The Smiley Smile Message Board

I am trying to make a playlist of Christmas songs and was wondering if you all could give me some of your favorites.
So far I have
Purple Snowflakes-Marvin Gaye
Maybe this Christmas-Ron Sexsmith
Baby Please Come Home-DCFC
No Christmas While I'm Talking=Walkmen
Best Coast+Wavves-Got Something for You

So what are you favorite songs?

Weird Al-Xmas at Ground Zero, Blink 182-I Won`t Be Home For Xmas, Barenaked Ladies-Green Xmas and Deck the Stills, Bob Rivers-12 Pains of Xmas

The Trashmen----"Dancin' With Santa"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyo9cuzkjY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyo9cuzkjY)

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues; is essential.

Another left fielder is "How to Make Gravy" by Paul Kelly which hits the right buttons without layin' on the cheese

Bing Crosby - White Christmas,
Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song
Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas, Santa Claus Is Back In Town, Merry Christmas, Baby, The First Noel
Johnny Mathis - Winter Wonderland, Silent Night, Silver Bells, Sleigh Ride
The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick, We Three Kings Of Orient Are, Morning Christmas
Brian Wilson - Joy To The World, What I Really Want For Christmas
Stevie Wonder - Someday At Christmas
Darlene Love - Baby Please Come Home
Jock and Yono - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Jackson 5 - Give Love On Christmas Day
The Moody Blues - What Child Is This?, December Snow, On This Christmas Day, In The Bleak Midwinter
The Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling
Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad
Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock
Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run
Gene Autry - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus
Andy Williams - Happy Holidays, It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
The Pogues/Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York
Elmo and Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Augie Rios - ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?
Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas
Barry Gordon - Nuttin' For Christmas (avoid prolonged exposure, it might lead to homicide)
Roy Orbison - Pretty Paper
Lou Monte - Dominick The Donkey
The Melodeers - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Singing Dogs - Jingle Bells (it has to be heard to be believed)
The Supremes - Twinkle Twinkle Little Me
The Ventures - Sleigh Ride
Perry Como - Home For The Holidays
Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation
Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby
Ray Charles - That Spirit Of Christmas
Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman
Wham! - Last Christmas
Alvin and the Chipmunks - The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
The Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy's Christmas
Spike Jones and his City Slickers - All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
"Weird Al" Yankovic - The Night Santa Went Crazy (extra gory version)

Pretty much everything in TRBB's list, plus I would add

Atlas Eets Christmas by Imagene Piese (The Flaming Lips)
Christmas At the Zoo, Silent Night/Lord Can You Hear Me? by The Flaming Lips
Silent Night by Old Old Old Frank Sinatra.

The kinks- Father Christmas ;D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni04_SF-HRQ

Ha ha  :-D I gotta get that!!! Hoping for some real McCoy this xmas

Just listened to some of Dylan's christmas album. It's amazing, in the sense that he probably rinsed his local off-licence beforehand  ;D

My favorite would be the Ronettes "Sleigh Ride".  I think that stands out as the greatest ever.  

On the other end of the spectrum, I always liked "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses

Just bought the Spector christmas album and i can see why Brian loves it so much. The wall of sound is amazing on this album.

Bing Crosby - Round and Round the Christmas Tree

The Spector Christmas Album
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
David Bowie & Bing Crosby - Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth
Keith Richards - Run Rudolph Run
Wizzard - Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody
John Cale - A Child's Christmas In Wales (it has Christmas in the title so I'm counting it goddammit)

Albums:
The Beach Boys Christmas Album
A Christmas Gift For You
Elvis' Christmas Album
The Ventures Christmas Album
A Charlie Brown Christmas
White Christmas (Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters)

Songs:
A Surfer's Christmas List - The Surfaris
White Christmas - The Drifters
New York's A Lonely Town - The Tradewinds (not technically a Christmas song but I always play it this time of year)
Come Home For Christmas - The Platters


Question: Anyone know if The Wrecking Crew played on other Christmas tunes similar to "A Christmas Gift For You"?  Though I love the BB Christmas album, I think it's kind of a shame that Brian didn't do one or two Wrecking Crew productions for the A side.

It goes under different names but The Four Seasons put out a great Christmas album.

Thanks For Christmas- XTC (aka The Three Wise Men)
A Christmas Love Song- The Manhattan Transfer
What Christmas Means To Me- Stevie Wonder

Merry Christmas!!

Elvis' "I'll be home for christmas" is absolutely brillantly sung. Probably his best vocal performance in the 50s and one of the best this song (which itself is a great composition) has ever known. It's almost on "Are you lonesome tonight"-level

With a mere 32 shopping days to Christmas, here's Adam Faith with a touching if exceedingly brief UK Yuletide #4 from 1960:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_VJhCN3cko

My daughter played "We Three Kings" and "Go Tell it on the Mountain" at her recital yesterday, so today those are my favorites.

In terms of recordings, I used to have "Winter Wonderland" by Jewel on some sort of compilation and I really liked it, despite not being much of a Jewel fan. That same comp had "Let It Snow!" by Chicago, which was good.

Kinks "Father Christmas" has been one of my favorites since I was a kid.

Also, 1/2 of my childhood was in NJ and Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" was played everywhere, so for me it's traditional Christmas music.

Love Christmas music, mostly from the 50's, 60's, and 70's:

- Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
- Johnny Mathis - Sleigh Ride
- Perry Como - Toyland
- Bing Crosby - Do You Hear What I Hear
- Nat "King" Cole - Caroling, Caroling
- Percy faith - We Need A Little Christmas
- Frank Sinatra - Christmas Memories
- Mario Lanza -  O Come All Ye Faithful
- Mantovani - Christmas Bells
- Tony Bennett -  My Favorite Things
- David Rose - The Christmas Tree
- Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmastime Is Here
- Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas
- The Moody Blues - December Snow
- Ella Fitzgerald - The Secret Of Christmas
- Jack Jones - Sleigh Ride
- The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman
- Bert Kaempfert - Jingo Jango
- Canadian Brass - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Roger Whittaker - Ding Dong Merrily On High
- Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody
- The Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy & The Red Baron's Christmas
- Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas
- Dan Fogelberg - Snowfall
- John Denver - Silent Night
- Mitch Miller - Must Be Santa
- The Beach Boys - Winter Symphony
- Linda Ronstadt - River
- Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme - That Holiday Feeling
- Mel Torme - The Christmas Song
- Henry Mancini - Carol For Another Christmas

Classic
Christmas Song - Nat 'King' Cole

Upbeat
Little Saint Nick - Beach Boys
Sleigh Ride- Ronettes

Slow/Soulful
Please Come Home for Christmas- Charles Brown
Merry Christmas Darling - Carpenters

Meditative
Christmas Lullaby- Doc Watson
Lullaby - Dave Brubeck

And an album- Duke Ellington's incredible take on The Nutcracker Suite

My all time favourite Christmas album is the Carpenters Christmas Portrait ...

OK. I love the Nutcracker and I love Duke Ellington, so why has Duke Ellington's take on the Nutcracker Suite never entered my life until now? Shopping time!

I have a soft spot for this ultra-cheezy take on the Festive Season by, of all people, The Trashmen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llyo9cuzkjY

I'll be breaking out the Xmas music on Friday.  I always wait until after Thanksgiving.

My favorite Xmas album of all time is

The Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve and Other Stories.  - I typically listen to this album at least five times every December. 

The Beach Boys Christmas Album is a close second.  It was actually the first BB album I ever bought.

One I just got last year that I really like is Blackmore's Night - Winter Carols.  I'm a huge fan of Deep Purple and Rainbow, and I haven't really embraced Ritchie's medieval body of work over the last 18 years.  But the medieval type music works well for the Xmas season. 

Really wish Rumor would put out a Christmas release. 

On a past list one of you said Eddy Arnold"s Christmas Can't be Far Away.  What a great song!

Lennon's. That one never really gets old for me.

Yes!!  That's my favorite Christmas song of all time, and many times the first and last Xmas song I listen to during the season.   

I'll list a few favorites. Albums and songs.

Albums

A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records
Elvis' Christmas Album
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
Andy Williams' Christmas Album
Bing Crosby - The Voice of Christmas (compilation)
Bobby Vinton - A Very Merry Christmas
The Carpenters - Christmas Portrait
David Lanz - Christmas Eve
Dean Martin - A Winter Romance
Frank Sinatra - Christmas Songs by Sinatra
George Winston - December
Johnny Mathis - Merry Christmas
The Moody Blues - December
Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song
Ray Conniff - Christmas with Conniff and We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Straight No Chaser - Christmas Cheers
Tony Bennett - Snowfall The Christmas Album
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve and Other Stories
Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas

Songs

Barry Gordon - Nuttin' for Christmas
Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock (also Hall & Oates' version)
Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Bruce Springsteen - Merry Christmas Baby (also Charles Brown's and Elvis' versions)
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa
David Essex - A Winter's Tale
Donny Hathaway - This Christmas
The Drifters - White Christmas (also Otis Redding's and the Supremes' version)
The Echelons - A Christmas Long Ago (Jingle, Jingle)
Ed Ames - O Come All Ye Faithful
Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Christmas
The Jackson 5 - Give Love On Christmas Day
The Kinks - Father Christmas
Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'
Marvin Gaye - I Want to Come Home for Christmas
Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation
The Melodeers - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (also Gene Autry's version)
Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York
Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)
Roger Miller - Old Toy Trains
Run-D.M.C. - Christmas in Hollis
Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Deck the Halls/Bring a Torch Jeannette Isabella
Stan Freberg - Green Chri$tma$ (not really a song, but it's a classic)
Stevie Wonder - Someday At Christmas
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Christmas At Ground Zero
Wham! - Last Christmas
Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

I love the Slade and Wizzard songs.  I'd never heard them at all until I got a used copy of a UK CD released in 1986 called "Now That's What I Call Music - The Christmas Compact Disc." 

Those songs seem to be standards in the UK, but not so much here in the States.

Also, worth checking out, but I think it's out of print.  The Fab Four.  A Beatles tribute act what put out a 2 CD set of Xmas songs mashed up with Beatles songs.  Here's an example of a mashup of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with I Saw Her Standing There. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTIiVdPlzE&list=PLRHO804pIjJLetePkXPRABRtp8Wt8DBbx

The Slade and Wizzard tunes are total Spectoresque awesomeness.

Songs
Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Jethro Tull - Solstice Bells
Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Christmas
Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo
Kate Bush - December Will Be Magic Again
Dennis Wilson - Morning Christmas
The Pretenders - 2000 Miles (little known fact, this song is actually about The Kinks' Ray Davies)

You can't beat the Phil Spector and Four Seasons Christmas albums. I have the two Carpenters Christmas albums en route from Amazon - can't wait.

That is news to me.  Interesting tidbit.  Thanks.

I'm not a big Pretenders fan, but I do really like that song. 

You're welcome. They were married at the time and Chrissie wrote it because he was away at Christmas time on tour and she was missing him.

Now on to the X-Mas songs that make me want to smash up the radio every December...

Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime
The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York
Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody
The Darkness - Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)
Chris Rea - Driving Home for Christmas
John & Yoko - Merry Xmas (War is Over..)
Any version of Band Aid -  Do They Know it's Christmas?

We'll have to agree to disagree on Paul, John, Slade, The Darkness, and Band Aid.

Although, I will admit that the McCartney and Band Aid songs are WAY overplayed. 

Oddly enough, this is the only time of year that The Beach Boys are featured heavily on FM radio on the Baltimore market.

Dylan - It Must Be Santa and Christmas Island
Brian - Winter Symphony
Jethro Tull - Solstice Bells
Dennis - Morning Christmas
Carl - Goin' South
Paul Simon - Gettin' Ready for Christmas Day
S & G - Hazy Shade of Winter
Donald Fagen - Snowbound
Herbie Hancock and Corinne Bailey Rae - River
Aimee Mann - Winter Wonderland
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
The Roches - Hallelujah
The Boys - Our Prayer
Ron Sexsmith - Maybe This Christmas
Rufus Wainwright - Wjat are you doing New Year's Eve
Lindisfarne - Lady Eleanor (there should always be a ghost story at Christmas)

Luckily, being in America, Slade escapes pretty much all airplay, so we're not inundated with Merry Xmas Everybody every year. Of course, one could probably count on one hand the amount of American Slade fans under the age of thirty. :lol

Agree on John & Yoko and Band Aid.

I should clarify that I think Fairytale of New York is a great song. However, in the UK it is played an absurd amount over the Christmas period. After 30 odd years you sorta get sick of it.

Wham's Last Christmas is completely overplayed but it's one of those songs I just never get tired of. It's just a perfect pop song. Great arrangement, melody, George Michael at the beginnings of his vocal peak...classic pop music.

I went through a change of heart with overplayed Christmas songs. There was a time when I could do without every station playing "Wonderful Christmastime", "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)", Springsteen's "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", Band Aid, Wham, and many of the other ones mentioned above. But, as I got older, I got more sentimental, and that's what Christmas music is about - or at least one of its qualities - sentimentality. Now I accept them and kind of embrace them. Think about it. It wouldn't really seem like Christmas if you didn't hear them! :-D   

You are 100% right. 

Kind of a hidden gem. 

John Williams wrote a piece called Star of Bethlehem for the movie Home Alone in 1990. 

The piece is used in the score throughout the movie, and as a church hymn. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6agPlIt8uc

I've been listening to some Johnny Cash Christmas songs. 

I love his version of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. 

Nice to see this thread active. Anyway, I listened randomly to various Christmas songs on youtube & this is new favorite not mentioned by any: Gene Autry Merry Texas Christmas Y'all (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGs1BaA7co)

Ole fav. are the usual Shakin' Stevens' "Merry Christmas Everyone", Randy Travis' "Jingle Bell Rock", Cyndi Lauper's "Early Christmas Morning", Kirsty/Pogues, Chris Rea's "Driving Home for Christmas" etc.

Every once in a while, I enjoy the Mojo Nixon versions.

"We Three Kings":    http://youtu.be/Zt_xxmf_-cs
"Sleigh Ride":    http://youtu.be/DY3NPHdijcM
"Jingle Bells":    http://youtu.be/XYZW3cy7b_c

Hey, thanks for mentioning Good King Wenceslas! I like this cover best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7dcxeCg6ss (by SgtTimBob. He posts here)

Ignorant me, I thought it's original song, then he said it's traditional. Either way, it is my holiday favorite.

Blackmore's Night does a good version of this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKVU8BoKLMQ

Someone finally mentioned The Roches. Check out their Christmas album "We Three Kings ". It's great.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The Annie Moses Band

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gSNEiiH-gzk

The Darlene Love classic songs from the Spector Xmas album an more recent stiff with e street band and little steven.

I saw the Darlene Love Christmas show at the Howard Theater in Washington DC  this past Saturday nite.    drove 7 hours to get there.   worth every penny and every mile.   I '  m still reeling from it!

Are you referring to the Darlene Love song "Alone on Christmas" that was done with the E Street band for the Home Alone 2 soundtrack?  I love that song.  They really capture the Spector sound.   

Yes.  and her new CD Introducing Darlene Love features all new productions bt Steve van zandt and a song by Bruce.   Great sound.  Better than Phil Spector imo




quote author=KDS link=topic=11786.msg552613#msg552613 date=1450717107]

Are you referring to the Darlene Love song "Alone on Christmas" that was done with the E Street band for the Home Alone 2 soundtrack?  I love that song.  They really capture the Spector sound.  
[/quote]

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in the Joey Ramone version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PRRyhDUNQ0).  :rock

Never know that existed, but I do love The Ramones song Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight). 

I think my all-time favourite Christmas song would be Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by Cyndi Lauper and Frank Sinatra. So clever and so good, her vocals just kill me. Actually, the whole Very Special Chrismas v2 album is such a great compilation.

Also, not favourites, but thought I'd put this here, since I came across it on my Twitter feed...

Beatles Fan Club Christmas Singles:
http://www.thatericalper.com/2016/12/10/listen-to-all-the-beatles-christmas-singles-club-1963-1969/

This is what a full Beatles Christmas album might've sounded like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPVkBVTFxiU&list=PLF970C744C4FCFA98

Cyndi is great singer. Did you listen to "Early Christmas Morning"? The groovy 3:42 version. In my Top 10 favorites.

I haven't yet, but I will! Sounds like something I'd enjoy.

Bookmarked for my lunch break :)

Atlas Eets Christmas by the Flaming Lips and Plastic Ono Band

Sean Lennon wrote the great outro. Give it a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paR5E5PSSs4