P-Boi Forum: Top 50 Holiday Songs

[soda]

Specifically, my voted #1 was for the Frank Sinatra version of Jingle Bells that starts with the chorus singing "I love those J-I-N-G-L-E bells-- OH!"

I love that version.
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[Lindy]

15. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms -84 points
(7 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #2 n88n8888)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfbz489xShc

Jingle Bell Rock was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957 and has received frequent airplay during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was written by Joe Beal & Jim Boothe. It has gone on to sell 100 million copies.

It has been performed by many, but Helms' version is the best-known. Its title and some of its lyrics are takeoffs on the old Christmas standard, "Jingle Bells". It also makes brief references to other popular songs of the 1950s, such as "Rock Around the Clock", and mentions going to a "Jingle hop". An electric guitar can be heard playing the first notes to the chorus from the aforementioned "Jingle Bells".

Despite being titled a Jingle Bell "Rock", Helms' version of the song was performed in the crossover style known as Rockabilly, and to modern ears it sounds a lot more "Country" than it does "Rock and Roll".

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air.

[emily]

[B]

While I'm thinking of it, the second worst Christmas song ever is the Destiny's Child version of "Deck the Halls" where Beyonce cannot sing "fa la la la la, la la la la" to the music and it ends up sounding like "falalla la lalla lalla lalla loooo."

My Christmas wish for next year: women stop trying to prove to me that they are "just like Aretha Franklin" in every goddamn song on the radio

[emily]

Yeah, I think that fact that modern female vocalists can't cover a classic without Christina Aguileraing all over it is the reason there are relatively few "modern" interpretations that people enjoy. Most the people I know much prefer Christmas songs as done by your Frank Sinatras or your Rosemary Clooneys, as opposed to like, Jessica Simpson and her melisma of the apocalypse. I guess Michael Buble is kind of the gray area. But that last sentence gave me the opportunity to say "Buble" and then giggle at my computer. BUBLE!

[soda]

I think there are still some MOR performers that do good Christmas renditions, they are just the kind of artists that my parents are listening to as opposed to what my generation is listening to. In addition to adding the Sufjan Stevens box set to the same Frank Sinatra album we listen to every year, I also played the Diana Krall and Aimee Mann Christmas albums during our festivities this morning and I thought both were good.
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[Nicholas]

[Lindy]

14. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland -91 points
(7 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #4 Greg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLftHHyRras

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and made famous by Judy Garland in the 1944 film "Meet Me in St. Louis". The movie chronicles the change in seasons and times of St. Louis including the Christmas season. In the famous scene, Garland sings the tearful tune to child star Margaret O'Brien. The melancholy tune and lyrics were originally even more somber but were adapted by the song writers to the current version at Garland's request.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
Next year,
All our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
Will be near to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow.
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

[Lindy]

13. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano-94 points
(9 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #11 Ragingape, Sami)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIgq8JKQaPs

"Feliz Navidad" is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish language chorus and equally simple English verse it has become a classic Christmas pop song in the USA and throughout the Spanish-speaking world. In the song's original recording, Feliciano plays a Puerto Rican cuatro in the background.

Billy T James recorded a parody of the song with the refrain, 'I wanna wish you a Maori Christmas'.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Prospero año y Felicidad

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

[Lindy]

12. Carol of the Bells - Traditional -106 points
(7 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #1 Sami, Greg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPCLg7aYIM0

The song is originally a Ukrainian folk song that was written as a winter well-wishing song. "Shchedryk" "tells the tale of a swallow flying into a household to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have." The title is derived from the Ukrainian word for "bountiful." In Ukraine, the song is sung on the eve of the Julian New Year (January 13th). One popular (but inaccurate) interpretation is that the original Ukrainian song is based on an old Slavic legend that every bell in the world rang in honor of Jesus on the night of his birth. It is somewhat unusual among Christmas carols for its minor key, fast pace (the lyrics are sung very quickly, often to the point of being difficult to understand) and brevity.

The carol has been widely used in advertising, and humorous versions of it have appeared on South Park, Family Guy and Saturday Night Live. One famous use is in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, when the child Kevin McCallister is setting traps to catch the inept thieves Marv and Harry.

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,

Ding dong ding dong
that is their song
with joyful ring
all caroling

[Lindy]

11. Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC -120 points
(8 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #5 B, RobotConspiracy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ufRrgnSEdU

"Have you got any Christmas music?"

"This IS Christmas music."

It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens
Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens
Rice and stuffing, macaroni and cheese
And Santa put gifts under Christmas trees
Decorate the house with lights at night
Snow's on the ground, snow white so bright
In the fireplace is the yule log
Beneath the mistle toe as we drink egg nog
The rhymes you hear are the rhymes of Darryl's
But each and every year we bust Chrsitmas carrols

[Lindy]

I need to do a top 10 recount because of computer issues (mostly that I can't remember the scores and highest places on lists). I'll have the rest up today though, I promise.
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[Shamrock]

Ha, 4 highest rankings and counting. I'm really glad I ranked Christmas in Sarajevo highest, though I'm surprised What's This? didn't make it higher. I figured that would be top ten easy.
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[Lindy]

10. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues -122 points
(7 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #1 Shamrock, White Panther, Robot Conspiracy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JMmkacR768

"Fairytale of New York" is a popular Christmas song by Irish folk-rock group The Pogues in the style of an Irish folk ballad. It features British singer Kirsty MacColl. The song features two Irish immigrants, lovers or ex-lovers, their youthful hopes all but crushed by alcoholism and drug addiction, reminiscing and bickering on Christmas Eve in New York City. MacColl's melodious singing contrasts with the harsh sound of MacGowan's voice and the lyrics which are sometimes bittersweet, sometimes plain bitter.

Despite the lyrics "The boys of the NYPD choir were singing 'Galway Bay'", the New York Police Department does not have a choir, though they do have a Pipes and Drums unit that is featured in the video for the song.

The song's music video features actor Matt Dillon playing a policeman. Dillon claims that the part was the best moment of his career.

It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, wont see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
Ive got a feeling
This years for me and you
So happy christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

[B]

[Lindy]

9. Blue Christmas - Elvis -124 points
(8 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #2 SundownMotel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spqt6GfTBS0

"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. The heart-broken tale of unrequited love during the holidays had long been considered a Christmas staple of country music, having been recorded by Ernest Tubb in 1948. In 1957, Elvis Presley effectively made "Blue Christmas" a steadfast rock-and-roll holiday classic by placing his indelible mark on the song. It has since been recorded by a host of rock and country artists alike, as well as those of other genres. The song was also featured in the children's Christmas special, The Year Without A Santa Claus. More recently, the song has been covered by Céline Dion as well as the indie band Bright Eyes.

Probably the best known version of "Blue Christmas" is the one recorded by Elvis Presley for his 1957 LP "Elvis' Christmas Album." It was also released as a single. Ernest Tubb's version of the song included an extra verse not used by Elvis' later version.

Ill have a blue christmas without you
Ill be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green christmas tree
Wont be the same dear, if youre not here with me

And when those blue snowflakes start falling
Thats when those blue memories start calling
Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white
But Ill have a blue, blue blue blue christmas

Youll be doin all right, with your christmas of white,
But Ill have a blue, blue christmas

[Lindy]

8. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - Alvin and the Chipmunks -132 points
(9 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #2 Alicia)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1527567618255081047

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a song written by Ross Bagdasarian (a.k.a. David Seville) in 1958. Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian (in the form of a chipmunk voice), the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictional singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. One phrase in the chorus has Alvin wishing for a Hula Hoop, which was that year's hot new toy. The novelty record was highly successful, selling more than 4 million copies in seven weeks, and it launched the careers of its chipmunk stars. Bagdasarian and three chipmunk hand-puppets appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, lip-synching the song.

The song was very successful, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming The Chipmunks' first and only #1 single on that chart. It also has the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach #1 on the same chart.

. On December 16, 2006, the television programme "Saturday Night Live" offered a live-action rendition of The Chipmunk Song featuring Justin Timberlake performing the singing role of "Dave" and the Not-Ready-For-Primetime Players Bill Hader (Alvin), Fred Armisen (Simon) and Andy Samberg (Theodore) performing as the Chipmunks in authentic voice and costume.


Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We've been good, but we can't last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.

[Kirbyoto]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tFDoATF46gc

Slowed down to what the singer(s?) originally sounded like.

[Lindy]

7. You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft -149 points
(10 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #2 Lindy)

Here's the whole cartoon instead of a clip:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bnKLAplZmo
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaTJmQN7jLE
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2rRE_6C0ds

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is a Christmas song originally done for the 1966 animated feature How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The lyrics were written by Dr. Seuss, the music was written by Albert Hague, and the lyrics were performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.

According to an interview with Ravenscroft included on the early 2000s DVD release of the film, a production error resulted in Ravenscroft not receiving screen credit for his vocal performance, leading to the mistaken impression that it was Karloff who sang the song.


You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.

The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch.
You're the king of sinful sots.
Your heart's a dead tomato splot
With moldy purple spots,
Mr. Grinch.

Your soul is an apalling dump heap overflowing
with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable
rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.

[Lindy]

6. Happy Christmas (War is Over) - John Lennon -150 points
(8 of 16 lists. Highest ranking - #2 Shamrock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f320hSBGadY

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a song by John Lennon with his wife Yoko Ono. It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October of 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. It features soaring, heavily echoed vocals, and a sing-along chorus. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir and are credited on the song's single.

Although the song is a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas records.

The lyrics are based on a campaign in late 1969 by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko." The cities included New York, Tokyo, Rome, Amsterdam, and London. At the time the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over/If you want it/War is over/Now!", as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.


A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear