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I wonder if when Irving Berlin finished writing "White Christmas" he knew he had created a timeless classic. Holiday music has become its own little business, with artists often taking time out of their recording schedule to put together an album of covers and originals. It has become a bloated industry — every pop star and washed-up rock band has a holiday record. Sometimes they are really just mailing it in for a payday. Other times, though, they create something special. Mariah Carey, Tom Petty and Queen all have original Christmas tunes that fit right into their musical styles.You have to give props to those artists who dare to pen a Christmas tune. It is easy to just put a signature spin on something like "Blue Christmas" or "The Christmas Song." Those are already accepted by throngs of holiday shoppers who hear them every year. But what about Billy Squier thumping on "Christmas Is the Time to Say 'I Love You'"? Or Joni Mitchell's heartbreaking anthem "River"? You certainly hear those ones less than Frank Sinatra singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" while you are driving to work in December.These tunes are significantly younger than most holiday standards, so perhaps one day they will be thought of as classics. Until then, we will just call them good songs. -
Adam Lambert or Freddie Mercury? Queen's Brian May Says 'American Idol' Alum Has Better Range
You know those people who say they were "born in the wrong era" and wish they could have been a teenager in the 1960s or '70s? That is basically Adam Lambert, who rose to pop fame with "American Idol" at the turn of the decade. He was as close to late Queen singer Freddie Mercury as a new star could get, but he could not nail down a perfect fit in the music world.Until Queen came calling in 2011, that is. Then the pieces fell into place immediately. One of the world's most storied rock bands got a third wind — after a forgettable era with Paul Rodgers — and Lambert got his chance to eschew pop for the coolest cover gig ever.Now — get this — Brian May is throwing out some serious compliments."They're difficult songs to sing, Queen songs," he told Japan's Universal Music, via "Billboard." "There's too much range. So many people can't sing them in the original key — even if they are good singers, Adam comes along, [and] he can do it easy. He can do it in his sleep! He can sing higher than even Freddie could in a live situation. So I think Freddie would look at this guy and think, 'Hmm ... Yeah. OK.' There would be a kind of, 'Hmm ... You bastard. You can do this.'" -
Grimes Explains the Story Behind Her Stage Name: Claire Boucher Used MySpace to Help
Grimes, aka Claire Boucher, took to Twitter recently to give fans the lowdown on how she got her name. Previously, the singer told journalists that the name was inspired by artist Ken Grimes and cartoon character Frank Grimes from "The Simpsons." Turns out the name actually originated as a misunderstanding on MySpace, "Consequence of Sound" notes.Here is how Grimes explains Grimes:"On myspace ur genre could be grime and u could have 3 genres so i was plural grime, b4 knowing what grime was," she tweeted. "I was originally too embarased of this story so i told journalists i was named after frank grimes, who is also very cool. Or wait, no i said i was named after someone else named grimes argh, -- see this is why you shouldnt lie to journalists."i was originally too embarased of this story so i told journalists i was named after frank grimes, who is also very cool — Clear Butcher (@Grimezsz) December 20, 2014i was very please to discover that i actually loved grime music — Clear Butcher (@Grimezsz) December 20, 2014 -
'Sons of Anarchy' Finale: 6 Best Musical Moments by The Forest Rangers, Curtis Stigers and Paul Brady [LISTEN]
"Music Times" had the chance to speak with Bob Thiele Jr., music supervisor of FX's "Sons of Anarchy," a few weeks ago about his journey in music in television so far. He created another character on the hit show, which was the episode-ending montages that were often some of contemporary music's most-beloved songs.Well, that never scared Thiele, The Forest Rangers or vocal guests like Curtis Stigers and Paul Brady away. They reworked the tunes to complement scenes of graphic violence and inner turmoil.The question is, what is in store for tonight's finale?Here is a look back at some of the finer musical moments from the show: -
[LIVE STREAM]: Bruce Springsteen and U2, Carrie Underwood, Kanye West to Play 'A (RED) Thank You' Concert for World AIDS Day [WATCH]
Kanye West, Carrie Underwood and a special configuration of U2 will all be playing the A (RED) Thank You concert tonight, Dec. 1, for World AIDS Day. Bono's organization planned the event in Times Square, but because of his recent bike accident, the iconic frontman will have to sit this one out. Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay's Chris Martin will take turns fronting the Irish rock outfit, which will be billed as "U2 Minus 1." The festivities, presented by Bank of America, start at 7:30 p.m. and we have a live stream of the concert below.(RED) was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver. The organization has raised more than $275 million since its inception for the fight against AIDS. According to (RED)'s website, the world is closer to raising its first AIDS-free generation with special treatments that prevent the disease from spreading from a mother to her child. Tonight's concert is to celebrate the work that has been done so far and promote the cause in order to eradicate the disease."This year is a World AIDS Day like no other," Bono said in a statement. "The world reached a tipping point in the fight against AIDS — more people were newly added to life-saving treatment than were newly infected with the virus."According to U2's website, Springsteen and Martin "graciously donated their time and talents to save the World AIDS Day event from cancellation." -
Sinead O'Connor Defends 'Do They Know It's Christmas?," Tells Critics to 'Shut the F--k Up'
Last week, on Nov. 17, the latest version of Band Aid's classic charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released online to raise money for the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and though it went straight to the top of the U.K. charts and is supporting an undoubtedly good cause, the song has been the subject of plenty of criticism, particularly for its lyrics.According to two British newspapers, Emeli Sandé, who actually appears on the latest version, said the lyrics need "changing," while Lily Allen called the song "a bit smug" and said she would prefer "donating actual money."One artist who is vigorously defending the song, however, is the famously outspoken Sinead O'Connor, who also appears on the song."I think everyone should shut the f--k up," O'Connor told "Broadsheet," via "Billboard." "If you didn't like the lyrics you shouldn't have agreed to sing the song. I think it's smug of Lily Allen to say it's smug." -
Myles Kennedy and Slash Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with Cover of 'Crazy Train' at MTV EMAs [WATCH]
Myles Kennedy, Slash and Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil tore through Ozzy Osbourne's 1980 hit "Crazy Train" over the weekend at the MTV European Music Awards. Osbourne was there to receive the Global Icon Award, which has been given to such artists as Eminem, Queen and Whitney Houston in the past. -
Brian May Says Foo Fighters Are 'Very Close, Spiritually' To Queen [WATCH]
May is a big Foo Fighters fan. So much so that he put them in a similar class with Queen during a recent interview. -
Queen Shares Remix Version of Previously Unreleased Track "Let Me in Your Heart Again" [LISTEN]
Queen's recently shared remix of "Let Me in Your Heart Again" is another prime example of the group's enduring quality despite having lost its frontman, Freddie Mercury, 23 years ago. -
Michael Eavis Says Fleetwood Mac and Queen Not among Glastonbury 2015 Headliners, Despite Bookies High Odds
Michael Eavis gets more attention from British music media than any other individual (we reckon) thanks to his role in planning and organizing the Glastonbury Music Festival. Even we in the states get excited when the word "lineup" or "headliner" comes out of his mouth. He narrowed the list of possible headliners down by two, according to NME, stating that Fleetwood Mac and Queen were definitely out of the running. -
Avicii, Nicki Minaj, Lorde, And More Partner With Disney For Fantasia: Music Evolved Video Game [WATCH]
A new video game from Disney called Fantasia: Music Evolved puts the power of composing music into gamers' hands. Based off the 1940 animated film Fantasia and built by Harmonix for Xbox One and Kinect for Xbox 630, the game is powered by motion control, where different body movements allow users to interact with the music. The game hosts more than 30 artists including Avicii, Peter Gabriel, Lady Gaga, Gorillaz, Queen, Sting, Lorde, Bruno Mars, Drake, The White Stripes, Nicki Minaj, Drake, The Flaming Lips, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and the Who as well as Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and other classical composers. -
Five Iranian Expatriates Worth Listening To: Deep Dish, The Yellow Dogs, Laleh and More (Ten Years after Queen Was Approved in Iran)
If Iranian-born performers thought they were going to get the same treatment as Queen and Freddie Mercury...dream on. It's still not the best place to launch a music career. Well, perhaps "launch," but not continue. That's why some of the country's best performers have now set up shop in nations outside of their homeland. Check out some examples of Iran's diverse musical output.
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