December 14, 2010 | 8:59 AM | By

The Key’s 12 Days Of Christmas: Ben Arnold’s “Reindeer Game”

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Ben Arnold, The Key's 12 Days Of Christmas
Ben Arnold

It doesn’t get a whole lot more depressing than stumbling home alone through the snow after a late night at the bar, where you were just another sad-sack drunk with sob story about losing the girl he loved. Unless, of course, it’s Christmas night—in which case you probably are better off drinking yourself into oblivion. So why does Ben Arnold‘s “Reindeer Game”—which follows a nostalgic, inebriated slob through the bluest of blue Christmases—kick off with a jaunty whistle melody, and contain an almost jovial tone that belies the song’s melancholy lyrics? Maybe because the handful of happy memories he mulls over are the kind that can send a smile creeping across one’s tear-streaked face. Or, perhaps, Ben simply can’t disguise his upbeat nature (heart-crushing lyrics aside). Either way, we thank him for it. “Reindeer Game” could easily be the soundtrack to your own Christmas of alcohol-fueled misery and solitude; instead, it’s the kind of song you want to listen to while slow-dancing with the one you love across your Christmas-tree-lit living room (all the while thanking your lucky stars you’re not one of the lonely schlubs you can see slumping their way down the street from your apartment window).

About the author

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond. View all posts by The Key →

  • Geosound1

    How about, “a Beer In A Bar” by Marah… check it out online at CD Baby here:
    http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sgp

  • Kathryn

    How bout let’s hear that Ben Arnold song again!! WTG Ben…it’s a keeper…:)

  • Mattymuir

    Hey that’s me on that song!!!

    Matty Muir