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Favorite & Least favorite Christmas songs. (1 Viewer)

Inspector Hammer!

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Tis the season to have a smile brought to your face by your favorite xmas songs and be driven up a freakin' wall by the one's you can't stand, my question to all of you is which are they?

Personaly I don't have many in either category so here's mine...

Favorites:

The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
Believe by Josh Grobin (need to pick up his xmas CD, it's very good from what i've heard on the radio, the guy has a voice built for xmas songs)
It's Christmas (All Over The World) by Sheena Easton
Hey, Santa! by Wilson Philips
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives (he'll always be 'Snowman' to me from the Rudolph christmas special)
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Vaughn Monroe (because it makes me think of Die Hard :D)
Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms (because it makes me think of Lethal Weapon :D)


One's that are like nails on a chalk board and makes me think that the Grinch was perhaps onto something:

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney (that wierd outer space music in it disturbs me)
I want a Hippoponimus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey (her voice is irritating)
Those Christmas Bells by the Royal Guardsmen's (sounds too, I don't know, war-ish to me, dog fights and explosions don't make me feel warm inside. Plus the Red Barron has always frightened me a little)
Anything christmas by Willie Nelson (the guy could at least TRY to sound like he gives a rats ass about christmas)
Anything christmas by Michael Bolton (he sounds like he's gonna blow out his O ring)
Anything christmas by Bruce Springsteen (see above reason)
Anything christmas by The Beach Boys (their voices make me think of surfing and the beach and doesn't really inspire christmas feelings in me)

On second though I think my least favorite list is a little more extensive than I thought lol.
 

Malcolm R

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Favorites
"What Christmas Means to Me" Paul Young
anything by Darlene Love (who has a new Christmas album out)
anything by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
"Holly Jolly Christmas" Burl Ives
"Step Into Christmas" Elton John
"Mary Did You Know" Kristine W
"The Secret of Giving" Reba McEntire
"A New York Christmas" Rob Thomas
"Santa I'm Right Here" Toby Keith
anything by Brenda Lee (though "Rockin' Around..." is played so much it's kind of tired)
anything by Johnny Mathis

Least Favorite
"Feliz Navidad" (anyone)
"Happy Xmas (War is Over)" (anyone)
"Wonderful Christmas Time" Paul McCartney (or anyone)
"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Dean Martin
"Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" Elmo & Patsy
anything by The Chipmunks
any of those crappy electronic instrumentals by TransSiberian Orchestra or similar groups
 

Joseph DeMartino

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Great lists. (Although I have to confess to a fondness for the original Chipmunks. It's a nostaligia thing. ;))

Of course any list of pop Christmas tunes (as opposed to classical music, traditional songs and hymns) has to start with "The Christmas Song" and "White Christmas" (tied in my book) by the original artists. But I'll also take most versions by other people because the songs are so good and the original peformances so perfect that they are hard to screw up and make other singers reluctant to stray too far in making the songs "their own". They seem to know that these tunes aren't and never will be "their own" and they should concentrate on not disgracing themselves. ;)

Anyway - I have a couple of bargain bin Sinatra and Dean Martin CDs, and one Christmas disc each from Bing and Nat "King" Cole. For the past couple of days my background music at work has been a full-to-the-brim compilation CD of tracks taken from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack (always thought Vince Guaraldi's work on that wasn't appreciated as much as it should have been), and Christmas CDs from Diana Krall and Michael Buble.

Between them they cover most of the basics (sometimes two or three different versions of the same tune) and then some.

"Jingle Bells"
"Sleigh Ride"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"I'll be Home for Christmas"
"Let is Snow"
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
"O Tannenbaum"
"Christmas Time is Here" (the CB vocal version and a short musical reprise, plus Diana Krall's rendition)
"Count Your Blessing" (Krall again, with another tune from Holiday Inn, the film that gave us "White Christmas")
"Winter Wonderland" from Harry Connick's When Harry Met Sally soundtrack for variety and finally
"What Are You Doing for New Year's Eve" (Krall) as a holiday season capper.

Regards,

Joe
 

Johnny Angell

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I second "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole. There his just something about his voice that makes me like him, personally. A wonderful song sung by a wonderful singer.

I think my favorite album is "The Christmas Album" by the Manhattan Transfer. They do it right, love 'em.
 

drobbins

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Favorite is "Silver Bells"
Least favorite "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
 

RobertR

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I have many favorite Christmas songs (very few by today's singers). The song I can't stand is "Santa Baby", which caters to every negative portrayal of the overwhelming avarice of a golddigging female.
 

Joseph DeMartino

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Yeah, but the women who sing it are usually hot and wearing skimpy outfits, so I'm willing to forgive the obvious sexism of the song itself. ;)

Joe
 

mylan

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I like all the old classics, too many to list, but two favorite parady songs I haven't heard in years are "Jingle Hells Bells" sung by a Bon Scott sound-a-like and "I'll have a blue Christmas" by Seymour Swine, the stuttering porky pig impressionist.

Oh, B.T.W. happy birthday Joseph!
 

Greg_S_H

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I've got 635 Christmas songs on my iPod, so I'm the last guy to ask about "least favorites." Favorites are a little hard to roundup as well, but I'll list a few I like:

"Good Christian Men Rejoice" and "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks", both by the Louvin Brothers. The rest of the album is great as well.

"The Little Drummer Boy" by Arthur Lyman. The entire thing is punctuated by a drum line that builds in intensity over the course of the song. One of the reasons the exotica guys existed was to sell the benefits of Hi-Fi stereo, so they knew what they were doing. This track really pops, even today in the compressed mp3 format. Another great one is his "Auld Lang Syne," which has a firework effect throughout.

Alabama's first Christmas album in its entirety.

"O Holy Night"/"O Little Town of Bethlehem" by Nat King Cole.

Haven't heard it this year, but I liked SHeDAISY's "Jingle Bells" when I heard it last year. They gave it a new sound, and they're hot.

I've listened to Jim Croce's "It Doesn't Have to Be That Way" for years, and it was something of a shock when local radio stations started playing it last year. They're continuing with it this year.

The first least favorite that comes to mind is "Last Christmas" by Wham!. I'm not terribly fond of "Do They Know It's Christmas?." "There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas." Isn't that actually good news for them?
 

RobertR

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Yes, but as the hooker said in the bar scene in Walking Tall, looking is free. :) Oh, and and I hate the dorky male chorus that begins the song, making them all sound like idiots who will pay whatever she demands for the "privilege".
 

Inspector Hammer!

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I don't like the WHAM song, either, it's a hateful, spiteful song IMO.

It's basic message is "I opened my heart to you last year and you stomped on it, so you know what, bitch, this year i'm giving my heart to someone else who matters, so there."
 

Alex-C

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Lotsa good stuff here and I generally agree with all of you ! amazing, since musical tastes can be fickle amongst a group. Totally agree with the statement of the Charlie Brown music.

But I'll add Ed Ames' version of "Do You Hear What I Hear ?" (perfect arrangement in my book)

But the Christmas Season does not begin until I hear Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses. A kooky gem.

Also, Christmas culminates for me with The Boston Pops Sleigh Ride all versions.

Plus, one song that I love to hate...so I listen to it each year and laugh my ass off is Bing Crosby's The White World of Winter
Must be heard to be appreciated. You can hear 30 seconds of it here:
Bing Crosby The white world of winter - Song - MP3 Stream on IMEEM Music
 

Bryan X

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Probably my favorite Christmas song is, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". There are especially four versions I enjoy the most: by Tori Amos, The Pretenders, Christina Aguilera, Carnie & Wendy Wilson.

My guilty pleasure Christmas song is the Muppets "Twelve Days of Christmas". :D
 

Jay H

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I've always liked Father Christmas by the Kinks....

I have the Charlie Brown christmas special CD too from Guaraldi, a classic!

I also like Happy Christmas by John Lennon

...and I hate that Wham! song too...

Jay
 

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