Elmo & Patsy

Grandma Got Run Over
by a Reindeer

(Sony)

Soon after its release in 1983, Elmo & Patsy’s Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer became an instant hit, largely due to its near-constant rotation on MTV. In the intervening years, however, the song simply has refused to fade away and even has been turned into a feature-length, animated movie. For better or for worse, its endurance means that it now is considered a holiday classic. Depending upon one’s point of view, the tune is either a silly little ditty or a downright annoying song, though it also happens to be the only reason to purchase a copy of the album of the same title, which was released a year after the single by the husband-and-wife duo Elmo and Patsy Shropshire. Rounding out the collection are nine innocuous tracks that straddle the line between country and pop. Some — such as Joy to the World — sound like a bad karaoke experience while others — like Percy, the Puny Poinsettia and the mariachi-driven Señor Santa Claus, attempt to re-capture the novelty of the collection’s title track but are only partially successful. In other words, the bulk of the album makes Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer look like more of a gem than it really is. ½