We have a new entry this year…Lou Monte's 1960 Xmas novelty tune, "Dominick the Donkey." I have a special fondness for Christmas carolers, especially the little quartets who are hired to serenade diners at restaurants at the holiday season. When I'm dining and they're going table to table taking requests, I always ask them, "What's your silliest song?" and the answer is always "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" (which we'll get to before the week is out) or "Dominick the Donkey." I guess diners of Italian heritage remember it from their childhoods and ask for it.
Here's a recently-made (I believe) music video for the song and I love the fact that someone went out, found a donkey and dressed it up to make this…
Lou Monte (1917–1989) was an Italian-American singer of Italian-American songs and he actually managed to have a couple of big hit records on the charts over the years. One that you may be familiar with was "Please, Mr. Columbus." If you go to YouTube and search for that title, you will find not only many, many uploads of Mr. Monte's recording but a staggering number of interpretations by choral groups, barbershop quartets and just guys in their living rooms with guitars. It has nothing to do with Christmas but it's the season for giving so I'm giving you the chance to hear Lou Monte's recording of it again or even for the first time. Please forgive a bit of heritage insensitivity therein…