Since Thanksgiving I have been indulging in one of my favorite holiday pastimes - listening to Christmas music (thanks, Majic 95.5) nonstop. This love for Christmas music developed some time while I was in college. Probably the long drives home to San Antonio over Christmas break or something. But, the caveat to all of this holiday music is that there is much good as there is bad. Since yesterday, I have mainly been hearing bad. Here are my thoughts...
#1 - Did you know Bryan Adams has a Christmas song? I am not generally opposed to Bryan Adams - I'm definitely a sucker for "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," but this particular song just sounds like a Bryan Adams song with the word Christmas thrown in the chorus. Who wants to listen to that like it's a special occasion?
#2 - What did "O Holy Night" ever do to you Martina McBride? I know you like to yell and call it singing, but to do an a capella version of this song like you're God's gift to serious Christmas music? I don't think so. Plus Amy Grant has already cornered the market on scoopy-singing Christmas songs.
#3 - In the same vein, Celine Dion and "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" - not so happy. She tries to take the song the serious route, which the song deserves, but relegates the children/Yoko chorus line ("War is over, if you want it, war is over now") to faint background noise. THIS IS A MAJOR PART OF THE MESSAGE OF THE SONG. Don't pretty it up, lady, this song needs to be a little messy.
#4 - If you have to have only one tropical holiday song on your Christmas/Holiday Mix, do yourself a favor and include "Mele Kalikimaka" rather than "Christmas Island." It seemed like lazy writing and didn't have a fun island feel like ol' "Mele" does when Bing sings it. Trust me on this one. Side note - I just googled the song title to get some more info on it - there are no less than FIVE ACTUAL Christmas Islands. Insane. And, of course, Jimmy Buffett recorded the song on his album of the same name. Should have seen that one coming.
I'm sure you're thinking, "Maggie, I thought you said you liked Christmas music..." Yes, yes, we're getting to that. Following is my ultimate Holiday mix with preferred or alternate versions. Maybe a little commentary, too.
* "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams - this is a non-negotiable. It must open the mix (and the whole Christmas season, for that matter) and it must only be the Andy Williams version. Amy Grant made a good effort, but doesn't capture the unbridled joy that Andy brings. No order from here on out.
* "Merry Christmas Baby" by Christina Aguilera and Dr. Jon - This bluesy Christmas song is incredible, I actually saw them perform it on Letterman once. It is a great melding of Christina's best, vampy vocal stylings and Dr. Jon's dirty swamp music. You just feel loose all over and ready to get "lit up like a Christmas tree..."
* "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland - Christina does a wicked cover of this as well, but in order to infuse some variety, we'll go with classic Judy. Plus her original version captures a little bit of the sadness of it's place in the movie, which I think is appropriate. I'm also a little partial to the way Kelly Osbourne sang it on her family's Christmas special, don't have a recording of it, though.
* "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey - we'll keep on the diva track, although I don't feel the need to explain the need for including this song. It is obviously awesome.
* "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" by Gayla Peevey - "only a hippopotamus will do"
* "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant - back in my younger days I used to sing this at church each Christmas Eve.
* "Oi! To the World" by No Doubt - this is actually a cover of a Vandals song, but I'm not really interested in the original. Now No Doubt has a song for all seasons, not that that would stop me in the first place.
* "Father Christmas" by Save Ferris - a little dramatic, but maybe especially poignant this particular holiday season (sample lyric - 'give my daddy a job 'cause he needs one, he's got lots of mouths to feed').
* "Carol of the Meows" by Guster - featured on a Chrismakkuh episode of "The OC" in 2004, this song immediately became a Holiday Mix staple. It is 1.5 minutes of "Carol of the Bells" in meows. By a human. You're welcome.
* "Maybe this Christmas" by Ron Sexsmith
* "Winter Wonderland" by Phantom Planet, my dad likes to sing it the way it was sung on the tv show "Evening Shade" - 'later on we'll prespire' (rather than conspire) and 'walking in my winter underwear.'
* "Blue Christmas" by Bright Eyes - I do like the Elvis version, but you just know Conor Oberst had a blue Christmas at one point and it was bleak. There is also a really pretty rendition of "The First Noel" on this cd that I would maybe include as well.
* "Fairytale of New York" by Pilate - word on the street is the original version of this song by the Pogues is ridiculous, but I've never heard it. If it's better than this one, I would switch it out.
* "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Pedro the Lion
* "Baby It's Cold Outside" by Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone - another great version is done by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison (sample line, "but Kelly it's cold outside," so cute!), so with that thought...
* "Santa Baby" by Kelly Willis - my mom's favorite version is by Art Alexakis of Everclear, although Eartha Kitt's rendition is nothing to sneeze at either.
* "Merry Christmas from the Family" by Robert Earl Keen - 'CAUSE WE ALL WANT ONE!! This is another non-negotiable.
* "Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer" by Peggy Lee - on an old Christmas mixtape I remember listening to while riding back and forth to grandparents' houses.
* "Christmas Coming to the USA" from SNL - still a good listen even if you can't see Tracy Morgan dancing.
* "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano
* "Bizarre Christmas Incident" by Ben Folds
* "If You Were Born Today" by Jimmy Eat World, plus there's "12/23/95," so hard to pick just one Jimmy Eat World song, thus the difficult part of the list...
* "Last Christmas" - honestly my favorite version is the Jimmy one, but the mix already has at least two Jimmy songs...the Wham version is pretty good, it's on Taylor Swift's Christmas cd, what's a girl to do?
* "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - this will be a shocker for those who know me well, but my favorite version of this song is the one done by U2. I know, that's crazy, I hate U2, but it's just good. Great singing, emotion, orchestration, background vocals, all enjoyable. Runners-up - Death Cab for Cutie.
* "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" - gotta bring it full circle, guys! Best version, hands down, still the original version by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. However, I implore you to give these other versions a listen: Street Drum Corps featuring Bert McCracken from The Used and the cover by the Polyphonic Spree.
Did I miss any of your Christmas favorites?
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