Do I Know It's Christmas This Year?
Exams are done! I'm home. Now I can focus on creating this year's ultimate holiday mix CD. The last one I ever really bothered to make involved a hodgepodge of nearly every holiday .mp3 I could find on Napster while I was bored some freshman year afternoon. Now that the times have changed and downloading is "illegal," iTunes is affording me the chance to grab a hodgepodge of fun new Christmas songs that I wouldn't have heard about otherwise, as well as the classics, and of course, some new versions of old songs that just about every recording artist is required to do at some point in their career. I also picked up Barenaked For The Holidays, Barenaked Ladies' new holiday release, which helps to fill out my mix.
Here's the tracklist. Some are broken down with comments, iTunes-styley (yes, this took me several days of painstaking care to compile!):
1. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Red Baron Remix), Berlin Symphony Orchestra - Normally I don't like remixes too much, but the beats and sounds added to this classic recording makes me want to dance like the Sugar Plum Fairy like never before. Except she's probably hopping around at some club this time around.
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Barenaked Ladies w/Sarah MacLachlan - A classic, and one of my favorite holiday recordings.
3. Donde Esta Santa Claus?, Guster - It's the newest holiday song of the season. How can you go wrong with renaming the reindeer "Poncho," "Pablo," and "Pasty," among other things?
4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, The Brian Setzer Orchestra
5. A Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives - I like to sing along with Mr. Ives and say "Christmas" all weird and exaggerated, like I did when I was growing up.
6. White Christmas, Bing Crosby - You gotta have a few classics.
7. O Tannenbaum, Vince Guaraldi Trio - If songs from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" don't put you in the holiday spirit, nothing will.
8. Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano - You knew it was coming. This song gets the award for "Christmas Song That Compels You To Sing It Over And Over The Most."
9. Winter Wonderland, Louis Armstrong
10. Sleigh Ride, Ella Fitzgerald
11. Children Go Where I Send Thee, Natalie Merchant - Man, what a funky, awesome version of this song! It's not a traditional Christmas song, but it works, and it's a former Wesley Singers tune.
12. Oh Come All Ye Faithful, City High - What you get when Christmas carols and hip-hop are fused.
13. Christmas Song, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - I've always liked Dave's little take on the Christmas story. It also goes to show how powerful the story is, even when the songwriter isn't necessarily a Christian himself.
14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Bruce Springsteen
15. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Death Cab For Cutie - Ben Gibbard's voice is perfect for this semi-sad, yearning tune. I dig it.
16. Mary Did You Know, Kathy Mattea - As far as I'm concerned, this is the definitive version of this song.
17. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, Sixpence None The Richer
18. Deck The Stills, Barenaked Ladies - A holiday tour de force masterpiece.
19. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late), The Chipmunks - You've gotta include this one! I've sung it every holiday season since fourth grade.
20. Linus and Lucy, Vince Guaraldi Trio
21. Silent Night, Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash lends some depth and reverence to any song, in my opinion.
22. O Holy Night, Martina McBride - I spent days searching for the perfect version of this, my favorite Christmas song. There's a multitude of versions out there, but I've always liked this one for her great voice and the simplicity of the piano. Dig it.
23. Auld Lang Syne, Barenaked Ladies - Hey, did you know this song had more than one verse? BNL's got them all here! It's the de facto ending to a holiday album, in my opinion.
So what would be on your ultimate Christmas mix?
Yay for the Chipmunks!
Alabama's "Christmas in Dixie". You simply can't beat it. Good choice on #16, though.
I agree with just about all of the list. I would add a Frank Sinatra song in there, he does about all the normal Christmas songs, so any choice would work. Also, what would Christmas be without Carol of the bells. Plus maybe, I think it is called Rockin' around the Christmas Tree, but maybe it has a different name, anyway, you know what I mean.