And Mom’s cooking collard greens.
Yes, it is that time of year. My annual attempt at putting together a unique Christmas Mix.
You would think it would be easy, but it’s not. I could just list the songs on A Very Merry Christmas and be done with it but that’s just not me.
I like to find music that is off the beaten path and hopefully this list won’t disappoint.
Don’t sue me but this list is a mix of popular stuff and not so popular stuff. Unusual and the typical.
Of course, my first selection is the title track, “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC. As you well know by now, Rap and Hip Hop are not my favorite genres but when a song strikes a chord with me, I don’t care where it came from. Run-DMC should not be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but that doesn’t mean these guys aren’t great. This song in particular expresses a Christmas feeling we may all share but we have never experienced it like these guys. The album it first appeared on, A Very Special Christmas, was in constant rotation at my house during the holidays and this was always my favorite song from that record.
That album may be one of the best Christmas albums ever made. It has some great versions of some old classics, U2’s version of “Christmas(Baby Please Come Home) is stellar and like it or not, Madonna’s version of “Santa Baby” is equally sexy and fun.
The one Christmas song that I love above all others is “Merry Christmas Everybody” by Oasis. I have mentioned this song multiple times and I don’t think there is much else I can say. There are multiple versions of this song but the Oasis version is by far the best.
Another song I have mentioned before is The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York”. It’s a Christmas song that is more like an Irish poem with some subdued orchestration behind it. The Pogues were one of those bands that most people just didn’t get. English and Irish folk tunes put to a more modern arrangement just didn’t catch on, yet I caught this one.
“Christmastime” by The Smashing Pumpkins may be more like a filler song on a good Christmas album but if you really listen to this song, the band does an exceptional version of converting a classic Christmas song to a little bit more modern arrangement.
Last year I reintroduced everyone to Leon Redbone’s Christmas Island album. This guy is an acquired taste for sure but in a good mix, he is the perfect polar opposite to anything you are listening to. “Let It Snow” is a fun version of the classic. Hey, it’s not Christmas without a good Ukulele solo.
Thankfully, I have gotten past my Grinch phase this year but I can never get enough of Thurl Ravenscroft’s version of “Your a Mean One Mr Grinch”. I think this is the original and I have yet to find a better version. The only version that comes close is The Whirling Dervishes version released in 1995.
If you want a great modern version of an old classic, give a listen to Emmaline’s singing of “The Christmas Song”. She has such a sweet voice and this is a jazzier version than most other covers.
How about a really good remake of a really bad Christmas song. The Cocteau twins version of “Frosty The Snowman” rescues that rubble and they turn it into something a little more interesting. I am pretty sure though that the organ part is some two fingered thing on the keyboards that some 11 year old could play, but nevertheless, it’s better than the original for sure.
It can’t be Christmas with some depressing track that will make you want to consider some serious bad options. LCD Soundsystem is one of those bands that was popular but I had never heard of them until I heard this song a few years back. “Christmas Will Break Your Heart” may start out slow and depressing but it actually has a much better message than the title describes. Listen all the way through. It may never be a classic but is certainly is a different type of record for the season.
Don’t laugh but if you of a certain ethnicity and age my next song will ring a bell. This song was played only around the holidays and I am not really sure why it was so popular. It’s a funny song but it is freaking dumb. “Dominic The Donkey” by Lou Monte was a Christmas song for some unknown reason. I throw it in here because I think people should expand their musical horizons to include really really bad songs as well.
My last song of the Holiday mix is bt Beck. This Los Angeles based artist is one of favorites and his ode to Christmas is “The Little Drum Machine Boy”. In typical Beck fashion the song has a weirdly cool beat and it seemingly was put together in an hour on the streets of Los Angeles and maybe a studio in someone’s garage. It is another song that will not become a classic like Lennon’s “So This Is Christmas” but Beck has a message. I have listened to this song 50 times and I still don’t know what it is.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Merry Christmas, great play list.
You are Unbelievable and Lou Monte....oh my, brings me back to my past;) Merry Christmas to You and Your family and thanks to your brother for sparking your music interest!