Tis the season....

[TimothyBFan]

Every year, as I know some of you do here, I make a Christmas play list on the Ipod with some of my favorite Christmas songs. Most of mine are rock and roll artist with an occasional song by Christina Aguilera (she sings Christmas tunes beautifully) and Trans Siberian Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin & Bing Crosby thrown in. Of course there are those novelty ones also that I must add, Twelve Days Of Christmas by Bob & Doug McKenzie, Santa Claus And His Old Lady by Cheech & Chong--silly but gotta love them!

My question is-does anyone here have any that they particularly love that I should add? Maybe some new versions of old favorites that I'm not aware of yet?

My favorites that always start my play list are the obvious---Please Come Home For Christmas, Funky New Year, Carol Of The Bells by Trans Siberian Orchestra and Santa Claus Is Back In Town by Jonny Lang. But I always love to add a few new ones every year.

[Troubadour]

Staples for us (guaranteed to hear constantly on the radio!) are:

Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
Step Into Christmas - Elton John
Lonely This Christmas - Mud
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Jackson Five
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens

A few other random ones!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q1mKdd4_uU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxBN5uCIlAA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz0relULgtM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-eslNwGXrI

[Freypower]

2000 Miles - Pretenders
It Must Have Been Love (Christmas Version) - Roxette
I Believe In Father Christmas - Keith Emerson

[Koala]

Some of mine favorite Chrismas Songs:

Santa Claus is coming to Town - Frank Sinatra
Let it snow / White Chrismas - Bing Crospy
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
Please come home for Chrismas - Eagles
Driving Home for Chrismas - Chris Rea
Thank God it´s Chrismas - Queen
Do they know it´s Chrismas Time - Band Aid
I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus - Bobby Sherman

[Fan_For_Life]

Josh Groban's "Noel" has some great songs. In particular Thankful and then his Polar Express song Believe(not on Noel). .

[Brooke]

A couple of my favorites are Grownup Christmas List by Amy Grant (I love all of hers!) and The Christmas Song by The Carpenters.

When my kids were little we had a John Denver Christmas album (it's all great) and they loved to play Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas over and over! It's cute!

[eaglesvet]

I've got a couple of suggestions for you, Willie!

Believe it or not, one of my favorite Christmas CD's was put out by Vanessa Williams in the mid-90's, called "Star Bright." My VERY favorite song on it is the duet, "Baby, it's Cold Outside" with Bobby Caldwell...I can literally hit replay four times in a row when it comes on! BTW, I really liked Bobby Caldwell in the 90's...wonder what ever happened to him?

I don't consider the Xmas season officially here until I've heard "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses! It is just such a fun song.

Bruce's 'lesser' known Christmas hit is a great bluesy version of "Merry Christmas, Baby" which features some great Clarence solos. I really like this one (surprise ! :hilarious: ) (Please notice that I restrained myself by not listing it first off...)

And finally, John Mellencamp's version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is a favorite of mine.

[TimothyBFan]

Love Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce and I Saw Momma (especially his little girls voice at the end). I discovered that version of Baby It's Cold Outside last year for the first time. I never realized how many people have done that song until that silly movie Elf (which I adore) came out a few years back. Another version I love is Brittany Spears believe it or not.

I just checked and I never did put Christmas Wrapping on here. Meant to when someone else suggested it earlier in the thread. Will do it now.

[eaglesvet]

I know, there are a lot of versions of "Baby it's Cold," but that one is the best I've heard. Do they play a bunch of different ones in that movie??

[TimothyBFan]

I just mean that when I heard the version in the movie by Will Ferrell and the young lady (drawing a blank on her name right now) I went in search of the song to add to my playlist and came up with several different versions, all of them pretty good, including the original by Dean Martin & Doris Day.

[sodascouts]

My favorite Christmas song is "O Holy Night", but I hate the wussy versions. It's a very dramatic song that builds up to a very powerful ending. If you're going to do that song, you gotta have the pipes to hit all those high notes true and strong. One of the best I've found is Celine Dion's. From 4:20-4:35 she shows how it should be done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jr-2eyRtV4


A cute, fun twist on two old songs is Sarah McLachlan and the Bare Naked Ladies singing a medley of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" and "We Three Kings":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGVNzgUxE-g


This lyrics of this song always bring tears to my eyes - "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by the Carpenters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z65E9uA1sKI


One of my favorite rock'n'roll Christmas songs is Wham's "Last Christmas":

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


This one is just so much fun with its sound effects - "Sleigh Ride" by the Boston Pops Orchestra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rSocVAD6c


Love U2, so I love their Christmas song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ8ahtAS8YQ



Nobody knows this one but it was a favorite from my childhood - "Come on Ring Those Bells" by Evie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULHn978OJh4


Another fun version of a childhood favorite - "Christmas Don't Be Late (The Chipmunk Christmas Song)" - Powder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utl9yLcjfcI


Other good versions of songs:

Silent Night - Stevie Nicks (ok, it's not the best version really, but it's STEVIE)
The Little Drummer Boy - Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
What Child Is This - Vince Gill
Brightest Star - Chris Isaak
Coventry Carol - Christine McVie
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Mariah Carey
Joy to the World - The Supremes
O Come All Ye Faithful - Charlotte Church
Frosty the Snowman - George Strait
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
Let It Snow - Harry Connick Jr.
Silver Bells - Perry Como
We Need a Little Christmas - The New Christy Minstrels
Do You Hear What I Hear - Bing Crosby (Carrie Underwood and Whitney Houston also do great versions of this song)

[lynnzop]

I love holiday music and play the BNL holiday CD regularly in July. ;). Outside of those that were already mentioned above, I'll add:

Jingle Bells - Barenaked Ladies
Wizards of Winter - Tran-Siberian Orchestra
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Carpenters

[Fan_For_Life]

I heard two songs I really love to hear today, "Mary Did You Know" Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. Also "Let There Be Peace On Earth" by Vince Gill.

[Molly]

My mom had an old Charlie Pride Christmas album that we listened to a million times. I have no idea what happened to the album. Last year, I downloaded it off of ITunes. I was so thrilled to hear those songs again, I cried! Especially the song, "They Stood in Silent Prayer" and "Santa and the Kids"

We have a John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album that I've caught the kids listening to even as adults.

I love when Miss Piggy gets bent out of shape coz she thinks the line in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is "bring us some piggy pudding."

[TimothyBFan]

Molly-that Miss Piggy thing cracked me up. :hilarious:

Here's one I don't have downloaded. I just don't understand the Bob Dylan thing---you could say literally I guess. Just not a big fan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTgqnXae2LQ

[Freypower]

Well, I DO understand Dylan. He is my hero, but I don't want to hear him sing Christmas songs, especially now his voice is so weathered and raspy.

(The 'ho ho ho' bit cracked me up. You go, Bob)!

[Brooke]

Another favorite of mine I just heard on the radio is My Favorite Things by Lorrie Morgan.

[eaglesvet]

The other night I was watching the Christmas Tree Lighting in Rockefeller Center on TV. Shakira (not a singer I usually listen to) did a sultry version of "Santa Baby" that caught our family's attention--very nice! (She also performed her new non-holiday single, "Gypsy", that we really liked as well.)
Rob Thomas performed his song "A New York City Christmas," which I have heard before but never really paid attention to, if KWIM. I like that one as well!

[eaglesvet]

Oh man! I just heard the most FABULOUS version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Coldplay! It's just piano and (I'm assuming) Chris Martin solo, sounding oh so good, almost a little Sinatra-esque at times. Very smooth!!