# That Peanuts Christmas song is a bummer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983 "2004-12-15T16:06:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MercyStreet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@MercyStreet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercyStreet)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/21 "2004-12-15T19:53:52Z")
_I never liked Rudolph_ Let me guess. You laughed and called him names. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/22 "2004-12-15T20:20:41Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Cool Jazz, baby. > > Lots of major seventh chords (take the major chord of do mi so, and then throw in ti). Also, the chord progressions do throw in some flatted and sharpened notes (like flatted fifths and ninths) which would be more normally heard if it were a minor scale. > > The chord progression can be found [here at SongTrellis.com](http://www.songtrellis.com/sounds/viewer%243327). Oh yeah, every single chord in that tune is either minor, or has a 9th added. No wonder it gets you so uneasy. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/23 "2004-12-15T21:41:06Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Cool Jazz, baby. > > Lots of major seventh chords (take the major chord of do mi so, and then throw in ti). Also, the chord progressions do throw in some flatted and sharpened notes (like flatted fifths and ninths) which would be more normally heard if it were a minor scale. _Those major chords are happy, Those minor chords are sad, Those seventh chords are sassy, And those jazz chords are so rad…_ [/Sifl and Olly] ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/24 "2004-12-15T21:54:30Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > but even at that age I remember getting annoyed at what a pompous, holier-than-thou asshole Linus was at the end . . . Not just at the end. Linus was always pontificating that way, even in the strip. I don’t like _Peanuts_. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/25 "2004-12-15T22:02:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And the commercial for Eat N’ Park, with the little star trying to jump on the tree, until finally the tree bends over and puts it on top. Anyone from Western PA remember THAT one? When I was a kid I would stop whatever I was doing and run into the living room to watch that commercial whenever I heard it start, and clap when it was over. (I was a weird kid.) I haven’t seen it in years, did they replace it with something else? Too bad. I never liked the Peanuts special that much. I did like all those Rankin and Bass specials though, and I liked watching “A Christmas Story” until TNT wrecked it by playing it too much. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/26 "2004-12-15T22:15:10Z")
I always liked the theme music…yeah, it was kind of melancholy, but somehow it seemed - peaceful? And you always knew Christmas was just around the corner when they showed this on CBS. I once got in my boss’s car and he had a CD playing in the background and after about three notes I just blurted out, “oh - the Charlie Brown music” and my boss thought for a second and said, “you’re right. I had forgotten his music was on those shows.” PS: I always remember Wizard of Oz being shown around Thanksgiving time…but then they started showing it twice a year (at least in the Chicago area where I grew up). It was still a special event, even when twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/27 "2004-12-15T22:20:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And the commercial for Eat N’ Park, with the little star trying to jump on the tree, until finally the tree bends over and puts it on top. Anyone from Western PA remember THAT one? Actually I came in specifically to post about that commercial. I don’t remember when the last time I saw it was, but I’m still keeping a lookout for it to show up again. It can’t have disappeared! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/28 "2004-12-15T23:23:51Z")
> [@Magickly Delicious](#): > > Actually I came in specifically to post about that commercial. I don’t remember when the last time I saw it was, but I’m still keeping a lookout for it to show up again. It can’t have disappeared! Even if it isn’t being aired any longer (I have no frame of reference for knowing, one way or the other, as I’ve never heard of these folks), it hasn’t disappeared completely. [Scroll down and click “Play”.](http://www.eatnpark.com/news.asp) Merry Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/29 "2004-12-16T00:07:11Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > The dreary melancholia of “Christmastime Is Here” I disagree that it’s dreary. More accurately than melancholic, say [nostalgic](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary-tb?book=Dictionary&va=nostalgia) (edited slightly): > [@](#): > > Main Entry: nos·tal·gia > > Etymology: New Latin, from Greek _nostos_ return home + New Latin _-algia_ [pain] > > 2 : a _wistfu_l or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/30 "2004-12-16T00:10:59Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > The dreary melancholia of “Christmastime Is Here” I disagree that it’s dreary. And I think more accurately than melancholic, it’s [nostalgic](http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary-tb?book=Dictionary&va=nostalgia) (edited slightly): > [@](#): > > Main Entry: nos·tal·gia > > Etymology: New Latin, from Greek _nostos_ return home + New Latin _-algia_ [pain] > > 2 : a _wistful_ or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/31 "2004-12-16T00:29:53Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > The lyrics for _Christmas Time Is Here_ by Vince Guaraldi can be found [here at Wowlyrics.com](http://www.wowlyrics.com/read.php?wow=1592972). Nitpick: Guaraldi wrote the music. Producer Lee Mendelson wrote the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/32 "2004-12-16T00:39:15Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > What makes it sound so melancholy then? I have a tin-ear, but if pressed, I would have thought it was in a minor key, too. You’re sure you’re not accidentally hearing the Peanuts characters singing thei Christmas song to the tune of “The Volga Boatman”, are you? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/33 "2004-12-16T01:15:30Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Even if it isn’t being aired any longer (I have no frame of reference for knowing, one way or the other, as I’ve never heard of these folks), it hasn’t disappeared completely. > > [Scroll down and click “Play”.](http://www.eatnpark.com/news.asp) > > Merry Christmas. Oh, I love you. Figures someone from the West Coast would find it while we Western PA-ers flail about! (As a child, I thought the name of the restaurant was Eatin’ Park, as in, a Park where you ate, not Park as in a car parking). Who wants a Smiley-Face Cookie? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/34 "2004-12-16T01:19:52Z")
_ **kaylasdad99** tips hat._ Ma’am. _ **kaylasdad99** rides into sunset._ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/35 "2004-12-16T02:06:51Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > _ **kaylasdad99** tips hat._ > > Ma’am. > > _ **kaylasdad99** rides into sunset._ > > 🙂 Hey! When did you move?! I never even noticed the venue change until **Guin** mentioned it… ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/36 "2004-12-16T04:03:24Z")
> [@MercyStreet](#): > > _I never liked Rudolph_ > > Let me guess. You laughed and called him names. . . . or let him join in any reindeer games. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/37 "2004-12-16T04:21:39Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Hey! When did you move?! I never even noticed the venue change until **Guin** mentioned it… Are you referring to the fact that my location was set to Gallatin, TN for a significant periodm and now reads Anaheim, CA? [I never figured that little joke might come back to haunt me one day.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3767872&postcount=65) It turned out not to be funny, so I changed it back. I’ve been in Anaheim, CA, all along. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/38 "2004-12-16T04:25:07Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Are you referring to the fact that my location was set to Gallatin, TN for a significant periodm and now reads Anaheim, CA? [I never figured that little joke might come back to haunt me one day.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=3767872&postcount=65) > > It turned out not to be funny, so I changed it back. I’ve been in Anaheim, CA, all along. No…for some reason I remember you being in Minnesota… ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/39 "2004-12-16T04:42:24Z")
> [@adam yax](#): > > Have some kids of your own. Re-live it through and with them. _Sleigh bells in the air_ Yeah, and then they grow out of _their_ feety pajamas, _beauty everywhere_ get a shitload of stuff pierced _yuletide by the fireside_ and leave home. \*and joyful memories there. \* ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983/40 "2004-12-16T13:21:50Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > Nitpick: > > Guaraldi wrote the music. Producer Lee Mendelson wrote the lyrics. I recently got a book about this special. The show was almost finished when Mendelson decided the opening instrumental was too long and needed some lyrics at the end. He spent 15 minutes scribbling some lyrics on the back of an envelope and used them. One of the objections the sponsors had about the show was the music was too “jazzy” and not “Christmasy” enough. Scultz and Mendelson refused the change them, and the rest is history. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-peanuts-christmas-song-is-a-bummer/279983.md?page=3)