8 Reasons Burl Ives
Badassery Isn’t Seasonal
“Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” by Burl Ives
December 8, 2014
Though he’s often burned in our memories as a slightly over-inflated Col. Sanders-type figure, folksinger and actor Burl Ives’ natural charisma and deceptively conversational style of vocals have become ubiquitous during the Christmas season.
“Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Holly Jolly Christmas” — three of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time — all exist in a space where Ives’ recordings are generally accepted as being the definitive versions of the songs.
With a career spanning several decades, and a talent spanning several careers, Ives was no slouch. Though he might not be the reason for the season, he’s certainly entrenched in the holiday. And by accident or not, he’s a part of this whole thing. But who was he?
“I’ve got a million different kinds of feelings left in me and I want to use them.
I want to use them all.”
So, yeah, that’s “Holly Jolly Christmas.” You’ve heard it a million times. But what else do you know about Burl Ives? If you’re like me, not much.
- He made the banjo sexy. Illegally so.
In 1934, Ives was arrested in Mona, Utah for singing the song
“Foggy, Foggy Dew” because it was considered too “bawdy.”
(It’s not. It’s actually quite sweet.)
2. He was a pioneer for peace and equality, and proudly
served his country. (Which is pretty badass.)
He, along with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and others were in a folk group called the Almanac Singers that sang anti-war and anti-racism songs in the 1940s. (Ives later joined the WWII effort, was honorably discharged, and then became roommates with Harry Morgan, a.k.a. fictional Korean War icon Col. Potter from television’s M*A*S*H.)
3. He was blacklisted. In 1950, Ives was blacklisted for alleged communist associations. (The subject matter of his music certainly didn’t help Ives, but it certainly helped J. Edgar Hoover.) Pete Seeger was reportedly so suspicious of Ives’ testimony to the House Committee on Un-American activities two years after the blacklisting occurred, that the men wouldn’t perform together again for over forty years.
4. He could sing and act — and was honored for both. He’s acted beside James Dean, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson, and was nominated for an Oscar — twice. (For songwriting and acting! He even won for the latter.)
5. One word for my man, Burl: Prolific. He released ninety-nine albums in his lifetime. (I don’t know if I’ve written 99 songs. Ugh. Dammit, Burl.)
6. When people say, “I just can’t imagine he/she having any other name, it just suits them so perfectly” they’re talking about somebody named something like Burl Ives. His name is Burl, for chrissakes. It’s the most badass part of a tree. What were you named after, like, a saint or something?
7. He feeds vicariously off of the affection of others. In his 1964 hit “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Ives directs his companion to kiss “someone” (anyone, apparently) “once for me” under the mistletoe cause that’s just how Burl Ives rolls — in a world where an unsolicited kiss is always welcome if it has the name “Ives” attached. Problematic.
8. He is an immortal stop motion animated puppet, and you are not.
He was Sam the Snowman, the character designed specifically for him in the Rankin/Bass Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. And, if you ask me, he is the dandiest banjo-playing, umbrella-wielding snowman there ever once was. The bowler? The pocket watch? Don’t even get me started on the western bow tie. Damn.
So forget about Chuck Norris (Seriously. That dude is nuts.) I mean, when you’ve got a snowman/Oscar winner/revolutionary as an option, who would you rather sit by at a dinner party?
