I thought we could use a cheerful number in the middle of the countdown, and I think I got mixed up. See, the music in this track is actually very cheerful, almost jaunty. I guess you could call the lyrics a “jarring contrast”: the song’s protagonist is seven going on eight and feeling a lot older, watching Dad stagger in extremely late, so sauced he can’t even get to his own bed. The second verse is even sadder, with tearful, ashamed mom sending the kid to bed as Dad slurs “Merry Christmas!” from the spot where he collapsed… under the Christmas tree. Aren’t we feeling festive now?
This one was written by Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff, who also co-wrote “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with Denver after originally planning to pitch it to Johnny Cash. The two were also part of 70s mainstays the Starland Vocal Band; Danoff wrote their big hit, “Afternoon Delight.” Danoff also co-wrote Emmylou Harris’s tribute to her mentor Gram Parsons, “Boulder To Birmingham”; his discography definitely has some range.
As for John Denver, he recorded this one twice, and (fortunately) did not include it in either of his TV Christmas specials, though it would’ve been absolutely wild if he’d tried a version of this when he sang with the Muppets.
