Your Happy Holiday Hits
Notes from America with Kai Wright
WNYC Studios
4.4 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2022
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The soundtrack to our winter holidays is dominated by standards. But among the songs most of us know by heart are bold new tunes by artists who hope to capture our hearts with lyrics and melodies that evoke both nostalgia and new traditions. Lindsay Kimball, Program Director for Minnesota Public Radio’s renowned music station The Current, joins host Kai Wright to talk about what she considers when curating music for the station’s holiday stream. Together, they make a live holiday playlist with the help of listeners…and some impromptu live performances.
Check out the playlist here! We’ll keep compiling your suggestions, so keep them coming all season long.
Companion listening for this episode:
Face the Darkness, Welcome the Light (12/20/2021)
Do you need a revival? On the longest night of the year, join us to celebrate Yalda, a poetic Persian tradition. Then, a conversation about those we’ve lost with artist Gregory Porter.
“Notes from America” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on notesfromamerica.org or on WNYC’s YouTube channel.
We want to hear from you! Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @noteswithkai or email us at [email protected].
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Okay, three, two, Feliz Navidad is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. |
| 0:08.6 | Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches. |
| 0:17.0 | And then I don't know anymore. |
| 0:18.0 | I don't want life for Christmas. |
| 0:21.0 | It's just one thing I need. |
| 0:24.5 | And I want for Christmas is you. |
| 0:33.0 | What? |
| 0:40.0 | You're listening to Notes from America. |
| 0:42.0 | I'm Kai Wright and it is that time holiday music is here. |
| 0:47.0 | And now listen y'all, I am definitely one of those people. |
| 0:51.0 | So if you are annoyed by overly eager holiday season types, you probably want to avoid me this time of year. |
| 0:58.0 | I can do without the consumerism of it all, of course, but sign me up for the glitter and the gluttony and the sentiment. |
| 1:05.0 | And I do prefer my holiday's universal. |
| 1:07.0 | So if you are celebrating it, whatever it is, I am in, count me in. |
| 1:11.0 | Anyway, one of my favorite parts is the music. |
| 1:13.0 | I dig out old records. |
| 1:15.0 | But I also enjoy a good holiday stream, like 24 hours a day, seven days a week, tune in, fill your home with cheesy, saccharine and fun music. |
| 1:25.0 | So if you have a holiday music recommendation for me, I would like to hear it right now. |
| 1:30.0 | Let's live curate a Notes from America holiday playlist. |
| 1:34.0 | Call us up with your suggestions and we're going to add them to a Spotify list that will make available starting tomorrow. |
| 1:41.0 | And I also, of course, I want to hear the why of your choice is there a story or a memory behind whatever song you love. |
| 1:47.0 | Whatever you celebrate this time of year, do you have a favorite song associated with that? |
... |
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