“The Mistletoe and Me” (1970) * Written and produced by Isaac Hayes * Arranged by Isaac Hayes and Dale Warren * 45: “The Mistletoe and Me” / “Winter Snow” * Label: Enterprise
Three Christmas singles from 1969-1970 heralded a new era of increasingly sophisticated, adult-friendly radio fare. These were the Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas Darling,” Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” and Isaac Hayes’ “The Mistletoe and Me.” Each of these sound as though they could have been released at any point up to the present day since their appearance, but not prior. They also continue serving as templates for the art of the minimally-annoying Christmas record. Hayes’ seductive offering is a miracle of sound mixing, mood, and instrumentation. “Fate is Santa Claus, and Cupid’s his helper,” sings Hayes with his lady by his side and a quiet fire all ablaze. The song also stands as one of the towering indicators of promise for arranger Dale Warren, who had previously worked on Hayes’s “Walk on By,” but whose momentum and spirits gave way to alcohol and financial woes after apparently tying too many of his hopes to the doomed Stax label (which closed in 1975). Although all Christmas record arrangers like to cross-reference the standards, Warren is remarkably subtle. Listen for the interweaving melody snippets as the track plays: “Jingle Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “We Three Kings,” “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” “No Place Like Home for the Holidays,” and a piano toying with “Up on the Housetop” and “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).”