# Christmas Songs Where The Original Is Most Popular **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 24, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074 "2014-12-24T00:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/1 "2014-12-24T00:50:14Z")
Often times Christmas songs are covered numerous times as time passes along, new recording artists will give their rendition to old classics. Some singers will pen their own and create a new Christmas standard. With traditional Christmas songs like Jingle Bells, the original is forgotten and one hears instrumentals to vocal versions by different artists. However there are Christmas songs in which the original is the most well known and gets the most radio airplay. 1. Rock Around The Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee 2. Jingle Bell Rock-Bobby Helms 3.Last Christmas-Wham 4.All I Want For Christmas Is You-Mariah Carey 3. Little Saint Nick-Beach Boys 6.Wonderful Christmas Time-Paul McCartney I’m sure there are more, but can you name some? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/2 "2014-12-24T02:15:13Z")
“Happy X-mas (War is Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono “Father Christmas” by the Kinks “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Anymore)” by the Ramones I forget the name of that song by Shane McGowan and Kirsty McColl; maybe “Christmas in New York”? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/3 "2014-12-24T02:50:25Z")
Bing Crosby’s versions of White Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Christmas In Killarney are the ones I really like. Modern covers of these three just don’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/4 "2014-12-24T02:59:24Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > 3.Last Christmas-Wham Yes, thank you for including that one. While it’s not a song I’m particularly fond of (or not fond of either), I absolutely LOATHE the version some pop tart put out a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/5 "2014-12-24T03:22:47Z")
Little Drummer Boy, by the Harry Simeone Chorale ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/6 "2014-12-24T03:33:07Z")
I’m a little hard pressed to name any counter examples. Are there any instances where a remake is better or is generally more preferred? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/7 "2014-12-24T03:47:51Z")
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Nobody will ever do it better than Darlene Love. This year saw the end of an era as she sang this for the last time on the David Letterman show. ---
**Author:** ![Coffeecup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Coffeecup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coffeecup)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/8 "2014-12-24T04:27:31Z")
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” Judy Garland "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) " Nat King Cole ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/9 "2014-12-24T05:46:56Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Little Drummer Boy, by the Harry Simeone Chorale That isn’t the original. The first recording was by the Trapp Family Singers in 1955. [The Little Drummer Boy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Drummer_Boy#1950s) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/10 "2014-12-24T05:53:40Z")
Trapp Family recording [Trapp Family Singers - Carol Of The Drum - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwBSy3dVAKo) The Simeone version is almost identical to the slightly earlier [Jack Halloran version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN2oS1kk5DA). ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/11 "2014-12-24T06:14:33Z")
A few examples: [“I Believe in Father Christmas”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCEdrnaFlY) - Greg Lake [“A Spaceman Came Traveling”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmZg7tvGN9o) - Chris de Burgh [“Stop the Calvary”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hVEdE0O5tA) - Jona Lewie [“Dominick the Donkey”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5rOO2v2dU) - Ray Allen [“Fairytale of New York”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8) - The Pogues [“Merry Christmas from the Family”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P37xPiRz1sg) - Robert Earl Keen [“The Season’s Upon Us”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxYZRAowdzc) - Dropkick Murphys [“Step into Christmas”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fjik78LapA) - Elton John [“Do They Know It’s Christmas?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQzJAKxTrE) - Band Aid To name but a few. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/12 "2014-12-24T06:41:56Z")
Slade - Merry Xmas everybody Mud - Lonely this Christmas ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee7513/32.png) [@Mona\_Lott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lott)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/13 "2014-12-24T14:02:38Z")
Santa Baby–Eartha Kitt. No one has been able to top her version. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/14 "2014-12-24T15:07:35Z")
> [@Mona\_Lott](#): > > Santa Baby–Eartha Kitt. > > No one has been able to top her version. This. The covers range from “meh” to “good lord make it stop”. And whoever changed the lyric to “outer-space convertible” needs to be taken out and flogged. I’d think a convertible would be a really terrible idea for a spacecraft… The Gene Autry version of Rudolph is still the standard, I think. The only place you really hear the Rankin-Bass version is on the special itself. Also, Elvis’s Blue Christmas. The only really stand-out cover is the Bob Rivers Porky Pig one. Bob Rivers is a category unto himself in regard to this question, though. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/15 "2014-12-24T15:12:10Z")
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas–Burl Ives Feliz Navidad–Jose Feliciano ---
**Author:** ![ch51](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ch51/32/3111_2.png) [@ch51](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ch51)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/16 "2014-12-24T16:46:59Z")
2000 miles - pretenders Christmas wrapping - waitresses … There are many more … Unfortunately it’s relative as most radio stations play the same 20 songs over and over and over ;-( ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/17 "2014-12-24T16:59:00Z")
Most of Johnny Mathis’ versions (such as Winter Wonderland) are the preferred ones. Arthur Fiedler’s Boston Pops [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9jKyI6N9rg) of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” is an all-time favorite. [Hey Santa Claus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmGYnR2mWfM), by The Moonglows, although I’m not sure anybody else covered it. [Spirit of Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfLmpKTqugM), Ray Charles ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/18 "2014-12-24T17:04:19Z")
Someday at Christmas - Stevie Wonder ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/19 "2014-12-24T17:54:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Bing Crosby’s versions of White Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, Christmas In Killarney are the ones I really like. Modern covers of these three just don’t sound right. As coffeecup reminds us, Bing’s version of HYaMLC is itself a cover (and I prefer Judy’s original, too). ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074/20 "2014-12-24T18:44:06Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > 4.All I Want For Christmas Is You-Mariah Carey Although legally titles and concepts aren’t protected by copyright, I would argue that morally this is a blatant rip-off of the far superior song of the same name by [Vince Vance and the Valiants](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VkMBi9vvw), released 5 years earlier. It is reportedly the most played Christmas song on country stations, even though it’s more of a 60s girl group style than country. It also gets a lot of play on adult contemporary stations. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-songs-where-the-original-is-most-popular/708074.md?page=2)