White Elephant

This song topic was a request by teacher Brian Weese (Hi, Brian!), and frankly we're a little surprised we didn't think of it ourselves earlier. But we have now, so you get to sing about that favorite holiday activity as you engage in it: the white elephant gift exchange. Here at Plank Road, we have had some doozies: People gifting things that are outrageous, funny, sometimes serious, and often items that should have remained in the basement among the cobwebs. It's amazing what people are willing to open just because it's wrapped in a pretty package.

The song, "White Elephant" explains the premise in basic terms set to a semi-retro light pop rock style. The thing that makes it unique and fun to sing is how spare it is. Not a lot going on really. Which means that when the multiple parts are sung together, they're pretty cool. Pay careful attention to when parts 2 and 3 join in and come out again. These parts are optional, but they're doubled in saxes on the recording, so you're covered if needs be. The use of crisp sporadic snaps also contributes to the cool factor, especially at the end when everything drops out. The snaps are optional during the verses if they're a little too hard to do while singing, but the sidestick covers them on the recording.

You can find rehearsal tracks for parts 2 and 3 on our web site.