DISGRACELAND: Bonus Episode – "Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Other Great Music History Christmas Moments"

Release Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Jake Brennan (Double Elvis Productions)

Episode Overview

This bonus "After Party" episode of DISGRACELAND weaves a rich and nostalgic look at some of the greatest Christmas moments and songs in music history, focusing on both well-known classics and hidden gems, as seen through the host's personal discoveries and listener contributions. Jake Brennan shares emotional stories, unearths overlooked tracks, discusses music history controversies, and kicks off the holiday season with special community segments and a major podcast announcement.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Discovery and Tragedy of “Christmas Must Be Tonight” by The Band

[04:49 - 11:00]

• Jake recounts stumbling upon The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight” on Instagram, which leads to an emotional revelation:
  • “By the time the chorus hit – no joke – my eyes were tearing up… That band song, it, like, it opened a vein.” [07:40]
• Explains the song’s overlooked history:
  • Recorded in 1975, but not released as a single—eventually buried at the end of side one on 1977’s Islands, their final album with Robbie Robertson.
  • “If this song was so great, how come I’d never heard it before? … This is the band we’re talking about.” [05:50]
• Laments Capitol Records’ decision to pass on releasing it as a single, theorizes an alternate reality where the song is a holiday staple alongside Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney, and others.

2. Iconic Christmas Moments in Music History

[11:00 - 14:00]

• Phil Spector’s “A Christmas Gift for You”

  • Released the day JFK was shot (Nov 22, 1963).
    • “We talk about this… in this week’s full episode on Phil. It’s a crazy story.” [11:27]
  • Darlene Love’s annual “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” performance on Letterman discussed with nostalgic enthusiasm.

• John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

  • Released Dec 1, 1971, initially resisted by radio for being “too political.”
  • “Eventually it wormed its way into the zeitgeist and now it returns to us every holiday season. And the lyrics are quite humbling and pretty, pretty great still to this day.” [12:27]

• Bowie & Bing’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” (1977)

  • Described as the “granddaddy of weird Christmas music history moments.”
  • “A moment that I think a lot of us are still trying to figure out.” [13:19]

3. The Emotional Power and Role of Christmas Music

[13:20 - 14:20]

• Jake explores how music shapes holiday nostalgia and tradition—even if some tracks aren’t personal favorites.
• He encourages listeners to consider what Christmas songs “gut” them:
  • “Christmas is a super emotional time and I feel like the emotion is heightened by the music. What are those songs that really, you know… open a vein?” [14:02]

4. Listener Call-Out: Share Your Deep-Cut Holiday Songs

[14:00 - 14:26]

• Instructs listeners to share their own obscure or meaningful holiday tracks from rock, punk, funk, country, or rap.
• Provides call-in and email info for contributions to next week’s episode.

5. Special Podcast Announcement: “This Film Should Be Played Loud”

[16:04 - 20:50]

• Announcement of a new Double Elvis video podcast, co-hosted with Dr. Zeth Lundy, focused on the convergence of music and film soundtracks, starting with Goodfellas.
  • “Guys, seriously, this might be my favorite thing in the world. The convergence of great music and great film. It’s so exhilarating to me.” [17:16]
• Explains the exclusive nature (Patreon/All Access subscribers), new tier structure ($1, $5, and $10 “Love it Loud” for video content), and promises monthly releases with community participation.

6. Preview Clip: The Great “Goodfellas” Soundtrack

[20:50 - 23:30]

• Clips of Jake and Zeth dissecting the helicopter sequence in Goodfellas:

  • They rave about the “mixtape” nature and intentional song placement—Nilsson, The Who, Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Muddy Waters.
  • Zeth: “There’s just the briefest clip of Muddy Waters at the beginning of Manish Boy going, ‘Yes, everything. Yes, everything is gonna be all right this morning.’” [21:55]

• Discussion of Scorsese’s meticulous approach to using rock music for emotional resonance, with examples and analogies:

  • “He was putting it in the script. He was like, ‘put Cream, Sunshine of Your Love here.’” [22:45]
  • “It's like a radio station… just switching the channels. …It was more in the air then than it is now.” [23:52]

7. Listener Voicemails and Testimonies

[27:41 - 31:26]

• Mr. Taylor (North Carolina):

  • Champions “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love as the best Christmas song.
  • Has complicated feelings about ‘90s Christmas music, expanding his definition to include any song with sleigh bells or emotional resonance—e.g., “God Only Knows,” “Leaving On” by Elton John, “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley.
  • “As a father of four…I’ve curated a playlist for my family. It plays on repeat all December long and hopefully my kids will have a better view…of Christmas music.” [29:13]

• Matt (The 815):

  • Recommends “Christmas Unicorn” by Sufjan Stevens, noting its unexpected mid-song cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”
  • “You will not be disappointed.” [31:08]

• Jake reacts with joy and openness—eager to check out the suggested tracks.

8. Community Interaction & Future Episode Content

[31:26 - 34:19]

• Reads texts and emails (e.g., Blink-182 and UFOs; asks if his books are available).
• Ponders “Christmas songs that aren’t Christmas songs” as a future discussion.
• Teases next week’s exclusive segment about the Levon Helm/Robbie Robertson feud.

9. Recap and Closing

[34:19 - 37:11]

• Reminds listeners of released and upcoming Disgraceland and Hollywoodland episodes (Phil Spector, John Lennon, Shane MacGowan).
• Mentions the shared death date of Dimebag Darrell and John Lennon (Dec 8).
• Encourages engagement and community building through Patreon and listener submissions:
  • “This isn’t just content, it’s a community. …That’s a disgrace.” [36:33]
• Closes with a nostalgic chart recap of November 22, 1963, painting a musical snapshot of the day JFK was assassinated and Phil Spector’s Christmas album was released.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Catharsis, exhilaration, that feeling only great music can provide…as soon as it faded, I felt something else. I felt stupidity.” – Jake Brennan [05:32]
• “I love this…songs that aren’t Christmas songs but are Christmas songs. What are the die hards of Christmas songs?” – Jake Brennan [30:26]
• “There’s also John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s excellent protest song…eventually it wormed its way into the zeitgeist and now it returns to us every holiday season.” – [12:27]
• “It’s like a radio station, just switching the channels…It was more in the air then than it is now.” – Zeth Lundy [23:52]

Segment Timestamps

• 04:49 – Discovery of The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight”
• 11:00 – Overview of historical Christmas moments in music (Spector, Lennon, Bowie & Bing)
• 14:00 – Call for listener holiday song input
• 16:04 – Special announcement: This Film Should Be Played Loud
• 20:50 – In-depth Goodfellas soundtrack discussion (podcast preview)
• 27:41 – Listener voicemails: Mr. Taylor on Darlene Love & redefining Christmas music
• 30:52 – Listener voicemail: Sufjan Stevens’ “Christmas Unicorn”
• 31:26 – Additional listener texts & emails
• 34:19 – Recap and closing highlights

Summary Tone

Jake Brennan’s passionate, confessional storytelling and music-obsessed sincerity set a conversational, self-aware, and slightly irreverent tone—a blend of warm holiday nostalgia, deep crate-digging, and community interaction. The episode oscillates between personal revelation, music history nerdery, and open invitations to communal exploration.

For further details, episode archive, and exclusive access: www.disgracelandpod.com