How A Fake Band Made A Christmas Classic - The History of Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses
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- Опубліковано 13 гру 2023
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Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses is a holiday classic and a herald of the season. Released all the way back in 1981 and then forgotten about by the band, it quickly made it's way into radio stations Christmas playlists.
In this video we explore the writing and recording of Christmas Wrapping but also the history of The Waitresses, a band that started out as a fake band but became a real band.
Christmas Wrapping (cover) by Martin Barreby: linktr.ee/martinbarreby
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wai...
web.archive.org/web/201510121...
www.theguardian.com/culture/2...
web.archive.org/web/201107222...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Chris...
www.discogs.com/master/70845-...
www.discogs.com/artist/67819-...
www.newspapers.com/image/3955...
www.newspapers.com/image/8887...
• Song Stories - The Wai...
www.newspapers.com/image/2822...
www.google.com/books/edition/...
www.newspapers.com/image/7037...
www.newspapers.com/image/7313...
www.officialcharts.com/artist...
www.beaconjournal.com/story/l...
www.architecturaldigest.com/s...
www.futurefossilmusic.com/bio...
www.billboard.com/artist/the-...
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A mini-documentary dedicated to one of my all time favorite songs, in-and-out of the holidays? THANK YOU SECRET GALAXY!
THIS is one of your all time favorites?
I’ve always considered Christmas Wrapping to be the most relatable and contemporary holiday song. It’s my favorite.
Rest in peace Atari. You played well.
The Atari 2600+ was released last month.. 46 years after it's original release.
Unless you are talking about your on personal Atari console, this couldn't be further from the truth. Atari has put out a bunch of 50th anniversary collections, consoles and even bought a few video game studios recently. Including one of the best at creating retro game collections: Digital Eclipse.
RIP Toy Galaxy. You used to talk about toys.
@@franklinthomas7213Have you been holding on to that since the rebrand? 🤣🤣🤞
The system is literally being sold right now!!!
Surprised so many people didn't know this song, it was massive in the UK, it's been part of my Christmas for 40 years.
I heard a DJ tell the story of the song and he mentioned how the royalties helped Patti's family through the years, like she was providing for them from the beyond.
How did she pass away?
@@Mark-er7zd lung cancer at 40 years young
As a woman of a certain age from Northeast Ohio, this video brought back so many memories. So many great almost un-heard now musicians from the 1980s from the Cleveland and Akron area! We haven't forgotten them, still have the cassette tapes and cds, and photos from the concerts. It was also a neat surprise to see a clip from the Afternoon Exchange local tv show.
I went to Denison University in the early 80s, and was exposed to so many great Midwest bands like Michael Stanley and the like, only to find out when I returned home that no one knew about them outside The Buzzard and other Ohio stations :(
I was a great fan of the Waitresses from when they first released I Know What Boys Like, and have always adored “Christmas Wrapping”. I was lucky enough to see the band at The Bottom Line in Greenwich Village, NYC, what a fine show!
You omit one very important fact about the band’s drummer Billy Ficca, who’s also the drummer in Television, one of the most important bands of the NYC CBGB scene.
Christmas Wrapping has become my favorite Christmas song. Any cover of the song ranges from barely tolerable to terrible. The Waitresses is a good band, I got their Deluxe Special compilation last year. Damned good songs.
RIP Patty Donahue ❤
And Mars Williams.
I stumbled across this song more than five years ago after my wife died and wondered WTF Christmas song is THIS?!
I just figured it was another great band from the '80s that I was never all that aware of, though I was familiar with the song "I Know What Boys Like." That one got a lot of play in my circles back in the day.
A wild story, right out of Ohio. It's Perfect. This is just the kind of "I'll tell YOU what Punk is!!" attitude that I always associated with what I've come to understand of The Waitresses.
Thank you so much, and I really appreciated your telling of this story.
Merry Christmas, yeah, yeah, whatever…
Christmas Wrapping is not only my favorite Christmas song, it's the only Christmas song I like at all. Thanks for this informative video guys!
There's 3 christmas songs that I like: Christmas Wrapping, Fairytale of New York and 2000 Miles (The Pretenders).
I never knew any of this about a song that is one of my favorite holiday songs. Christmas Wrapping was played every year for my annual holiday special episode of my college radio show for four years. It has since held a special place in my heart and made several appearances on various burned CDs/mix tapes. Also, Christmas in Hollis is another perennial favorite.
Lastly, I absolutely LOVE that you included that scene from Better Off Dead!
"Sorry your mom blew up, Ricky."
I still can't believe you guys did a video on my favorite Christmas song. Thank you so much for this.
3:55 - man that shut down of the interview felt brutal
As someone who doesn’t like Christmas music at all, this song is my favorite and has been for a few years. You just completely blew my mind with this video, I had no idea about any of this 😁
You don't even like "mistress for Christmas" ??? 😮
You should check out The Chieftains (and guests) The Bells of Dublin album. For nontraditional, The Rebel Jesus with Jackson Browne is wonderful.
OMG soooo glad yall covered this song. I've only heard it on the radio but they never gave the title. Mystery solved! Thanks!
not a fake band at all, i saw them around the cleve back in the day. this is one of two incredible clev/akron suburban christmas classix, the other being 2000 miles by the pretenders.
Yeah, what’s up with calling them a fake band. They put out several albums and toured. Strange
Well, I think his point is only that the band formed to play a preexisting song, not a band that formed and then created. But real they were: I saw them in 1982 in NYC on the pier and they rocked it out.
Oh, my God, you don’t just do games, toys, and movies? This is amazing. You’re the best.
I met Chris last week when my band played a show with Chris' band that he plays drums with... very nice guy
Had lunch with him at CBGBs in the mid 80s. This was after the band had split. He didn’t have nice things to say about Patty.
My band also opened for the Waitresses, but it was just Patty and some LA hair metal guys. She was very nice though.
Billy Ficca plays with a friend of mine.
I also met Mars when my band opened for Our Daughters Wedding. He was very nice. RIP.
I was obsessed with the Waitresses in the early 80s. I still have the "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?" LP and "I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts" EP (with its album advisory emblazoned on the cover!). Patty's vocals had this "been there, done that" quality that I really dug as a young girl. Also, my family hated her vocals, which made me love them all the more. Ha! RIP, Patty. You are always remembered.
Best "contemporary" Christmas tune ever!! 80's baby!!!
“Harrison Ford is gonna be with us…” another rising star
“Christmas in Hollis” is my favorite Christmas song too, second favorite would probably be The McKenzie Brothers’ “12 Days of Christmas.” The Three Stooges’ “I Got a Cold for Christmas” is way up there too.
9:58 So that’s why I always think of “I Know What Boys Like”, and “Square Pegs” together…. Didn’t realize the connection.
I recently rewatched the entirety of "Square Pegs" and it's super charming. The Waitresses' theme song is clever/catchy and as mentioned in the Secret Galaxy video they do perform "I Know What Boys Like" (and "Square Pegs") at a school dance in one of the episodes.
Also, "Christmas Wrapping" is (almost) the only Christmas song that warms my cold Grinch heart, ever since I first heard it as a teen in the 1980s.
This is my Christmas jam. Had no idea it had so much history 😂❤
Wow! There's history on this! One of my favorite Christmas holiday songs. Thank you!
The song is still popular here in the UK. Being played in pubs to shopping centres. Even getting play time on national radio. I surprisingly, after watching the video I came down and the song was playing on BBC Radio 2. You don't get anything bigger.
Also my favourite top three are the ones done Wizard, Slade and Paul McCartney. All ones from the 70s.
Merry Christmas to all of you, and thanks for the video!
This is so out of left field and amazing. This is one of my favorite songs and to know every ridiculous thing about how it came to pass is pretty incredible. Thank you! Well done!! So good!!!🎅
My favorite Christmas song has got to be "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen. It's not the usual Christmas "sound," but the story it tells is a perfect illustration of the kind of magic the holiday holds for many people.
Yes. YES YES YES YES YES.
Yes, that’s a good one (“Merry Christmas, my friend!”)
I'm so glad I found this channel. Very well researched, and I absolutely love the format.
I called "The Waitresses" a quirky, early alternative band. Also, that bass line should have been turned up in the final mix. It makes the song interesting and unforgettable!
Excellent VO work, Dan. Seamless editing.
Happy Holidays, Dan and Greg!
The Waitresses' drummer Billy Ficca, prior to joining the Waitresses, was drummer for the NYC band Television, an early fixture of CBGBs and that burgeoning 70s punk scene, great stuff
Great work. The source material (video/articles etc) was very appreciated. Thanks!
My favorite Christmas song! I have great memories of blasting this at various places I've worked at during December over whatever traditional Christmas songs were playing over the intercoms.
I never knew the name of this song or this band until this video, thank you!
Also, I am fascinated that this Channel started as Toy Galaxy and developed into a pop-culture review format. I am always entertained by your work. Dan, you have a charming presence, I have watched many of your videos simply because no matter how interested I am in the subject matter, I know I am going to have a good time.
Merry Christmas, happy new year to you and yours.
A delightful homage to my favorite Christmas song! So favorite that I knew most of the story but so well researched that I learned plenty new. And thank you for delivering it with such empathy and affection!
A+ video!
LOVE IT! Fascinating and very helpful video!
Great video! Honestly I didn’t know what to expect but I truly enjoyed the behind the scenes of this song. I actually became a fan of the song through Save Ferris cover…didn’t even realize it was a cover until today lol
I saw The Waitresses in Boston around 1982(?). Great show. Also, for the record, Tin Huey is one of the most criminally overlooked bands in history. And one more thing: Bill Ficca was also the drummer in Televison.
I love this song, long version's in my Holiday Collection
RIP Mars Williams. I am a big fan of The Waitresses so no surprise, this is my favorite Christmas song. My 2nd favorite is 2000 Miles by the Pretenders. The songs have a bit of melancholy which is why I love them.
He was a really nice guy. We were fellow musician pen pals.
@@rman52 i really don't think he gets enough credit for his work.
@@toddramsey3799 I totally agree. That whole band was extremely talented. Especially Tracy Wormworth and Mars.
2000 miles is good but Chrissie Hynde's version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas almost brings me to tears every time, it's just so damn beautiful.
And ironically, they're still better known for "I Know What Boys Like". I feel like "Christmas Wrapping" has picked up much more notoriety in recent years than it generally had for the previous 40. It was more of a minor cult hit at best. At least in the US.
Yeah. "I Know What Boys Like" has been on several "Best 1-hit Wonder" TV specials, and at least one "Best 1-hit Wonder" CD compilation.
"Christmas Wrapping" seems like it came to prominence in the Internet's "Listicle Age", as sites like Buzzfeed and Upworthy would include it in articles with titles like "10 Best Alt Xmas Songs" or "25 Anti-Xmas Anthems". And being on "Glee" surely helped as well.
Meh, I still think of the Square Pegs theme song when I think of them.
[Looks blankly in UK Top 40 of 1981]
@@rog2224 Hence " at least in the US".
I always felt like it became an instant Christmas classic in the US. Have heard it on the radio every year since it's release.
The Kinks Father Christmas was another cynical Christmas song from that year.
Great Stuff, as always!
Awesome video, this is my second favorite alternative Christmas song behind The Pogues - Fairytale of New York. Happy Holidays!
Great video!
Love this song.
Put out more content like this please!
Great editing up top, Greg.
loooooved, wound love to see SG do more music stories
I think my favorite Christmas song is probably "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues, in spite of the slur. It's such a beautiful reflection on regret and codependence. "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade is another contender.
Christmas Wrapping has quickly grown to be one of my top 3 Christmas songs, I relate to it more and more each year, and helps remind me to lighten up a little, it's Christmas.
I was working in the makeup department at Pinewoood Studios outside London in December of 81 and we were working on a movie called KRULL and we had a radio in the makeup department and Christmas Wrapping would keep coming on and I loved it and I was thrilled when I came back to LA and heard it on the radio.
I too am a Christmas in Hollis fan but this is a tight second. Thank you for making this!
One of the most fun basslines there is. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find a LIVE video where Tracy Wormworth is playing the bassline the same way as the recording...which makes be believe it was recorded with their previous bassist, Dave Hofstra.
I’ve been watching Toy/Secret Galaxy since Action Toys Bike Robo came out. I love all your videos,but this is probably my favorite one yet since Christmas Wrapping is my favorite Christmas song of all time. Sarcastic,appreciative of Christmas (but not really) and unmistakably 80s. Now that the singer has passed away the song always makes me feel a little sad too,especially now that I’m older than she was when she died.
Merry Christmas Dan and I’ll watch these videos until you stop making them. (Christmas in Hollis is my 2nd favorite)
It’s my favorite song for Christmas. I listen to it often during this season!
Thanks for the shout out to the cover by the cast of Wicked! That was the first version I ever heard; remains an annual classic.
that's very hip 'Dark Crystal' Tee, Dan. Merry Christmas!
Thanks! I never knew the name of the song, yet it’s always been one of my favorite songs to listen to during the season.
I'm familiar with the song, but only with an entirely different version of it by someone else. I had no idea that this song was originally sung by another band. Thanks for the history lesson!
One of my favorite Christmas songs, would probably have to be "This Christmas seems like the very first Christmas to me" from SpongeBob SquarePants.
I've only ever heard the original version by the Waitresses, which is NOT the one played in this video.
Great video. I just learned off Christmas Wapping today and it up-lifted me. Let's just enjoy and not stress.
Yo! A song backstory! Brilliant! Thanks for this!
I'm Simply, Having, a Wonderful Christmas Time. Santa Claus is Coming to Town and All I Want for Christmas is Christmas Wrapping.
One of my favs, thanks for the history🥰
Absolutely crazy that one of, if not, my favorite Christmas song was written against the band's will
Wonderful episode!
In my 46 almost 47 years of being on this planet, I swear I have never heard of this song or this song itself, unless it was on the background somewhere and I wasn't paying attention.
But I swear true story, I heard it playing at a store, literally just 2-3 days ago, I thought to myself "this is a catchy song, sounds so 80s", so I took out my phone and did the google music search thing and found the song played it again the next day at work, looked up info on it and the band. And now it's funny that Secret Galaxy is doing a video on it.
Thanks Dan. It’s literally my favorite modern Holiday song.
"Christmas Wrapping" is my fave Christmas song. It always helps me de-stress from the holiday madness.
I love this song, and I had no idea it had such a unique history!
Patty Donahue also guested on Alice Cooper's 1982 Zipper Catches Skin album.
She takes on a speaking role through the song. "I Like Girls", as Alice's girlfriend, and ends the song with a resounding, "Boink off!". \m/ * * \m/
My favourite Christmas Song. I'm glad it's had the Secret Galaxy treatment.
So, "I Know What Boys Like" was the song created before The Waitresses became a real band (the fake band of the title) and "Christmas Wrapping" was created after the band formed. Nice story.
Thanks for this video. I had no idea of their backstory even though I bought their EP after seeing them on Square Pegs. I liked the combination of horns and the ironically droll lead singer.
Thanks for presenting The Waitresses! They are one of my favorite bands. To my surprise, I found out in 1985 that I knew Patty's mother. Patty's mom worked at my high school, and had a photo of The Waitresses on her desk.
“Christmas on Riverside Drive” by August Darnell (Dan said his name!) is a sizzler, and is worth checking out. It’s on “A Christmas Record” and was released as a B-side on the “Christmas Wrapping” single
Merry Christmas my dude's.
I adore this channel so very much❤❤❤❤
The B Side of the first release single in the UK ( which wasnt a Waitresses performance , the UK was happy issuing "split artist" singles if needed ), has inscribed in the run out "send cake" which is a nice touch
Best Christmas song. Takes me back to 1982, when I was, for a change, happy in my relationship. Came home from work on Christmas Eve, put the EP on the turntable while I waited for my girlfriend to arrive, and sang along with the final lyrics over and over, "Couldn't miss this one this year!" Of course she later ended up dumping me in a horrible way, but the memory of that good Christmas stays with me.
This is THE Christmas song for me, and has been for a while. Having worked in restaurants where they had Christmas music on 2-hour loops, it would slowly make one homicidal.
One thing you missed: The song was featured in the 2007 movie Fred Claus, with Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti, which could have lead to the song’s resurgence on the pop charts you mentioned in 2009. It’s a pivotal scene in the movie and a good one. 👍🏻
This is my 2nd favorite Christmas song, next only to Kidnap the Sandy Claws
If you like New Wave the 1st album, "Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?", is pretty damn good and the current version has "Xmas wrapping" on it.
NO GUILT!
RIP Patty
That was awesome!!!
Great job, Dan's wardrobe department!
"Lighten up. It's Christmas. " Truly words to live by this season.
One of my favorite Christmas songs.
Great bass playing
It's interesting to hear this version, because last Christmas I heard a podcast that reported the Waitresses were already a band. They were asked by ZE records to make a Christmas song for a holiday compilation album. Patty and Chris wrote the song, but when they went to record it, the band couldn't get a clean recording in one session, so they threw together the best 5-6 takes, sent it off and forgot about it. Fast forward to the holidays and Chris is visiting his family. They tell him "that song is really getting a lot of airplay," and he thinks it's "I Know What Boys Like," which wasn't released as far as he knew. Instead, it was "Christmas Wrapping," and the rest is history.
I love this song so hard. It's a year round favorite song for me.
Okay, so frigging weird that I watch your videos all the time but I literally had no idea this video came out until today! 2 weeks later! The UA-cam algorithm sucks.
By coincidence _Christmas Wrapping_ is my second favorite too, after No Doubt’s cover of the Vandals’ _Oi to the World_ 😁
"Oi to the World" is my absolute favorite Christmas song too
@@TitularHeroine 🤘🎅🏼🤘
I didn't even know that I needed this today, so Thank you, Secret Galaxy. And for interaction's sake, my favourite Christmas Song is "Don't let the Bells End" by the Darkness, and my Second Favourite is "Christmas with the Devil" by Spinal Tap. "Sarajevo 12/24" by Savatage/Trans-Siberian Orchestra also ranks up there. And the "Kazoo" Christmas videos by Mr Weebl.
Impossible to sing along with, impossible to forget! Play on words, CHRISTMAS WRAPPING! 🎄🎁
Awesome job! I know Chris Butler and recently assisted him and the band in a live performance of this song.
I don't even know how I came to know this song? I guess it was in my brain somewhere. Anyway, when I came to assemble a Christmas playlist 15 years back, I HAD to put Christmas Wrapping on it. It just wouldn't be Christmas without hearing this song multiple times throughout the season.