You’re welcome to add your favorite Christmas carols and songs in comments and I’ll try to add them to the text — eventually. I’m self-indulging and putting up three of my favorites — one religious, one seasonal and secular, and one self-indulgent (for me), weird, and funny. (By the way, Ríu, Ríu, Chíu is not about a river; it’s supposed to be the call of the mockingbird. If you want to know more, here you go!)
I’m putting up multiple versions where possible because — actually, I’m not really clear on that myself, but enjoy them anyway!
It is unclear whether they followed this with “I’m a Believer”
The Monkees, Ríu, Ríu, Chíu
Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental)”
Opteryan Hegemony, Ríu, Ríu, Chíu
Sara MacLaughlan, “Christmastime Is Here”
Mateu Fletxa with The King’s Singers, Ríu, Ríu, Chíu
Diana Krall, “Christmastime Is Here”
The I.C., Ríu, Ríu, Chíu
Darlene Love, “Christmastime for the Jews”
About Greg Diamond
Somewhat verbose attorney, semi-disabled and semi-retired, residing in northwest Brea. Occasionally ran for office against jerks who otherwise would have gonr unopposed. Got 45% of the vote against Bob Huff for State Senate in 2012; Josh Newman then won the seat in 2016. In 2014 became the first attorney to challenge OCDA Tony Rackauckas since 2002; Todd Spitzer then won that seat in 2018. Every time he's run against some rotten incumbent, the *next* person to challenge them wins! He's OK with that.
Corrupt party hacks hate him. He's OK with that too.
He does advise some local campaigns informally and (so far) without compensation. (If that last bit changes, he will declare the interest.)
His daughter is a professional campaign treasurer. He doesn't usually know whom she and her firm represent. Whether they do so never influences his endorsements or coverage. (He does have his own strong opinions.) But when he does check campaign finance forms, he is often happily surprised to learn that good candidates he respects often DO hire her firm. (Maybe bad ones are scared off by his relationship with her, but they needn't be.)
I first heard “Riu, Riu Chiu” sung by the original Kingston Trio either in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Never had the lyrics, so I mangled the Spanish horribly whenever I sang it. But no one seemed to care.
When I first heard it (at a Brea-Olinda Choir Christmas show, where it is a fixture), I thought that it was about the “Chiu River,” which didn’t actually seem to exist. Eventually I figured out that it was “Riu” rather than “Rio”….