Something You Should Know
True Stories Behind the Greatest Christmas Songs & The Downside of Renewable Energy
Thu, 12 Dec 2024
How good are you at predicting how things will turn out in your life? How often have you said, “If only I get this thing, I’ll be happy...” or “If I lose my job, it will be a disaster…” . Generally, these kinds of predictions are wrong. Things often turn out much differently than we think they will. This episode begins by looking at why that happens. https://drhappy.com.au/2010/11/14/happiness-is-balancing-the-past-the-present-and-the-future/ Did you know that Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” was written on a hot summer day? Or that Brenda Lee was only 13 when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”? These are just a few of the things you will discover as you listen to my guest Annie Zaleski. She is an editor and music journalist who is author of the book This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits (https://amzn.to/3ZomPBn) Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels requires us to develop new sources of energy. While solar, wind, lithium batteries and other energy sources are often described as “clean” energy, they are not as clean as you might think. These alternative energies require metals and those metals must be mined and/or recycled – both of which which cause serious damage to the environment that you don’t often hear talked about. Joining me to explain why this should be a concern to every one is Vince Beiser. He is an award-winning journalist who has written for Wired, Harper’s, The Atlantic, and the New York Times and he is author of the book, Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future (https://amzn.to/3Vqw42v). People used to blink more than they do now. You see, when you watch screens like your computer monitor, TV or cellphone, you tend not to blink as much. And there are consequences to that. Listen as I explain the problem and what you can do to help your eyes - since you are likely not blinking enough. Source: Dr. Robert Latkany, author of The Dry Eye Remedy https://amzn.to/4ggSDi5 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms & conditions apply. AURA: Save on the perfect gift by visiting https://AuraFrames.com to get $35-off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code SOMETHING at checkout! SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: It's your last chance to snag Dell Technologies’ lowest prices of the year before the holidays! If you've been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals PROGRESSIVE: The Name Your Price tool from Progressive can help you save on car insurance! You just tell Progressive what you want to pay and get options within your budget. Try it today at https://Progressive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: How good are you at predicting your future happiness?
Today on Something You Should Know, just how good are you at predicting your own future? Then, some wonderful stories about your favorite Christmas songs, including White Christmas, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song.
What I love about this song, The Origins, is that it was written during the summer. And so this was written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells. And it was a very, very hot summer day. And he was like, you know, writing this Christmas song, maybe this will cool me down. And so they ended up writing the song in like 45 minutes.
Also, why you're probably not blinking enough. And how the push for renewable energy and digital technology has a serious downside.
So in a nutshell, renewable energy and digital technology are together causing massive environmental damage, mayhem, and murder.
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Something you should know. Fascinating intel. The world's top experts. And practical advice you can use in your life.
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Chapter 2: What is the story behind Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song?
You know, he just nailed the when you're not having a good Christmas, basically, if you're having anyone who's having a melancholy Christmas and not having a great year, you know, he really he really captured it. And it's funny enough, the writer actually was inspired by Gloomy Day when he actually wrote it, Jay Johnson. And he was actually known for penning scripts for radio shows.
He wasn't necessarily a songwriter. He was commuting from Connecticut to New York City, and it was a rainy day. And he basically wondered why someone hadn't written a holiday song with some blues in it. And so he decided to write one himself. And he teamed up with a composer friend named Billy Hayes, and they put it together.
I've certainly noticed, as I'm sure everyone has, that the Christmas classic songs stay forever. And there aren't a lot of new songs that really stick the way White Christmas or the Christmas song do. But a few have. And recently, like Mariah Carey, I mean, she's criticized for that song, her Christmas song. But it has stuck. And it probably will stick for a while.
So she actually wrote it with a collaborator of hers, Walter Afanaseff, who he also co-wrote Hero and One Sweet Day. And so they were writing a lot of songs together, you know, and she loved Christmas. I mean, I think that's obvious if everyone looking at it now, she really leans into it because of the song, but she loved Christmas. And so she basically wrote this song
You know, it was a silly love song, you know, a whimsical love song, not silly, but whimsical, that she's basically waiting for her beloved, you know, that she's going to be underneath the Christmas tree, you know, waiting underneath the mistletoe, waiting for them to come up.
You know, and it's one of these songs that I'm still trying to figure out why it's become so popular and why it is just endured and why that one in particular has become a standard. And I think it's probably because, you know, you have her, she really leans into the vocal performance. She really goes for it.
And the instrumentation as well is, you know, kind of old fashioned, you know, you have sleigh bells, you have piano, you know, with a little bit of a different production that could have come out in another decade.
Well, it also seems like other songs like Blue Christmas that when you hear it, it gets stuck in your head for a while until some other song comes and bumps it out. But it is infectious in that way. It gets in your head. And you know what other song that's actually pretty new that I get stuck in my head all the time? is Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson.
I mean, I just hear it and I can't get it out of my head. And I like it, but God, I wish I could think of something else.
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