What are you favorite Christmas Songs?

November 20, 2004 11:00 AM

What are you favorite Christmas Songs? [MI]

I want to make a CD of fun music to listen to with the family on Christmas day...

All types welcome, Elvis, Beach Boys, Bing, Sinatra, etc...
What would you put on this CD?

posted by keep it tight to Media & Arts (31 answers total)

"Just Like Christmas"by Low is a favorite of mine.
posted by Agent X9 at 11:12 AM on November 20, 2004

See also the same question from a couple of days ago.
posted by majick at 11:13 AM on November 20, 2004

I just bought this CD the other day. So far it's terrific.
posted by jonmc at 11:25 AM on November 20, 2004

There is a Holiday themed Mix CD exchange happening right now - it was started from monkeyfilter, as part of a whole series of exchanges - but all are welcome to join.(Group 3 could use on more person :) Great Christmas music of a wide variety to be shared - mail outs in late november/early december.
posted by jb at 11:43 AM on November 20, 2004

It was mentioned in that thread linked to from above, But the Blind Boys of Alabama have a great Christmas Album called Go tell it on the mountain. It’s very mellow / gospelish.
posted by hex1848 at 11:53 AM on November 20, 2004

"X-Mas Sucks" by Tom Waits and Peter Murphy
"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

....I have little to no holiday spirit. =)~
posted by ScarletSpectrum at 1:10 PM on November 20, 2004

I listed my favorite albums in the thread linked above, but as for single songs, you can't go wrong with one of two versions of "Sleigh Ride" -- either the classic orchestral arrangement complete with that iconic trumpet, or the great Ronettes version on the Phil Spector Christmas album. Actually, the whole Phil Spector album is great -- the Ronettes' "Frosty the Snowman" and the Crystals' "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" are terrific as well.

On preview: a hearty second for "Fairytale of New York." It's touching, in a drunken, angry sort of way.
posted by boomchicka at 1:26 PM on November 20, 2004

Rev. J. M. Gates: Death Might Be Your Santa Claus.
posted by kenko at 1:27 PM on November 20, 2004

Although somewhat cute-sy, Jack Johnson's rendition of "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" comes off as the least annoying version of the song ever done.

And if you happen to be a fan (like me), Bright Eyes' Christmas Album is worth a look... it gets a few spins during the holidays.
posted by rooftop secrets at 1:50 PM on November 20, 2004

I used to make Christmas tapes to send out to friends and family and one of the songs that got the best reaction also happens to be my favorite Christmas song - Stevie Wonder's "One Little Christmas Tree". There's a fine line between hokey and sweet and this song falls on the sweet side.

Other standby's for me are the Ultra Lounge Christmas collections and XTC's two Christmas ditties.
posted by HifiToaster at 2:02 PM on November 20, 2004

I'd have to second the recommendation for Esquivel's "Merry Christmas From the Space-Age." (found on the previous posting of this question.) It's pretty out there, but a nice change from the usual holiday slag.
posted by glyphlet at 2:32 PM on November 20, 2004

Christmas Eve Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and check out the music of Mannheim Steamroller.
posted by redneck_zionist at 2:53 PM on November 20, 2004

The only good contemporary Xmas song is Fairytale of New York.

It's carols all the way for me.
posted by corvine at 3:02 PM on November 20, 2004

Don't forget the animated/stop-motion songs: Fa Hoo Do Ray from Grinch, and the songs from all the Rankin/Bass specials.
posted by amberglow at 3:33 PM on November 20, 2004

"The Christmas Song" as performed by Nat King Cole.
"Little Saint Nick" as performed by the Beach Boys.

Honorable mention to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as performed by the Muppets. (Beaker singing his verse as "me me ME ME me me" always makes me laugh.)
posted by SPrintF at 4:59 PM on November 20, 2004

If you're in a CHRISTMAS OR DIE!!! mood, you can always have a full rendition of Carol of the Bells. Choir AND over-orchestrated orchestra. Yesssssss.
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:12 PM on November 20, 2004

Big yeses to "Fairytale of New York". I also like the Kinks' "Father Christmas" and the Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping".

However, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in the Sidhedevil household without many, many choruses of Tom Lehrer's "A Christmas Carol".
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:38 PM on November 20, 2004

Oh, and "Santa Baby". But only as performed by Eartha Kitt.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:39 PM on November 20, 2004

From my post the other day, I have been rapidly aquiring new xmas tunes (from various sources), which gave me a lot of new material for my already pretty huge xmas music collection. (which, might I add, I usually hide to maintain my hipster membership card).

But seeing as you are only looking for songs - here are my top 10 favorite christmas songs.

1. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love off of the Phil Spector Christmas Album.

2. Maybe This Christms by Ron Sexmith - this song is pretty new, but is destined to be a classic. Nice, mellow vibe, great lyrics:

Maybe this Christmas will mean something more
Maybe this year love will appear
Deeper than ever before
And maybe forgiveness will ask us to call
Someone we love
Someone we’ve lost
For reasons we can’t quite recall

3. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) by the Ramones. This song sounds like it should be on the Phil Spector Christmas album.

4. Do They Know Its Christmas by Band Aid. Have you heard the new version? ugh. This is the real deal. I can never get my fill of this tune.

5. Blue Christmas from Elvis. Elvis' Christmas Album is one of my favorite albums. How many other pop records get played this often, fifty years after being recorded?

6. "Just Like Christmas" by Low. Another "modern" classic.

7. Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John and Yoko (or the newly released version from the Polyphonic Spree which is pretty close to the original, minus Yoko's badly out of tune warble).

8. Feliz Navidad by Boney M. No christmas mix is complete without Boney M.

9. Last Christmas - Wham! Maybe this should be higher, because it is so great, but I just heard a version by Hillary Duff, and it sucked, so here it is at #9.

10. Yamashita Tatsuro's "Christmas Eve" is a christmas pop song sung in Japanese, with random english words thrown in ("christmas gift" and "silent night - oooh - holy night"), plus the middle of the song has this wicked Beach Boys style vocal breakdown. I only have it on Mp3 (found randomly on Soulseek last year)
posted by Quartermass at 6:40 PM on November 20, 2004

"The Night Santa Went Crazy" and "Christmas at Ground Zero" by Wierd AL
posted by Megafly at 7:39 PM on November 20, 2004

Response by poster: THANKS EVERYONE.....

I'm burning up Kazaa Lite as I type!!
posted by keep it tight at 8:23 PM on November 20, 2004

My faves (not mentioned above):

-River, from Joni Mitchell's Blue album.
-Cool Yule, by Louis Armstrong (Can be found on the Serendipity soundtrack)
-Anything from Sinatra's Christmas album
posted by rocket88 at 9:26 PM on November 20, 2004

John McCutcheon's Christmas in the Trenches. Read about the event it's based on here:

On Christmas Day 1914, there were many instances of British and German soldiers emerging from their trenches to fraternize. Commanders on both sides warned that this was never to happen again. But it did happen the next year, on Christmas Day, near the snowy village of Laventie, France, west of Lille. As Mr. Felstead recalled it two years ago, his mortar battalion was shivering in its trenches on Christmas Eve when it heard "All Through the Night" in the German lines 100 yards away. "It wasn't long before we were singing as well, `Good King Wenceslas,' I think it was," he remembered. "You couldn't hear each other sing like that without it affecting your feelings for the other side.

This, however, is not necessarily sparkly fun music. This is music to cry and hug your family by.
posted by weston at 11:49 PM on November 20, 2004

I second Sidhedevil's "Santa Baby" by Eartha. I put together a new Christmas CD for my family a couple of years ago. specifically gearing it towards less well known but good Christmas songs.

The CD was called "Christmas Songs That Don't Suck", a few that I haven't seen here yet, "Sleigh Ride" by Harry Connick Jr., "So This Is Christmas" by John Lennon, "Christmas Day" by Dido and "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey. Oh yeah, and Ray Charles singing "That Spirit of Christmas", that's a nice one too.
posted by fenriq at 12:39 AM on November 21, 2004

"Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey)" by the immortal Lou Monte.

Warning: this will get stuck in your head FOREVER.
posted by jtron at 11:00 AM on November 21, 2004

"It's the most wonderful time of the year" by Andy Williams. It's been a favorite of mine forever, I think probably for the upbeat, sweeping orchestration and the happy lyrics.
posted by thunder at 12:13 PM on November 21, 2004

I have a scratchy copy of Calypso Christmas by the Depaur Chorus that used to be my dad's. It's a holiday tradition for me, but I know better (now) than to force it on my friends and family every year. It's out on cd now. There are other Caribean Christmas compilations out there too.

Also, "Jesus Christ" by Big Star.
"We Free Kings" by Rashaan Roland Kirk
And if you're tired of Christmas cheer, "In the Hot Sun of a Christmas Day" by Caetano Veloso.
posted by hydrophonic at 12:18 PM on November 21, 2004

Oh wow, good one hydrophonic. "We Free Kings" is very fine. I know that calypso record too, it works well for a hot australian christmas.

Two more of my favourites:
"'Zat You Santa Claus?" by Louis Armstrong.
"Here Comes Santa Claus" by Ramsey Lewis.
posted by cleft at 8:36 PM on November 21, 2004

Merry Christmas baby by Charles Brown
posted by kenchie at 3:32 AM on November 22, 2004

'Stupid Bells' by the Handsome Family. ('Christmas is the season / when most folks kill themselves ..')
posted by verstegan at 3:55 AM on November 22, 2004

If you're from Oklahoma, no Xmas mix is complete without the "BC Clark Christmas Jingle."
posted by norm at 3:40 PM on November 22, 2004