Well it’s December 3rd and I’m already struggling with my task, but I’m doing my best. I haven’t mentioned yet that being December it’s also now advent which means Christmas is coming as if the return of THAT Coke ad to our screens hasn’t already proved that, which means I can start writing about all things Christmassy. I covered my love of Christmas songs last year on this blog, but back then could not share with you two of my favourites; Jingle Bells by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto by James Brown. Well how far we’ve all come in the last twelve months, because thanks to the internet I can do just that.

Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto by James Brown is a cracking piece of music at any time of year disguised as seasonally themed social consciousness, in which J.B. reels off a list of needy kids’ Christmas wishes to the backing of grinding horn lines. Written by Brown’s former manager Charles Bobbitt, Blues singer and writer of Chubby Checker’s The Twist; Hank Ballard and saxophonist Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, and recorded in 1968 for Brown’s Christmas album Soulful Christmas (King LP #1040). The song is currently available on James Brown’s Funky Christmas album but I have it on the 1988 Rhino release Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag, which is a much better title but doesn’t feature the song Christmas is Love (whereas Funky Christmas does). And after that build up here’s the song.