THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Idea, "It's About That Time"

Expanded from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

THE IDEA: It's About That Time

Written by Phil Angotti

Produced by Jeff Murphy and the Idea

From the various-artists compilation Yuletunes, Black Vinyl Records, 1991

I can't fully explain why I love this song so much. Oh! I know! Because it's perfect. Perfect blend of giddy abandon and cool control, perfect embrace of December's highest aspirations, perfect use of casual holiday elements--streets painted white, windows aglow, color TV sets casting magnificent black and white images as George Bailey despairs but finds hope--to craft a perfect Yuletune like no other. Yuletunes is the name of the 1991 Christmas compilation that gave us "It's About That Time" by the Idea (later Phil Angotti and the Idea), and Yuletunes remains one of the all-time greatest Christmas albums. "It's About That Time" will likely always be my all-time favorite Christmas song.

That's all-time favorite Christmas song. No qualifier applies. It's not just my favorite power pop Christmas song, or my favorite rock 'n' roll Christmas song, or my favorite pop Christmas song, or my favorite secular Christmas song; it's my FAVORITE Christmas song, edging out even John and Yoko and Nat King Cole, Wizzard and the Monkees, Slade and Darlene Love and any great choir's sublime rendition of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing." It never fails to make me feel good. It puts me in the spirit whether I wanna be in the spirit or not. It is joy and delight in audio form. 

And it is secular. That is not a sin in my book. Its mission is not to proclaim divine miracles nor to deny them; its mission is to celebrate the wonder of belief, the transcendence of companionship, the thrill of sharing the best of times with those we love. It's a Merry Christmas! that thrives with the inclusion of Happy Holidays! It is the Christmas Sprit in musical form. "It's About That Time" places its wish for peace on Earth, good will toward all, in a brightly-wrapped package that does not compromise its purity and its charity. In these simple terms, Christmas can be what another song calls it: 

The most wonderful time of the year.

Play it. Sing along with it. It's about that time.

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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

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