Monday, December 3, 2012

Musical Monday - Kidnap the Sandy Claws by Lock, Shock, and Barrell


The Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie. I don't know exactly what that says about me, but at the least it probably means that there aren't any Norman Rockwell paintings in my future. I love all of the music in this somewhat demented fairy tale, but some songs stand out, including this sung by Halloween Town's best trick or treaters Lock (Paul Reubens), Shock (Catherine O'Hara), and Barrel (Danny Elfman). The trio have been tasked with kidnapping the monstrous ruler of Christmas Town, the red coated lobster man "Sandy Claws". And so they sing about all the inventive ways they will ensnare their scarlet prey, although in some cases it seems like they would kill their target rather than kidnap him, and a kidnapping is what Jack had explicitly told them to do. Perhaps this sign of inattention to detail explains why they trapped the Easter Bunny on their first try rather than Sandy Claws.

But the real point is that this is what Christmas should be like: Terrifying and scary, with a side helping of scorpions and walking claw foot tubs. Enough of the saccharine elves with their sugar plums and happy thoughts. Let's have a holiday in which the mistletoe means the druids are going to sacrifice Santa to appease the gods and throw a giant Saturnalian party. And children who will boil Santa until he's ready to be handed over to Oogie Boogie.

Previous Musical Monday: Chiron Beta Prime by Jonathan Coulton (with Paul & Storm)
Subsequent Musical Monday: Christmas Is Interesting by Jonathan Coulton (with Paul & Storm)

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