I must admit, I love Christmas music. No, I don’t love it blaring over department store Muzaks in September, but during the Christmas season, I love it. Here’s a list of my favorite Christmas songs, and a list of Christmas songs I’d just as soon see disappear from the face of the earth.
Favorites Jesu Bambino This has been my favorite for a number of years now. It’s usually played as an instrumental, although there are words for it. The best performance I’ve heard of it was by Liberace, believe it or not. The Holly and the Ivy One I could never grow tired of. I wanted my office Christmas choir to add this to the list, but got turned down. Ah well. Ding Dong Merrily on High Another English song I just love. The Carol of the Bells Beautiful as an instrumental, and spectacular with a good choir singing it. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Angels We Have Heard on High Mary’s Boy Child My mother was a huge fan of Harry Belafonte, and his version of this song was her favorite Christmas tune. I have heard many people perform this song, but none better than HB. Jingle Bell Rock My kids and I sing this all the time. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer You just gotta love a song that wonders aloud whether they should open and keep the gifts for their departed grandmother or return them for cash. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming Silent Night Do You Hear What I Hear? Least Favorites The Little Drummer Boy Even worse, I have a copy of this song sung by Johnny Cash.
Two fairly recent songs have planted themselves firmly in my list of lousy Christmas music. One was played quite a bit two years ago, but I don’t recall the title. It was sung by a young boy and the only words I remember were “Warm and fuzzy time of the year.” It was like drinking liquified sugar. Another one I heard last year was about a kid wanting to buy shoes for his mother who was dying (going to meet Jesus, according to the song). Calculated tugs on the heart strings.
O Come Emmanuel
O Come All Ye Faithful
Of the Father’s Love Begotten (nobody knows this one; it’s in the Episcopal hymnal, but not in the Baptist or Lutheran hymnals)
Favorite: Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I love this song, especially the “Charlie Brown Christmas Special” version (“doo doo dooooo, doo doo doo dooooo doo…”). Let It Snow. Frosty the Snowman. Christmas in Hollis, by Run-DMC. It’s Christmas time in Hollis, Queens!
Least favorite: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Ugh. I hate this song.
And there’s this one song by Alvin and the Chipmunks that’s also horrible. I can’t remember the name of it, but there’s a line sung by one of the little castratos that goes “I just want a huuuula-hoooop!” or something. Bleagh.
Favorite:[ul][li]Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song. I love the whole album.[/li][li]Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. I’d be hard pressed to pick a particular song. Listening to this brings back wonderful childhood memories.[/li][li]Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love. Again, I love the whole Phil Spector album. And I always hope to catch her on Letterman’s show each year singing this.[/li][li]Away in a Manger - Tammy Wynette on The Ronco Pop-Up Christmas Album. We had this album growing up, and it really is pretty bad, but again, associated with good memories. All the kids used to sing along with Tammy.[/li][/ul]
I’m hard pressed to pick the worst. I’d have to say Barbra Streisand’s annoying rendition of Jingle Bells (J-J-J-Jingle Bells) is right up there, though.
Fav-
Sleigh Ride - the Boston Pops
Christmas Bells - John Gorka
Carol of the Bells - almost anyone with talent enough to perform it well
Hark the Herald Angles Sing - Take 6
Least Fav-
Gradma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
We have the Jingle Cats which is horrible
My absolute favorite is Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I love most of the CD (Christmas Eve & Other Stories, if you’re interested), but this song is so moving. Very interesting style, too. Not terribly traditional. Makes a nice change.
My least favorite is whatever my brother and sister love. I prefer instrumental music (Mannheim Steamroller!). They like all of those irritating songs that get morphed into Muzak.
jessica
Disclaimer: I’m nonreligious, especially in the Christian way. I hate most Christmas carols…probably not so much for the songs themselves, but for the fact that they’re played to death for a month.
Favorite:* Happy Xmas (War Is Over)* John Lennon, et al
Least favorite: I gotta go with Little Drummer Boy, too…although Jingle Bells is right up there.
Ah, yes, I posted this song in another Xmas fav’s some time ago, but since it is my favorite:
** Stop the Cavalry** by The Korry Band
I believe it’s played only here in Seattle on KSLY, an adult contemporary station. It’s not Xmas until I hear this song.
Other great songs:
Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree
Jingle Bell Rock
Sleigh Ride
Little Drummer Boy
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Least favorite: Anything about Santa Claus
Favorite: O Holy Night, especially sung by a boy’s choir.
O Holy Night captures the awe and wonder of a dying world, a coming Messiah, and an angel choir. In contrast, something like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” seems like drivel designed to make you lie to your children and stand in line for whatever toy they demand this year.
I lurve Christmas music. I loave it! I own over 30 albums of it. My favorite album is Emmylou Harris’s “Light of the Stable.” I think the worst is “Steel Guitar Christmas.”
Even though I’m an agnostic, I love Christmas carols. I’m a sucker for beautiful lyrics.
Favorite:
“Carol of the Bells”
“I Saw Three Ships” as sung by Marianne Faithfull on the Chieftains’ Bells of Dublin CD.
“O Come O Come Emmanuel”
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
“What Child is This”
“The Little Drummer Boy” On the one hand, I just like the idea of a child offering up whatever it can for a baby. On the other, I can’t help but think the idea of Mary enduring a drum solo after giving birth in a stable is perversely funny.
Song that can be banished from the earth (in my opinion):
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
“Jingle Bell Rock”
Favorites:
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Carol of the Bells
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
O Holy Night
Do You Hear What I Hear?
O Little Town of Bethlehem
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Tom Lehrer’s Christmas song (can’t remember the name of it)
Least Favorites:
Jingle Bell Rock
Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys
All I Want for Christmas (is My Two Front Teeth)
In general, I like more traditional, “majestic-sounding” Christmas carols and don’t care for the silly kid-oriented ones (though there are exceptions both ways–for example, I don’t mind the Chipmunks song or Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. )
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