I Am Santa Claus

I Am Santa Claus
Studio album by Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio
Released	November 2, 1993
Recorded	Bob's Garage Inc, North Bend WA, KISW Radio Seattle WA, 1993
Genre	Christmas, Comedy
Length	40:34
Label	Atlantic
Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio chronology
Twisted Christmas (1987) I Am Santa Claus (1993) More Twisted Christmas (1997)

I Am Santa Claus is the second Christmas album by Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio. It was released in November 1993 by Atlantic Records (WEA 82548), five years after Twisted Christmas , and four years before More Twisted Christmas . ^{[1] [2]}

Track listing

1. "There's Another Santa Claus" - 2:01
   • (parody of "Here Comes Santa Claus," performed by a Gene Autry impersonator)
2. "Walkin' 'Round in Women's Underwear" ^{[3] [4]} - 1:55
   • (parody of "Winter Wonderland" about cross-dressing) ^[1] performed by a-capella group Fifth Inversion
3. "I Am Santa Claus" - 3:22
   • (sung to tune of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath, except the last ten notes on the prominent guitar riff are replaced with five notes from Jingle Bells.) ^[5]
   • A music video was made for the title track, in which Rivers, playing a father of two, inexplicably transforms into a heavy-metal Santa Claus riding in a reindeer-pulled limousine on Christmas Eve. In a meta-cameo, Ozzy Osbourne, in a black-and-white universe watching the video on a television, angrily turns the TV off, transforming metal-Santa (in the middle of a concert) back into Rivers. ^[6]
4. "Manger 6" - 0:44
   • (parody of Motel 6 ads, narrated by a Tom Bodett impersonator)
5. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - 2:09
   • (sung to the tune of "The House of the Rising Sun" as performed by The Animals) ^[7]
6. "I Came Upon a Roadkill Deer" - 3:01
   • (parody of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear") ^[7]
7. "Teddy the Red-Nosed Senator" - 1:25
   • (parody of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as performed by Burl Ives; about US Senator Ted Kennedy and his drinking, see Chappaquiddick incident)
8. "Grahbe Yahbalz" - 1:08
   • (parody of "Deck the Halls"; the name is pseudo-Yiddish for censorship purposes, song describes a gesture frequently used by Michael Jackson)
9. "A Letter to Santa" - 2:41
   • (spoken-word piece in which Vito Corleone from The Godfather writes a letter to Santa Claus)
10. "Jingle Hells Bells" - 2:38
    • (uses riffs of "Highway to Hell" and "T.N.T."; sung to the tune of "My Favorite Things", performed in the style of Bon Scott-era AC/DC) ^[7]
11. "The Kids" - 2:18
    • spoken by Bob Rivers
12. "The Magical Kingdom of Claus" - 5:53
    • (mini-musical parody of The Wizard of Oz , in which the Emerald City/North Pole is replaced with a commercialized shopping mall-type environment, briefly parodies the song "If I Only Had a Brain")
13. "The 'What's It to Ya' Chorus - 2:37
    • (parody of Handel's "The Hallelujah Chorus" from The Messiah , with the chorus insisting to the listener to mind one's own business)
14. "Didn't I Get This Last Year?" - 3:22
    • (parody of "Do You Hear What I Hear" about repeatedly getting unpleasant gifts, if not the same ones, each year.) ^[7]
15. "The Under the Tree World of Jacques Cousteau" - 3:02
    • (spoken word piece, narrated by a Cousteau impersonator)
16. "O Christmas Tree" - 2:33
    • Instrumental set to the sounds of chainsaws.

Critical reaction

J. D. Considine wrote in the Baltimore Sun that "Rivers' idea of 'funny' generally seems the work of a guy who's read too many issues of Mad magazine, but there are some good bits here." ^[8] Helen Bryant of The Dallas Morning News wrote "Irving Berlin, it's not" ^[1] while the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the album "this year's hip offering."

Chart performance

By late December 2003, the album had already sold more than 100,000 copies. ^[9] I Am Santa Claus entered the Billboard Top Albums chart at #180 ^[9] before peaking at #106.

References

1. Bryant, Helen (December 21, 1993). "Irving Berlin it's not". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved February 26, 2010. At the top of the charts on this year's Christmas Hit Parade we find a harmonious ditty to the tune of Walkin'in a Winter Wonderland. It's called Walkin' Round in Women's Underwear.
2. "Santa's got a brand new bag". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . December 3, 1993. p. 4. Retrieved February 26, 2010. This year's hip offering is Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio's I Am Santa Claus (three stars).
3. Powers, Rebecca (December 13, 1994). "'Tis Season for Carol Parodies". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
4. Lisi, Michael (December 10, 2000). "The novelty never wears off for some clever songs written for the season". The Daily Gazette . p. G01. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
5. Delinski, Bernie (December 24, 1993). "From twisted to traditional, Christmas music sells big". TimesDaily . p. 3B. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
6. I Am Santa Claus official music video, from The Bob Rivers Show official YouTube account, December 12, 2007
7. Parisien, Roch. "Review: I Am Santa Claus". All Music Guide. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
8. Considine, J.D. (December 15, 1993). "Some chestnuts deserve to burn on an open fire". Baltimore Sun. p. 1C. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
9. Reader, Stephanie (December 22, 1993). "Raunchy rock, rap stations clear the air - sorta". The News Tribune . Tacoma, WA. p. E2. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2010. His new Atlantic release, "I Am Santa Claus," has sold more than 100000 copies and has broken into the Billboard Top Albums chart (at No. 180).