To kick off Daijams' 12 Days of Christmas, I give you -- well, the twelve days of Christmas. Performed by Indiana University a cappella group Straight No Chaser in 1998, this song was posted to YouTube in 2006 and quickly ripped through the Internet, wreaking havoc and impregnating women, until the ten original members were given a five-album record deal with Atlantic. Three albums have been released so far, two of them Christmas albums. By the numbers, they're the most successful a cappella group in history, and they've accomplished it all in six-part harmony and without auto-tune.
A cappella groups everywhere have attempted to recreate SNC's meteoric rise. After all, they went from university extra-curricular to 100% working musicians, playing regular, sold-out shows at the Chicago Theater and around the world. This year they took a break from touring for a 52-show stint in Atlantic City. Next October they've got an entire cruise set up. Not bad for some funny boys in suits from Indiana.
And it all started with this, a silly mash-up of Christmas tunes, made wonderful by the members' own personalities and sense of humor. What starts as a traditional song quickly degenerates into a mess of holiday classics, complete with overlapping, false starts, and a nod to Hanukkah. I just love this video.
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