It is that time of year, the Christmas season, and that means that I have to hear the same bad songs over and over again on the car radio. I don't know how many more times I can listen to Mariah Carey mangling Christmas songs.
 |
| "No more Mariah Carey...I'm losing my will to live! |
So without much further ado, here are my 12 worst Christmas songs, a sort of Twelve Daze of Christmas if you will.
- Last Christmas (I gave you my heart) - George Michael & Wham
- All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
- Dominick the Donkey - by ?
- Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt, I think
- Santa Lost A Ho - by ?
- Jingle Bell Rock - various artists
- Have a Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - by ?
- Christmas (Baby Come Home) - Mariah Carey
- Frosty the Snowman - Jimmy Durante version
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Michael Jackson
- Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney
I have noticed for quite a few years that the radio stations minimize the playing of any songs that mention Jesus or Christ, that is, the whole reason that we have a Christmas in the first place. On Christmas Eve, they grant us a concession and play the traditional Christmas songs and carols.
I think that radio stations buy "canned programing" and so every station plays songs from the same list. Presumably, their songs have been tested and polled for popularity and so that is why they are on the play list, for good or for bad.
The problem is, there are fewer and fewer people that are even aware of some of the old popular Christmas carols for the simple matter that they don't hear them on the radio. So Millenials and following generations can only vote on the same bad songs as the most popular and listened to songs.
Here are twelve of my favorite Christmas songs that hopefully will get all of those bad songs, on my list above, out of your memory.
- White Christmas
- Silent Night
- O' Come All Ye Faithful
- Sleigh Ride
- Here We Come a Caroling
- Oh Christmas Tree
- Good King Wenceslas
- The Christmas Song (chestnuts roasting on an open fire)
- Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
- Oh Holy Night
- Walking Through a Winter Wonderland
- I Saw Three Ships A Sail One Day
Merry Christmas everybody.
Agreed on Mariah Carey. I've never understood her appeal in general. The Christmas Waltz, I heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and The Holly and the Ivy are three of my favorites that I wish we heard more of. Silent Night is another I love, in English, German, or Norwegian. It's a beautiful melody regardless of the precise language. There are a number o traditional carols I can barely make it through during Christmas Eve services because they are so beautiful that I start crying while standing there trying to sing along with the choir and rest of the congregation.
ReplyDeleteBest Regards,
Stokes
"Here we come a-wassailing"; actually.
ReplyDeleteGrandma Got Rune Over by a Reindeer, any song that is just cats or dogs meowing or barking, songs that overly overtly stress sentiment (like Christmas Shoes or the one about the soldier and Santa). Nothing against grandmothers, cats, dogs, soldiers, or shoes.
ReplyDeleteI'll take Paul McCartney, or even Mariah Carey over any of those! :P
White Christmas by Bing Crosby is a must , I do like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen as it has a Dickensian feel to it .
ReplyDeleteI am completely with you on this, Sir!
ReplyDeleteWe have a stack of Christmas CDs 2 or 3 feet high. Everything from Bing Crosby to Gwen Stefani depending on our mood.
ReplyDeleteThere are different versions of the same songs, some I like some I don't.
I agree with Fitz-Badger however.
Good thing you're not round my house then. I think, looking at your list, I could change your mind. Right now it's AVery Metal Christmas on the playlist - Christmas songs sung by Heavy Metal bands. Love it. Mind I do like going to Christmas Carols at midnight too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of your lists, perhaps adding Madonna's "Santa Baby" to the worst list, and "I'll be home for Christmas" to the best list (provided they get the lyrics right - it's "you can PLAN on me", not "you can count on me", and "presents ON the tree" instead of "UNDER the tree"). Geesh, even James Taylor mangled the poor song. Have a very Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteGidday, Jim, and Merry Christmas to you, your loved ones and all your "Readers"! I'm with you on the awful "Musac" noise at the shopping centres, etc.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favourite is Silent Night (more correctly, Stille Nacht, in this case) sung by Elizabeth Schwarzkopf & choir..absolutely spine tingling. It was a recording my parents had, and has amazing sentiment for me. My other favourite is Handel's Messiah! I suppose I really am an 18th Century guy at heart! :-D
The older I get, the more I appreciate the traditional religious Christmas carols.
ReplyDelete"Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of Earth,
Born to give us second birth"
gave me goosebumps the other day.