage for the biggest battle during the exhibition season. Sure, veterans Gemel Smith and Charles Hudon along with newcomer Simon Ryfors cannot be left out of the competition all together, but the final two spots should come down to rookies Boris Katchouk, Alex Barre-Boulet and Taylor Raddysh. If my math is correct, I believe the Lightning can only keep two due to cap concerns unless they roll the dice with just six defensemen on the roster.

Katchouk has been a good two-way player who improved offensively last season and Raddysh has been a scorer who is getting better at the 200-foot game. Barre-Boulet did not embarrass himself in a 15-game audition in Tampa Bay due to injuries last season, but it’s still unsure whether his AHL production will translate at the NHL level. The 24-year-old will have to show he can play on all four lines as well. Otto Somppi is also a name to remember down the road.

So, what will it be? Keep the top six together and use Colton between Joseph and Perry while Maroon and Bellemare play with Katchouk - the best Lightning forward in the exhibition opener Tuesday at Carolina (3-1 loss) - on the fourth line? Play Perry on the fourth line with the other two veterans and slide Raddysh or Barre-Boulet with Colton and Joseph? Use Joseph or Barre-Boulet with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli while captain Steven Stamkos creates a top-9 scenario playing with Colton and Perry? Move Killorn to a third line with Colton and Perry?

There are so many ways Cooper can go and the hope is that the preseason makes it clear what the best route is.

Perhaps even more important is who takes the place of expert penalty killers Goodrow, Coleman and Gourde? Bellemare has plenty of experience to take one spot with Killorn and Cirelli remaining as the top pair. Colton, Joseph, Ondrej Palat, Perry and perhaps Katchouk will probably get their shot. Penalty killing might have been the least recognized important ingredient to the Lightning’s two Cup runs.

It will all be fun to watch.

The defense is set with Victor Hedman, Jan Rutta, Mikhail Sergachev, Erik Cernak and Ryan McDonagh joined by veteran free agent Zach Bogosian in the top six. Cal Foote will likely miss the first few weeks, so the Bolts could use Fredrik Claesson as seventh D man for a while. Darren Raddysh, Daniel Walcott (also a forward), Sean Day and even Andrej Sustr would likely be next in line.

This will all make the preseason interesting. 

The only thing I see holding the Lightning back in 2021-22 is the potential of injuries. I’m not sure the playoff run fatigue will affect this group.

The biggest challenge will likely be in their division. Toronto and Boston will still be tough, we learned how pesky Florida can be last season with a former Whaler as a coach, and heck, Montreal made the finals, didn’t they? Detroit and Ottawa are getting better and Buffalo probably can’t be worse than they have been.

But that obstacle is down the road. Now it’s time for Cooper to carve out the roster - and perhaps cross some fingers if a good prospect has to be sent through waivers. 

October is almost here.

Top 20 songs from The Clash

 

I really only knew seven songs by The Clash before beginning this project, but enjoyed doing a deep dive into their catalog of punk rock tunes. I gained a little more respect for the English group, especially their song writing.

Top 20

The Clash

1. Train in Vain - I ranked it the 106th best song of all time a few years ago

2. Rock the Casbah - The group's lone top 10 single in the U.S.

3. Should I Stay or Should I go? - Probably the band's best sing-a-long tune

4. London Calling - Named after the BBC's World Service station identification and covered by The Boss

5. Janie Jones - The opening track on the group's first album in 1977

6. Stay Free - My favorite among the songs I had not heard before

7. White Riot - The band's first single from its debut album

8. Complete Control - A grievance song against CBS Records

9. I Fought the Law - Cover of a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets, who released it in 1960

10. Death or Glory - Included on the 1979 "London Calling" album and written about the previous generation of rock stars

11. Police on my back

12. Straight to Hell

13. Clampdown

14. The Call Up

15. The Magnificent Seven

16. Lost in the Supermarket

17. I'm Not Down

18. (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais

19. Brand New Cadillac

20. Bankrobber

Others

Safe European Home

Spanish Bombs

Somebody Got Murdered

Career Opportunities

Charlie don't surf

1977