Favorite Christmas Songs

Here in the Chicago area (and most likely everywhere else) Christmas music is already playing on the radio. 93.9 is all Christmas music, but 100.3 is doing something different this year by only having every OTHER song be a Christmas song---their regular music is mixed in with the Christmas songs.

I'm not how long this pattern will last, say after a certain date in December will they play exclusively Christmas songs? Regardless, I love this idea, and I think it's something that a lot more Christmas song stations should adapt to. There are several stations I know of that don't play exclusive Christmas music during the season that swap a few Christmas songs in. I love this idea. Good job, 100.3.

Everyone has their favorite Christmas songs, ranging from carols and hymns to classic rock re-works. Three guesses which genre I gravitate towards. 

So, without further adieu, here is my list of favorite Christmas songs. I'm too lazy to decide ranking, so the numbers don't really mean anything. 

1. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" -Darlene Love

I love Motown, that's a fact. And this song is wonderful. Darlene Love first recorded this song in 1963 and has sang it every year on David Letterman for the last 28 years. 2014 will be the last year (thanks Gretchen Unico for this heartbreaking reminder.) This only makes me want to listen to it 100 more times. 

2. "Last Christmas" -Florence and the Machine

There's about 100 different versions of "Last Christmas"---the original Wham!, Taylor Swift, Jimmy Eat World, Glee, Ariana Grande, Cascada, Hilary Duff, even an Arctic Monkeys (i don't like them AT ALL) version thrown in at the end of "Fluorescent Adolescent" at a 2009 gig. I think they're all great. But Florence's version, recorded at BBC Radio one also in 2009, is just amazing. Simple, acoustic,beautiful-ness.

3. "Little Saint Nick" -The Beach Boys

My dad hates this song so much, so I love to make fun of him and say it's his favorite Christmas song. That's all I really have to say about this. BUT I LOVE IT!

4. "Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World)" 
-Band Aid

U2. Spandau Ballet. Duran Duran. Sting. Midge Ure. Paul Weller. Phil Collins. Bananarama. Boy George. David Bowie. WHAT.IS.NOT.TO.LOVE? Apparently a lot. Matt Springer of Ultimate Classic Rock named this song the #4 Worst Christmas Song. Aside from one of my facebook friends, I had no idea that anyone hated this song. But Springer makes a really good point: "It's also incredibly condescending, as a parade of rich, white British musicians over-sing in an effort to make themselves feel better about snorting coke and drinking wine while people on the other side of the world starve to death." He makes a good point.

I still love it though.

Bonus: so 2014 was the 30th anniversary of this song's release, so "Band Aid 30" was developed with British pop acts like Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith, Olly Murs, Ed Sheeran, and One Direction bringing their styles to this classic tune,

It sucks.

5. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) -John Lennon

I realize that the tone of this blog post is primarily "this song is so great i love it how can you not omg" but this really applies for this song. Even with the atrocity of Yoko, it's JOHN LENNON. Such a beautiful, evocative song.

American English, proclaimed by Newsweek as "the best Beatles band on the planet," also does a spectacular cover of this song. There is no better John than Mr. Young Hines. Period.

6. "Jingle Bell Rock" -Hall and Oates

So I just found out this version was by Hall and Oates. SO ashamed. I have no idea who I thought it was, but I definitely didn't think it was them. There's something special about these 70s & 80s tv specials and I wish they still made them. Kind of. 

"John Oates' "acting" is my favorite part of the video." -Gretchen Unico