Were you able to follow all of the action scenes? Did you find yourself wondering who sang what?
Welcome to the page which can provide answers to your curiosity questions.
Once you've finished reading, I guarantee you'll laugh harder, listen in awe, and maybe even be truly moved to tears as you read about each song and fall in love with the real singers.
Note for screen-reader users: Each song title has its own heading.
This traditional melody should be easy to spot. But can you find the humorous musical reference elsewhere?
The melody is sung mostly by L'Orange and Hardy, with some help from Hugh. The counter-melody is all sung by Hardy. The accompaniment introduces you to what I call "The Woof Band", which is made up of Ellie and Reina.
A little more detail: The opening downward scale is all L'Orange, except for the last note, which is Hardy.
Can you hear the lone dog in the distance, wondering and wandering?
This was the song that started it all! It was the concept that became this album.
This haunting melody features L'Orange and Hardy and a little bit of Hugh. That first amazing low note you hear, that's Ellie. The bass harmony is sung by Ellie, Hardy, Omalai and Hugh.
Just as in "Joy To The World", L'Orange is the opening dog. Have you figured out how to tell the lab from the shepherds yet?
This traditional carol is set in three-part harmony.
The top part features L'Orange and Hardy. The middle part features Hardy, with one note contributed by Ellie. The bass features Hardy, Omalai and Ellie.
The dogs are acting out the actual lyrics of the song you know. If you don't want to miss the fun, you may want to chase down the words to that second verse! Remember, horns, drums, dolls, and cars? See if you can figure out what the dogs are doing.
Okay, in case you need a little help, here are the words to that infamous second verse:
With little tin horns and little toy drums,
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.
And curly-head dolls that toddle and coo,
Elephants, boats and kiddy cars too,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.
The kids in girl and boy land will have a jubilee;
They're gonna build a toyland town all around the Christmas tree.
(Then sing the refrain.)
Okay, now that you have these words, if you haven't listened to the song yet, you may want to stop and listen before you read the extra details. It might be fun to see what you figure out on your own.
Otherwise, if you're ready for some hints, here they are:
Watching out: That's Ellie barking
Crying: That's Hardy!
Pouting: That's also Hardy. Isn't he expressive?
That excited scream: Guess who! Yes, Hardy!
Makin' a list: Can you hear Ellie going up the scale, counting?
Checkin' it twice: How else would a dog check something! Yes, that's Hardy sniffing.
Naughty and nice: Ellie's the naughty bass dog; Hardy's the cute nice dog.
Sleeping: L'Orange does the low sigh and Hardy does the panting.
Awake: Can you tell? Hardy's chatter as he walks around my office.
Response to being told to be good: Does that sound like "Oh dear!" That's L'Orange!
Little tin horns: Meet Hugh!
Little toy drums: Was that convincing? That's Hardy tossing his kong around in my office. It bounces on the chair mat and briefly hits my chair.
Rummy tum tum: What is this anyway? So Hardy tries something out, sniffs and sneezes, of course.
Curly-head dolls: Okay, it's not really a doll. It's a squeaky ball that feels kind of like a basketball, but it's softer. Omalai is running around the living room squeaking the ball.
Dolls cooing: That's L'Orange, curled up in an over-stuffed chair in my bedroom, talking to me.
Cars? Cars?: That's Ellie and Reina you hear running out of the chorus to chase. They're actually running through my sister's apartment. And can you hear them returning? That's Ellie pleading for forgiveness.
Kids in girl and boyland: Ellie and Reina; okay, several Ellie's and Reina's.
Jubilee: Naturally this would be defined as running and romping. Omalai and Admiral are running through my dining room, back and forth.
Most of the main melody is sung by Hardy, with a little help from L'Orange. Hardy sings most of the bass, with some help from Omalai.
Does this sound like your choir? See if you can follow all three parts.
L'Orange, Hardy, Ellie and Hugh make up this chorus. As in many songs, L'Orange is the first to sing. Hardy does the ending. In the second soprano, the note that stands out and makes you wonder if these are really dogs, yes, it's real and it's Hugh.
This sweet song includes many of the familiar harmonies with a special canine flavor.
Hardy, L'Orange and Ellie perform this song for you. Hardy provides most of the sounds here, including those beautiful German Shepherd squeaks. All three dogs contribute to the melody and harmony. But only Ellie and Hardy sing the bass.
Imagine the meaning of the word "come" to a dog and enjoy the anticipation in this unusual arrangement.
My Woof Band made me do this! Yes, I blasted my neighbors out when I worked on this song; it was just so much fun! In addition to the Woof Band, Hardy is the basso profundo! Hardy also sings most of the melody. However, in the lower octave he gets some help from Ellie and L'Orange; in the upper octave, L'Orange, Ellie and Reina help him out.
See if you can identify the four different animals who describe their contributions, noticing the different personalities.
For some reason, this song really touched me as I was creating it. And yes, I do have my favorite character. Which one is yours?
First animal: Hardy, L'Orange and Ellie play the role of this sweet animal. Hardy and Omalai sing bass. Listen to the accompaniment in the right speaker? Yes that's a dog---it's L'Orange! Really! Okay, Hardy sings one line, but the unusual sound is definitely my laborador!
Second animal: Hardy, L'Orange and Hugh tell the story of this proud animal. Hardy, Ellie and Omalai sing bass. Hardy provides the phrases which accompany this critter.
Third animal: Omalai, Hardy and Ellie portray this big, strong and noble beast, accompanied by Hardy, Ellie and L'Orange. Hardy is the dog who slides all over the scale.
Fourth animal: This soulful animal tells his story through the voices of Hardy, L'Orange and Hugh. Hardy and Ellie sing bass; L'Orange and Hardy provide the counterpoint. Listen to L'Orange's breathing in the right speaker. Okay, I have to confess here. This verse sent me diving for my facial tissue, even while listening as I wrote these notes. Yes, it's my favorite animal—so sad and obviously trying very hard to help.
In this version, the dogs tell their own stories and act out their mischievous deeds, as well as singing the familiar refrains and choruses. Do you think Santa will be sympathetic?
Once again, you hear the Woof Band throughout this carol.
First verse: Hardy and L'Orange sing the refrain. Hardy is the first to tell what he did wrong. Then Ellie is probably confessing something about barking when the door bell rings. What do you think? Then Hardy tells a very long tale that was obviously quite an adventure. In real life, that's exactly how he told it to me. Yes, this is complete and unedited, spoken while standing in my office.
Reina's play bark ends the verse.
Second verse: Do you recognize the first sorrowful tale. And the second funny one? Oh yes, Hardy has told these tales before. But then have you figured out the next drama? Dog throws kong. Next dog sniffs the activity. Dogs go chasing it. But listen carefully to Ellie and Reina running. Do you hear what happens? In reality, they were running from the living room to the kitchen in my sister's apartment. Just as they reached the kitchen, someone was checking on our Easter ham. That's the dish you hear. Now isn't that perfect dog mischief? And of course, the final "Oh no!" That's L'Orange again.
The lower refrain features Hugh and Hardy.
Final chorus: This refrain is sung by Hardy, Ellie, L'Orange and Hugh. The bass rebuke comes courtesy of Hardy and Omalai. And in case you're curious, that cute high note at the end, that's Hugh!
This haunting melody is set in four-part harmony.
Hugh, Hardy, L'Orange, Ellie and Omalai are the chorus members who sing about the child. By now, I'll let you search for your favorite dogs. But one bit of trivia, Ellie hits the really low notes in this song.
Picture a dog's unleashed joy upon experiencing all that winter offers as you listen to this cheery choral arrangement.
The Woof band finally gets to shine a bit during the opening. But the main chorus features Hardy, L'Orange, Ellie and Hugh. Can you find Hugh's phrase which I pointed out earlier? And those last two low notes--- Omalai, then Hardy.
This song is also set in four-part harmony. Of course the melody is really sung by German Shepherds!
Hugh, Hardy and Ellie sing the soprano part; Hardy, Omalai and Ellie sing bass: Hardy sings the two middle parts.
Which dog is this? Enjoy the special canine rhythms which accompany this old familiar carol.
It was the Hardy bass line that really landed in my head and made me change the time signature of the verses. This is another track that loves to be turned up loud!
Hardy is the lone basso profundo again. Hardy, L'Orange and Hugh sing the melody and Ellie joins them for the harmony part. I bet you're just about able to identify some of the dogs by now as they ponder the Christmas child.
Can you imagine what these dogs might be thinking about as they stand around the Christmas tree and sing in four-part harmony?
Sometimes when I listen to this track, it almost sounds as though some of our chorus members have gotten into the mulled whine. Hardy is the dog that really slides from pitch to pitch.
Hardy, Hugh, L'Orange and Ellie sing soprano. Hardy and L'Orange are the altos; Hardy has the tenor part to himself and allows Ellie to join him in the bass section.
This version is every bit as reverent and moving as your favorite human recording. Even your dogs may be reaching for a tissue.
There were times during this song's creation when the work became rather tedious and I started referring to this track as "Oh Howly Night". However, by the time I finished it, being moved to the point of tears, even while doing the final mixing and mastering convinced me that there was no way I could change the names of these beautiful songs. They weren't silly. They were accurate and just reached way down somewhere in me. This song is clearly one of my personal favorites.
Hardy and Hugh provide the notes for the bass chords. The Woof Band, Ellie and Reina, are the voices of the steady arpeggios you hear throughout the song.
The melody in the lower octave is sung by Hardy and Hugh. The soprano melody is carried by L'Orange, Hardy, Hugh and Ellie. Have you heard the high note yet? Hugh and Ellie were the dogs who were brave enough to tackle that all-important high cadenza. And having just listened to it again, it's time for me to get….yes, it still gets to me!
We really do!!! Everyone joins in for this festive finale, even those who----well, see if this reminds you of any of the Christmas sing-alongs you've attended! And no, none of these dogs ever got any figgy pudding!
But they all got to participate in this grand finale. Everybody's here!
Oh yes, I heard you! When it started, I bet you thought, "Man this tempo is slow!" Well, yes it is, a bit. And there's a very good reason. I used so many dog phrases that I just couldn't make them go any faster. I was not about to break my rule of keeping the dog sounds completely as the dogs gave them to me. So it begins in a rather stately sounding manner. Come to think of it, these dogs were all quite serious when they worked, so it's really quite appropriate.
But then the excitement builds and the fun begins. Ellie provides the grand woofs that allow this song to live up to its title, with some help from Reina. Did you hear the famous Hardy scream?
And then there's the ending! First Hugh and Ellie are building up those final pitches, rising higher and higher. Ellie is the dog who gives that first airy "Oops, can't get that note out". Then Hardy takes over the soloist's drama by panting, starting the note and sneezing. He's also the dog who finally gets things moving again.
I hoped you laughed as hard listening to this as I did while assembling it.
By the way, once you're finished laughing, have you identified the other Christmas carols which are briefly sung between verses? And you can call yourself a true musical expert if you can identify the one excerpt that isn't even from a Christmas song. Hmmm! Time to play it again, I think.
But before you do that, I'd like you to know that this song is particularly dedicated to my twin sister, Vicki Post. She was the inspiration behind a good bit of the hilarity in this finale. Thanks, Seester!
And now, to all of you, I'll just woof you a Merrrurrrurrrurrrurry Christmas!
I hope that these extra stories and details have enhanced your joy as you listen to this album.
Speaking of extras, have you finished snarfing up all of the other extra crumbs?
And if you haven't actually heard it yet, feel free to learn more about We Woof You A Merry Christmas.
Of course, if you're looking for still more unique and wonderful gifts to buy, you might like to learn about my first album, Guide Dogs, First Hand my second, the original introduction of The Guide Dog Glee Club, or my fourth, Diabetes Melodious. If you're looking for music covering many unique topics, you can peruse the list of songs you can select From The Song Banks Of Laurel Creek. And then don't forget to visit my order page.
Finally, if any of your friends or family members are not being given one of my recordings, don't forget to invite them to visit this site so they can purchase some great gifts for their friends and relatives. Who knows, they may even buy something for you!!
I Wonder As I Wander: JOHN JACOB NILES; G. SCHIRMER, INC.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town: HAVEN GILLESPIE, J. FRED COOTS; EMI FEIST CATALOG INC.
Carol Of The Bells: PETER WILHOUSKY; CARL FISCHER, LLC
Nuttin' For Christmas: ROY C. BENNETT, SID TEPPER; ANNE-RACHEL MUSIC
Winter Wonderland: FELIX BERNARD, DICK SMITH; WB MUSIC CORP
Web site contents copyright © 1999-2010 by Veronica Elsea
