[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEvGKUXW0iI]
I mentioned this song, or more specifically, the actual phrase the song is based around and titled after, while posting in my newest blog about my move to Florida. Go on over there and CHECK IT OUT! When I went looking to link it to my post for this song, I found that I didn't have one! I can't believe I made it two Christmas seasons of Christmas song posts and didn't post this song. That's nuts!
So, Mele Kalikimaka, is the actual Hawaiian phrase that translates to "Merry Christmas"! It's pretty simple. Well, actually, it's not all that simple. Techinically, the translation occured the other way, and due to a bunch of constraints on the Hawaiian language, Merry Christmas became Mele Kalikimaka, basically the closest thing it could be to the original.
The song was written in 1949 and most notably recorded by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters, which is the version you hear in this post. Many people have heard it in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It was also, of course, recorded by The Beach Boys, because, well, it just fits.
Update: December 13, 2013
Just a couple days after I put this post up, I heard another version of this song that I had to get posted. It's not often you hear a new Christmas song or a new version of an old Christmas song on the radio, but it does happen, especially on the all-Christmas-music stations. It doesn't surprise me that Jimmy Buffett covered this song; it fits right in with his usual sound, and he did a good job on it in my opinion. The video below isn't the best quality, but it is the best quality audio of the song that I could find.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMsSv5S5-lk]
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