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Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Casey Kasem's Christmas Countdown from 1971

In December 1971, Casey Kasem hosted a special AT 40 Christmas Countdown.  This thread will cover the countdown.

49 comments:

  1. Number 40: Elvis Presley, "If Every Day Was Like Christmas"

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    1. OK, I don't remember ever hearing this song. I'm listening to it while watching the Myrtle Beach Bowl on mute. Jalen Buckley, a big runner for Western Michigan, just raced about 80 yards for a touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage to stake the Broncos--I think they're Broncos; they're logo is a horse--to a 7-0 lead over Kennesaw State. Buckley looked great, and, as at least one of my daughter's friends says, "he's built like a Dorito."

      But now some big Western Michigan defensive player just raced several dozen yards for a touchdown after a turnover, and he looked great and like a Dorito, too. So I guess I want the Dolphins to draft both of these guys, Buckley and his teammate.

      14-0, Western Michigan.

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  2. Final: Tennessee 83 - 62 Louisville. UT (8-3) jumps up to 15 on Ken Pom. U of L (9-2) falls to 14. UK still at 20.

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  3. Number 39: The Andrews Sisters, "Merry Christmas Polka"

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    1. Oh, I like this a good bit.

      I also really like "Mistletoe (Shawty, with You)" by Justin Bieber. That song started showing up on our cable-TV lineup's Christmas-music station not long after we moved to Madisonville in 2008, and it was not my cup of tea. However, now it is classic, cozy fare in our house. I was delighted yesterday to hear it for the first time this season, in our new Five Below store.

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  4. Number 38: Ray Stevens, "Santa Claus Is Watching You"

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  5. Number 37: Dancer, Prancer, and Nervous, "The Happy Reindeer"

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    1. I like this type of song. 21-0, Western Michigan.

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    2. Now here on ESPN we have Billy Bob Thornton with some words on behalf of a cell-phone company. This autumn, I saw Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters, play a concert at Madisonville Community College.

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  6. Number 36: Andy Williams, "Little Alter Boy"

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  7. Actually, it looks like the original version of "Little Altar Boy" was done by Vic Dana, but Casey's people couldn't find that version, so they played the Andy Williams version instead.

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  8. Number 35: Dickie Goodman, "Santa and the Satellite"

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  9. Number 34: David Whitfield, "Santo Natale"

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  10. Number 33: Connie Francis, "Baby's First Christmas"

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  11. Number 32: The Beach Boys, "Little Saint Nick" First song on the countdown that is listenable.

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  12. Number 31: The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy's First Christmas"

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  13. Number 30: Roy Orbison, "Pretty Paper"

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  14. Final: Memphis 70 - 77 Vanderbilt (OT). Huge win for the Commodores, who run their record to 11-0. They remain at Number 10 on Ken Pom, who now projects them to go 25-6. On Sunday, the Commodores will be on Tobacco Road, visiting Wake Forest.

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  15. This game was Vandy's first win in Memphis since December 7, 1996.

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  16. Number 29: Stan Freiberg, "Christmas Dragnet"

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  17. Number 28: Harry Belafonte, "Mary's Boy Child"

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  18. Number 26: Yogi Yorgesson, "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas"

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  19. Number 25: The Chipmunks, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

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  20. Number 24: Perry Como, "Home for the Holidays"

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  21. Number 23: Dennis Day, "Christmas in Killarney"

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  22. Number 22: Charles Brown, "Merry Christmas, Baby"

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  23. Number 21: Spike Jones, "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" It seems like this song was still a big deal -- or at least well known -- in the 1970's, but it has disappeared from the culture since then.

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  24. Number 20: Bing Crosby, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" Now this is a great song. From 1943.

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  25. Number 19: Frankie Laine, "You're All I Want for Christmas"

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  26. Great American Family is showing "Let It Snow." This is an Old School Hallmark Christmas movie from back in 2013. Candace Cameron Bure is doing her usual solid job, and Alan Thicke is the heartless dad who wants to destroy the little snow village with his real estate plans. Alan Thicke is really great -- far above the usual level of performance in this type of thing.

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    1. This movie is a grim portrayal of the Boomer / GenX dynamic. Alan Thicke (born 1947) takes the position that young professionals don't care about Christmas anymore. Candace Cameron Bure (born 1976 and playing his daughter) insists that they do. She won't go along with his plans to crush the little snow resort, so he fires her.

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  27. Number 18: Ricky Zahnd and the Blue Jeaners, "(I'm Gettin') Nuttin' for Christmas"

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    1. We now remember these folks from the 1940's and 1950's as cool, tough guys -- like Don Draper and Roger Sterling. But they really loved novelty songs.

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    2. Of course, they spent a lot of time being drunk. Just watch "The Apartment," and keep track of how many drinking parties take place in that movie.

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    3. Also, I think there's a level of coolness where you just don't worry about being cringe.

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    4. Would it also be in play that they were also thrust into being the first generation who tried to sell to child consumers and were trying to guess what children would like to spend their parents' money on? I know that toys and clothing and some media existed for children before then, but it seems to me it would be a brand-new concept of trying to make a 45-RPM record appeal to children to the extent that they would compel their parents to invest in. I might very well be wrong about that, though.

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    5. I think novelty songs were always popular in America ("Yes! We Have No Bananas!") until sometime in the late 1980's/early 1990's.

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  28. Number 17: Brenda Lee, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

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  29. I'm guessing that Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" ends up No. 1 on this list.

    It's Western Michigan 41 and Kennesaw State 6 through three quarters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

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  30. Number 16: Charles Brown, "Please Come Home for Christmas" I really, really like this song -- but you can almost always get my attention with blues music.

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  31. Number 15: Jimmy Boyd, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" I always hated this song.

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  32. Number 14: Gene Autry, "Here Comes Santa Claus"

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