yule blog

Too Cool for Yule: #15

Published: November 22, 2022

Photo of a vintage cassette and cover on a wooden surface.

For most of the years I have worked with Arlington Public Library, I have created a holiday playlist variously known as “Don’t Touch that Dial” or "Too Cool for Yule."

This annual tradition is deeply personal. It reminds me of the hundreds (thousands?) of hours I’ve spent over the years making mixtapes for friends, siblings, work colleagues, and often, just for me. Granted, with the likes of Spotify and iTunes, it’s a lot easier these days to put together a mixtape. No more painstaking searches through LPs, careful dropping of the stylus onto the correct groove, long waits by the radio to capture the perfect tune to fit the mood, person or occasion.

Like all art, holiday mixtapes tell a story. The best ones contain an eclectic blend of edgy and whimsical, happy and sad, a little silly, a little snappy, and occasionally, a little sappy. I had fun putting it together and I hope you have fun listening.

Open on Spotify

Every year I honor a few of the musicians who have left us. Norma Waterson, Loretta Lynn, Ronnie Spector, Jerry Lee Lewis … gone and not forgotten. And I close each list with a song I hope speaks to all of us. This year’s selection is Woody Guthrie’s "This Land" sung by the Staple Singers.

As 2022 winds down, take a break, grab a beverage, and give a listen to "Too Cool for Yule 2022." And don’t be shy about singing along. It will make you feel great.

From all of us at Arlington Public Library. Always Free. Always Open.

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

Too Cool for Yule, 2021

Published: November 29, 2021

Since 2008, I have created a holiday playlist variously known as “Don’t Touch that Dial” or "Too Cool for Yule." (There is even a movement afoot to change the name to the “Ding a Ling Thing,” but I digress.)

Many years ago, I made mixtapes for my friends, my siblings, my work colleagues, and often, just for me. For those of you under the age of... fill in the blank... who might not have had the pleasure of methodically mining for nuggets in an LP collection, or waiting patiently by the radio for the hourly replay of the one tune that truly captures the essence of the person you are making the tape for, the mixtape can be a work of art. Each tape tells a story, and the best ones contain an eclectic blend of edgy and whimsical, happy and sad; a little silly, a little snappy and occasionally, a little sappy.

A couple of notes about this year’s edition. Each year I honor a few of the musicians who have left us. Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, and Don Everly, the last surviving member of the Everly Brothers, sadly made it to the list. (I wanted to honor Nanci Griffith but could not locate a suitable holiday song.)

Open playlist in Spotify

Listeners will find pop, jazz, instrumental, New Orleans, country, bluegrass, R&B, old school pop, The Chipmunks, and more. Perhaps my favorite is a bluesy tune by the inimitable Fats Domino, who wants to “Stop the Clock.” Wouldn’t we all.

The last words and notes go to Dave Frishberg, brilliant jazz pianist and satirist, musical mainstay of Schoolhouse Rock (“I’m Just a Bill"), who died November 17. His talk-singing of “You are There” touchingly sums it up for anyone who misses special someones.

As Year Two of the pandemic winds down, take a moment (or 5760 -- thank you, Alexa), grab a beverage, any kind will do, and enjoy “Too Cool for Yule 2021.”

And above all…

Stay safe, stay hopeful.

Diane Kresh
Director
Arlington Public Library

The Library Director’s 2020 End-of-Year Playlist

Published: November 30, 2020

"Too Cool for Yule"

When I was younger, I made mixtapes for my friends, my siblings, my work colleagues, and often, just for me. For those under 35 who might not have had the experience of methodically pouring over your record and tape collection or waiting patiently by the radio for the replay of that one tune that really captures the essence of the person you are making the tape for, the hours you can spend with your two-slot cassette player are some of the most intimate and lonely, exhilarating and exhausting, optimistic and indulgent, and simply joyful experiences you can have (just ask your parents). Each tape is a story of a person. Some are goofy. Some are sobering. Some are topical. And some are just a hodgepodge of inanity. But each one is special. Every mixtape is a piece of your heart and glimpse of the “you” you are when no one is looking.

For the past 13 years, I have published a “Too Cool for Yule” playlist, as my love letter to the County and the people we serve. And while (sadly) Spotify has replaced the cassette tape, making the process easier, like much of 2020, this playlist was more difficult than ever to create.

How can I truly honor those that have left us too soon, the sacrifices we have all had to make, and the growing uncertainty of what next year will bring? How can I capture both the compassion and caring our neighbors have shown for one another throughout the pandemic, and our fervent wish for brighter days to come? So this was my attempt:

Open playlist in Spotify

From the mournful twang of Pete Seeger to the unbridled joy of Little Richard. With solemnity from the Boston Camerata and the eccentricity of Tom Lehrer, we hope this playlist has something for everyone. If you are alone for the holidays, please know, we are here for you. And let us hit pause for a moment to reflect on the immortal words of John Prine:

No Libra sun, no Halloween
No giving thanks for all the Christmas joy you bring
But what it is, though old so new
To fill your heart like no three words could ever do

I just called to say I love you
I just called to say how much I care
I just called to say I love you
And I mean it from the bottom of my heart

As one of my wise colleagues recently told me, even though many of us cannot celebrate the holidays this year, if we’re lucky, there will be many, many more to come.

Stay safe, stay hopeful.

Diane

The Library Director’s 2019 Playlist

Published: November 25, 2019

Forever "Too Cool for Yule"

Years ago I began creating a holiday playlist each November, known variously as “Don’t Touch that Dial,” the “Too Cool for Yule” blog, and more simply, the Director’s Playlist.

Each playlist is a collection of seasonal tunes -- from schlock (hopefully not too much of that) to rock and everything in between. By now we have managed to amass quite an eclectic set of “mix tapes.” This year is no exception.

bare trees on a snowy hill next to a wood fence in winter

Before you start clicking and singing along, however, a couple of explanatory notes (pun intended) are in order:

Peter Tork (born Torkelson in 1942 in Washington, DC) died earlier this year. Known as the keyboardist and bass player of The Monkees, Tork, along with Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones, formed the mid-sixties American answer to the Beatles and over the course of their career sold over 75 million records worldwide. Not bad for a made for TV band (track 5).

Soul singer Roberta Flack (track 13) was raised in Arlington, and rose to prominence singing upstairs at Mr. Henry’s, the Capitol Hill bar and restaurant. Established in 1966 by Henry Jaffe, within two years Jaffe hired a local school teacher to sing in the pub. “She told me that if I could give her work three nights a week, she could quit teaching,” Jaffe later recalled. The singer, none other than Roberta Flack, would go on to win four Grammys for the songs “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”

I’ve closed this playlist as I did last year’s list with a song by Bob Dylan whose lyrics are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them. Released as the title track of his 1964 album of the same name, “The Times they are a Changin'” was Dylan’s attempt to create an anthem of change. Read through the lyrics and see if you agree.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Open playlist in Spotify

Whether you eat Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Day, attend a church, binge watch “Mindhunter,” curl up with a good book or board game you borrowed from the library, or sit quietly with your thoughts, all of us at Arlington Public Library wish you and yours the very best.

Diane

“Too Cool for Yule” 2018

Published: November 26, 2018

A number of years ago, I began creating the holiday play list, variously known as “Don’t Touch that Dial,” the “Too Cool for Yule” blog, and more simply, the Director’s Playlist.

It’s a collection of seasonal tunes that I look forward to assembling each year, right around the time holiday music earwigs begin their assault on the senses. From schlock (hopefully not too much of that) to rock, over the years we have managed to amass quite an eclectic set of “mix tapes,” and this year is no exception.

Black and white filtered photo of pine trees on the edge of a lake in winter

Before you start clicking and singing along, however, a couple of explanatory notes (pun intended) are in order:

In August, the magnificent voice of the Queen of Soul was silenced. Like many in my age cohort, Aretha Franklin’s music was a soundtrack to my life. Represented here by a swinging “Blue Holiday” from her second album, it’s a brilliant reminder that ‘Retha was as deft with the keyboard as she was with her vocal chops.

Paul Simon and Joan Baez launched Farewell Tours (NB: sorta kinda, Baez is briefly rebooting in April) and are represented by “Getting Ready for Christmas Day” and “Amazing Grace,” respectively.

I’ve closed the list with two “secular” selections. While libraries were not exactly what Bob Dylan had in mind when he penned the classic, “Shelter from the Storm,” we are indeed that for many in our community - an inclusive and safe place for knowledge, for belonging and for comfort.

And finally, 2018 was the centenary of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein’s birth and I have chosen to give him the last “word.” Jazz pianist Bill Evans’s emotional rendering of Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” from the buoyant “On the Town” is a pitch perfect ballad for this time of year, when we recall where we’ve been and anticipate where we are going if we have the luxury of time.

“Where has the time all gone to

Haven't done half the things we want to

Oh well, we'll catch up some other time”

Whether you eat Chinese food and see a movie on Christmas Day, attend church, binge on Netflix, curl up with a good book or board game you borrowed from the library, or sit quietly with your thoughts, all of us at Arlington Public Library wish you and yours the very best.

Don’t Touch That Dial 2017

Published: December 4, 2017

The Library Director’s Annual Holiday Music Yule Blog

Thanksgiving has come and gone which means it’s time to dust off the annual “Don’t Touch That Dial” holiday mix.

I’ve been creating this playlist since 2008, and it’s one of the things I most look forward to. You’ll find there’s a little something for everyone in this one, including tunes by musicians we lost this year – Chuck Berry, Tom Petty, Glen Campbell, and David Cassidy, RIP. Enjoy.

All of us at Arlington Public Library believe we are lucky to live and work in a community that is welcoming, tolerant, curious and compassionate. And that wholeheartedly supports its libraries. From all of us to all of you, we are grateful for your support and wish you a safe and happy holiday season and bountiful new year.

We leave you with the chorus from one of my all-time favorite songs, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” the last song on this year’s playlist. Released as a single in October of 1971, the words are as resonant today as they were then.

“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”

With all good wishes,
Diane

Don’t Touch That Dial, 2016 Edition

Published: December 13, 2016

The Library Director’s Annual Yule Blog

Since 2008, each December I have created a mix tape of seasonal favorites.

They’ve been known variously as” Don’t Touch that Dial” (I imagine there will come a day in the not too distant future when readers will have no idea what I mean by this — perhaps those days are here?), “Too Cool for Yule” and “The Director’s Annual Yule Blog.”

There are many thousands of songs to choose from, across all genres, and putting together this annual list is one of the things I most look forward to.

As with that first list, I observe two major criteria: I really like the song and (mostly) stay away from the purely goofy — barking dogs, flattened grandmas – (although this year, I couldn’t resist, “Gelt Melt” by The LeeVees in homage to Chanukah, the eight-day Festival of Lights that begins on Christmas Eve); and I include a version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – that wistful confection penned by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis, directed by Garland’s soon-to-be-husband, Vincent Minnelli, one of the greatest directors of movie musicals. I don’t believe there is a singer who has not covered this song and while Garland is still the standard by which I measure any cover, Luther Vandross does a terrific job with it, cool and swinging, and makes me miss him all the more.

And speaking of losses, in 2016 we said good bye to several giants of the music industry: Prince, David Bowie, Sharon Jones, Maurice White, Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, Glenn Frey, Leonard Cohen, Ralph Stanley and too many others gone too soon.

While not technically a holiday song of the “holly, jolly” variety, Cohen’s “Winter Lady” captures his essence as poet and troubadour. And Stanley’s “Christmas is Near” is grassy and old-timey. Which brings me to “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” by British folk rocker Sandy Denny – haunting, lyrical, a perfect accompaniment to late year musings.

I close with “The World Spins Madly On” by Indie folkies, The Weepies. Because this was 2016.

So click, spin or sing along.

And please consider posting a comment below to tell us what you think or to share your holiday favorite —be it musical, audio-visual, literary, traditional, or food-oriented. We would love to hear from you.

And while you’re at it, have yourself a merry little. . .

Our Annual “Too Cool for Yule” Blog

Published: December 4, 2015

AKA“Don’t Touch that Dial” Mix

The National Day of Listening has now gone past.
But we’re just getting started with tunes to broadcast.
There’s something for everyone, simply click our mix and see.
You won’t be disappointed. And the best thing: it’s free.

Some songs are grassy and some songs are sassy.
A few we’ll call jazzy while others are classy.
There are songs for the hip.
And songs for the flip. Even songs that will help you give winter the slip.

You can listen for pleasure. You can listen for fun.
You can listen with family while errands are run.
The point is to listen the whole year through.
A good thing to practice. For me and for you.

From our “house” to your house,
we wish you our best.

And thank you for being our
Most Honored Guests.

The “Don’t Touch That Dial” Playlist 2015

Find the Complete 2015 list in Spotify

Wexford Carol — The London Fox Woodwind Quintet

I Wonder as I Wander/The Gravel — John Jacob Niles, The Traditional

Hallelu! — Stephen Paulus, Magnum Choral

To Shorten Winter’s Sa

dness — Thomas Weelkes, Passamezzo

Philov-Volte-Philov from Terpsichore — Michael Praetorius, Waverly Consort

Wassail Song — Jean Ritchie

Hespanoleta — The Traditional, Galliarda

Winter Wonderland — Willie Nelson

My Favorite Things — Dave Brubeck Quartet

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! — Ella Fitzgerald

Baby, It’s Cold Outside — Rod Stewart and Dolly Parton

Swingin’ Them Jingle Bells — Fats Waller

Boogie Woogie Santa Claus — Deana Carter

Hark the Herald Angel Sing — Folk Angel

Light of the Stable — Ricky Skaggs

Zat You, Santa Claus? — Ingrid Lucida

Cool Yule — Navidad!

Merry Christmas Baby — The Gumbo Brothers

Sleigh Ride — New York Jazz Trio

Do You Hear What I Hear? — Glen Valley Boyz

This Christmas — Mary J. Blige

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) — Darlene Love

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas — Luther Vandross

Silver Bells — Renée Fleming and Kelli O’Hara

Auld Lang Syne — Warner Chappell Productions

Got your own list or song suggestion? Please share with a comment below.

Have your own photos to share from holiday’s past and present? Please post them on the Library Facebook page.

Yule Blogs past: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

All photos by or of Diane Kresh

Your Annual 2014 “Too Cool for Yule Blog” Mix

Published: December 4, 2014

This “Frozen” time of the year we bring you good cheer…
And queued a set of tunes
you’re just longing to hear.

There are songs to make you happy
and songs to make you dance.
Each lovingly selected by mood
or happenstance.

An unusual mix of carols and hits
We searched across genres to find out what fits.
You’ll find Elvis and Benny, Sufjan (Sufjan?)
and Kay.
We’ve made it easy — you just hit play.

Some pickin’, some new wavin’,
some ballading, some strumming
A swell bunch of cançons traditionals
to get you all humming.