Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / We Three Kings"

Juke Box Hero is jumping into the holiday spirit with us this week!

It may be a little younger than some of Brittany’s previous Daijams' 12 Days of Christmas selections, but I have no doubt this fantastic festive collaboration between BNL and Ms. McLachlan is (and will be) just as classic. They’ve basically maintained the meter of the original carol but added a dynamite swing that transforms the typically plodding and dry "Merry Gentlemen" into finger-snapping power pop.

It’s fun to listen to, it’s damn catchy, and they all genuinely sound like they’re enjoying recording it together ("Aw, not Sarah McLachlan again!"), a characteristic Brittany reminded us all yesterday that yes, we do still notice and appreciate when it manifests itself in joint efforts. Sarah and the BNL boys sound like they’ve been harmonizing forever, their voices -- her gossamer turns and swells and Robertson’s loping fine-sandpaper tenor -- sweetly contrasting.

I won’t deny I’m guilty of singing along to Christmas (and Hannukah!) standards aplenty, especially when it’s a pop cover that appears to have at least a little creativity and artistic effort put forth. (And no, Mr. Bieber, you don’t get any of those words. And Mr. Dylan: no more Christmas albums.) This cut, with its pretty modest range and repetitive harmonies (and extra verses for carol nerds), is right on the money: well-considered and fun as hell to crank up on the hi-fi, despite the nonexistent video.

Though it’s hard to top Whitney’s "Do You Hear What I Hear" or The Boss’ "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" on my singalong playlist, these guys are getting close.

Barenaked Ladies: "The King of Bedside Manor"

There's a reason we sing in the shower. Take a standard bathroom and throw in a pair of musician friends that have known each other most their lives (and happen to have written a few really huge hits, even know they're Canadian) but who peaked in the nineties -- and you've got the Barenaked Ladies Bathroom Sessions.

The Barenaked Ladies are famous for their fun on-stage persona, so the chance to get up close and personal with Ed and Steve and their personalities is more than enough to convince me to watch the 10+ videos they made casually in Ed's bathroom in 2007. What sold me on this particular song was the inclusion of so many cameo covers -- Van Morrison and Styx are not the first related bands that might come to mind, but somehow it works.

The song is from their very first album, released in 1992, and though I applaud the pun in the title, it's not really the band's best song. (With 12 full-length albums, there's a lot of material to choose from.) But the cameo covers, tight harmonies, the forceful voices of Ed & Steve and their inability to get through the whole thing without cracking up are what make this video one of my favorites.

The rest of the Bathroom Sessions are so good that I'm giving you a bonus video, just because it's Wednesday. (Don't worry, it's brief.) When they're having fun like this, who wouldn't want to hang out with these guys? Enjoy.

"The King of Bedside Manor," performed by Ed Robertson & Steven Page.
Original on the Barenaked Ladies' "Gordon" (1992).

"If I Had $1,000,000," performed by Ed Robertson & Steven Page.
Original on the Barenaked Ladies' "Gordon" (1992).

(Get it?)