The Eighth CD of Christmas

Pop quiz, movie fans! See if you can match the movies listed below to the oldies tunes that each one featured:

1. Top Gun (1986)
2. Adventures in Babysitting (1987)
3. Dirty Dancing (1987)
4. Ghost (1990)
5. Father of the Bride (1991)

a. "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going to Marry" - Darlene Love (1963)
b. "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes (1963)
c. "Then He Kissed Me" - The Crystals (1963)
d. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" - The Righteous Brothers (1964)
e. "Unchained Melody" - The Righteous Brothers (1965)

What do all of these movies and songs have in common? As unrelated as they may seem, these movies were all childhood favorites of mine, but that could be because they featured songs which were also childhood favorites. What these songs share in common is that they were all produced by Phil Spector. Perhaps you're familiar with Phil Spector and his Wagnerian "Wall of Sound," a recording technique which uses lots of reverb and over-overdubbing. When I went looking for the original versions of a couple covers that Erasure did ("River Deep - Mountain High," by Ike and Tina Turner, and "Walking in the Rain," by The Ronettes), I was interested to learn that Phil Spector had a hand in both songs. Years later I was surprised to discover that he didn't just do '60s girl groups, he also worked with The Beatles and The Ramones. Finally, I was shocked to hear that he'd gone to prison for murder. If none of that's news for you, what you may never have realized is that the album, A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963), was released the same day as the assassination of JFK. I imagine the first few years of the '60s, before LBJ and escalation in Vietnam, looked and sounded more like the '50s. Since the Spector-penned "Spanish Harlem" (1960), my all-time favorite oldies tune, was released right at the turn of the decade, I get it mixed up with all the doo-wop that came before it. Because of its inauspicious release date, A Christmas Gift for You might similarly come off as behind its turbulent times. While it may have been wrong for the peace movement, it's so joyously innocent and hopeful that it's perfect for the holiday season.

Here's a list of the songs on the album, grouped alphabetically by artist (titles in bold are my personal favorites):

Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans
3. The Bells of St. Mary's
12. Here Comes Santa Claus

The Crystals
4. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
8. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
10. "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"

Darlene Love
1. "White Christmas"
6. "Marshmallow World"
9. "Winter Wonderland"
11. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

The Ronettes
2. "Frosty the Snowman"
5. "Sleigh Ride"
7. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

I'm sure you aced the pop quiz at the top, but just in case you have doubts, the correct answers are 1-d, 2-c, 3-b, 4-e, and 5-a.