We’re plum in the middle of the only time of the year with hundreds of songs exclusively dedicated to the season. Some fall into the timeless classic genre while others remain feeble attempts by current artists to see if they can create their own holiday song to be enjoyed for years to come. Recently, certain radio stations started a tradition of only playing Christmas music and while I can appreciate this idea, I also feel the need to turn it off after 30 minutes before needing to blow my brains out.
In December 2002, I set out to develop the ultimate Christmas mix and there are many of you out there who own or have listened to my compilation. I feel everyone received it well and I realized it would be possible for me to complete a second album in 2003 with all the songs I missed. Last winter I started to collect songs for a third installment, but I really could only find enough material for half of an album so I scrapped the project in the name of quitting while I was ahead. After collecting the music for each album I reviewed my jumbled play list to try and order the songs so they flowed. Each time I wanted to open with something that would really perk up my audience when they hit play so “Merry Christmas 2002” opens with It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams while the 2003 album kicks things off with What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder followed by All Alone on Christmas by Darlene Love. Personally, I prefer my second album and I definitely had a hard core personal dance off last Saturday afternoon while washing dishes by myself that had me choreographing an opening dance number through the first three rooms of our apartment. Also, while organizing music for the 2003 edition we saw Love Actually and it the took me three days to identify the name of the Darlene Love song by engaging in numerous google searches and downloads. Now that’s dedication…or obsessive compulsive psychosis.
As I began writing this post in my head, I envisioned myself railing on all songs outside of the Rudolph and Frosty genre, but I realized I enjoyed some of the music I wanted to assail. For starters, I think my all time favorite version of a holiday song would have to be the Jackson Five’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town which ironically does not appear on either of my albums because I went with the Bruce Springsteen version. I guess this would be a good time to mention there are no duplicates on either album, which happened to be a key goal of mine and a reason why I did not develop anything in 2004
So whether it’s Little Saint Nick, Jingle Bell Rock, or Baby, It’s Cold Uutside here's to a warm smile on your face when you hear it over the next week. And feel free to pass along your favorites.
Merry Christmas 2002
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
(It Must’ve Been Ol’) Santa Clause - Harry Connick
Jingle Bells – Dean Martin
Deck the Halls – Nat King Cole
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Bruce Springsteen
Little Saint Nick – Beach Boys
Baby Please Come Home – U2
Frosty the Snowman – Burl Ives
Holly Jolly Christmas - Bing Crosby
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree- Brenda Lee
Let it Snow – Dean Martin
Baby its Cold Outside – Ray Charles
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby
Silent Night – Nat King Cole
White Christmas – Elvis Presley
Sleigh Bells – Frank Sinatra
No Place Like Home for the Holidays – Johnny Mathis
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Dean Martin
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
Sleigh Ride – Garth Brooks
12 Days of Christmas – John Denver & The Muppets
Merry Christmas 2003
What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder
All Alone on Christmas - Darlene Love
God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen – Bare Naked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
The Chipmunk Song
It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Dean Martin
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Up on the Housetop - Bing Crosby
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire – Nat King Cole
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Brenda Lee
Do You Hear What I Hear – Vince Gill
The First Noel – Vanessa Williams
Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin
Joy to the World – Nat King Cole
Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano
Jolly Old St. Nicolas – Disney Kids
I Don’t Want a lot for Christmas – Mariah Carey
So This is Christmas – John Lennon
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
Christmastime is Near – Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan
In December 2002, I set out to develop the ultimate Christmas mix and there are many of you out there who own or have listened to my compilation. I feel everyone received it well and I realized it would be possible for me to complete a second album in 2003 with all the songs I missed. Last winter I started to collect songs for a third installment, but I really could only find enough material for half of an album so I scrapped the project in the name of quitting while I was ahead. After collecting the music for each album I reviewed my jumbled play list to try and order the songs so they flowed. Each time I wanted to open with something that would really perk up my audience when they hit play so “Merry Christmas 2002” opens with It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams while the 2003 album kicks things off with What Christmas Means to Me by Stevie Wonder followed by All Alone on Christmas by Darlene Love. Personally, I prefer my second album and I definitely had a hard core personal dance off last Saturday afternoon while washing dishes by myself that had me choreographing an opening dance number through the first three rooms of our apartment. Also, while organizing music for the 2003 edition we saw Love Actually and it the took me three days to identify the name of the Darlene Love song by engaging in numerous google searches and downloads. Now that’s dedication…or obsessive compulsive psychosis.
As I began writing this post in my head, I envisioned myself railing on all songs outside of the Rudolph and Frosty genre, but I realized I enjoyed some of the music I wanted to assail. For starters, I think my all time favorite version of a holiday song would have to be the Jackson Five’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town which ironically does not appear on either of my albums because I went with the Bruce Springsteen version. I guess this would be a good time to mention there are no duplicates on either album, which happened to be a key goal of mine and a reason why I did not develop anything in 2004
So whether it’s Little Saint Nick, Jingle Bell Rock, or Baby, It’s Cold Uutside here's to a warm smile on your face when you hear it over the next week. And feel free to pass along your favorites.
Merry Christmas 2002
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
(It Must’ve Been Ol’) Santa Clause - Harry Connick
Jingle Bells – Dean Martin
Deck the Halls – Nat King Cole
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Bruce Springsteen
Little Saint Nick – Beach Boys
Baby Please Come Home – U2
Frosty the Snowman – Burl Ives
Holly Jolly Christmas - Bing Crosby
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree- Brenda Lee
Let it Snow – Dean Martin
Baby its Cold Outside – Ray Charles
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby
Silent Night – Nat King Cole
White Christmas – Elvis Presley
Sleigh Bells – Frank Sinatra
No Place Like Home for the Holidays – Johnny Mathis
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Dean Martin
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
Sleigh Ride – Garth Brooks
12 Days of Christmas – John Denver & The Muppets
Merry Christmas 2003
What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder
All Alone on Christmas - Darlene Love
God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen – Bare Naked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
The Chipmunk Song
It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Dean Martin
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
Up on the Housetop - Bing Crosby
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire – Nat King Cole
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Brenda Lee
Do You Hear What I Hear – Vince Gill
The First Noel – Vanessa Williams
Hark the Herald Angels Sing – Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin
Joy to the World – Nat King Cole
Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano
Jolly Old St. Nicolas – Disney Kids
I Don’t Want a lot for Christmas – Mariah Carey
So This is Christmas – John Lennon
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses
The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
Christmastime is Near – Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and Tracy Morgan
2 comments:
If you can find it, go for the Lou Rawls "Baby It's Cold Outside." It's one of the best date rape songs ever written.
Good to see our DC comedian is in a festive holiday mood.
I have these CD's Donny's put together. Classics. "A Very Special Christmas" should be contacting him to do their next installment.
Post a Comment