Pop Culture Podcast
Popspotting #183: “Favorite Holiday Tunes” (Dec. 21, 2011)
Everybody else is doing it, so why can’t we? Yes, it’s the first Popspotting holiday special. While Jimmy in Georgia suggested we count down our favorite Christmas movies or TV specials, we decided to go down the musical route with five picks each of holiday songs that don’t drive us crazy. These aren’t our all-time favorites (and could very well be on your musical blacklist), but as we wrap presents and wrap up 2011, these ten songs are in high rotation in our household.
What Christmas songs make you jolly? And which ones make you want to run someone over with a reindeer?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Yes! I’ve been posting about favorite Christmas songs on FB – I had “Fairytale of New York” posted on it, along with Sting’s cover of “I Saw Three Ships.” And I share your contempt towards “Wonderful Christmastime” and “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” – though the most recent efforts to replicate “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (except for the Barenaked Ladies version) and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” have driven me homicidal as well.Â
I LOVE “O Holy Night,” and Willie K’s version, but I still cannot stop laughing over the “Michael Buble Christmas Duets” sketch from Saturday Night Live, where Buble tries to sing “O Holy Night” with Scotty McCreery of American Idol… portrayed, to epic low-singing effect, by one of SNL’s newer featured players. Brilliant.
Just caught your Christmas music show. Loved the song selections even the ones I am not familiar with.
Â
For 2011 these are the tracks that got the most plays on my iTunes or iPod(s):
Â
#5 – Happy Xmas (War is Over) – John Lennon & Yoko Ono – has become a perennial play.
Â
#4 – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Rebecca St. James – I like this version best by the contemporary Christian singer known for her hit “Alive” among others.
Â
#3 – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love (or U2) – both versions get about equal airtime in my home. The Love version is classic Phil Spector “wall of sound” and the U2 version brought the song up to date.
#2 – Fruitcake – The Superions – Downloaded this song for free at Amazon.com. This is the Christmas song about the recurring fruitcake that no one wants… sounds like it could have been a great hit if The B-52s recorded it.
Â
#1 – You’re All I Want For Christmas – Caro Emerald and Brooke Benton – For me this is a brand new Christmas song that was as far as I know done by Brooke Benton who died years ago. In this version the song is brought up to date with new instrumentation and Caro Emerald sharing lead vocals with Brooke on this otherwise unknown chestnut (to me). Great production and Caro does a great solo video version of this here:
Â
http://youtu.be/tdnnK6vnzCs
Â
Unfortunately the recording does not seem to be available in the U.S. market. It’s on an album called “Christmas Duets” compilation.