So this is Xmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
If you don't recognize the words above, stop reading and go away. Just kidding. I can't afford to send any readers away. Plus, I love you all.
The words above are the first verse of the John Lennon Christmas song, "Happy Christmas". I quote the song to introduce both the season and today's blog list.
A couple years ago, I wrote about my love of Christmas. I just re-read that post from December, 2012, and apparently I wrote about a lot of other things. All I remember writing about is Christmas. The post it is funny in how optimistic and unrealistic it is. I talk about a 3 month lay-off and state my goal of posting 2-3 times per week. I now realize, that is insane. Posting 2-3 times per month is more realistic. If I am being honest, once a week would be my goal. I will try to stick to that for the rest of December.
In that December, 2012 post, I also stated that I was hoping Christmas would be my muse for a month. I have accepted that nothing will get me writing as consistently as the Olympics. I basically write when something sparks my interest, and I have time. Those two don't always come together, so I have left some ideas in my head and some unfinished works in my "drafts". My goal for December, 2012 was to post at least twice per week and create several Christmas lists. I failed.
I am trying to get back to some of my unfulfilled promises. Well, at least one of my unfulfilled promises. I will force Christmas to be my muse. I will create my Christmas lists. Well, at least a couple. My goal will be one list per week between now and Christmas, which will give us three. That seems reasonable. Then I will tell you how Christmas Eve goes with 11 people for dinner and 4 houseguests overnight and Christmas morning. I am thinking zoo, but I have been wrong before, occasionally.
The lists will be top 5s. I know Top 10 is standard and sounds better, but I can barely name 10 Christmas specials, much less rank my 10 favorite. This week, I will start with the easiest, and yet hardest list. The top 5 Christmas songs.
This list is easy, because there are plenty to choose from. This list is hard because there are several things to consider. Do you judge the song itself? Or a particular version of the song? How much weight do you give to classic Christmas songs? Religious songs? New songs? Does humor count? (Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.) Are you limited to Christmas songs or can you throw in Adam Sandler's Chanukah Song? All of this must come into play and must be considered to make a top 5.
For my purposes, I have considered everything, including Chanukah songs. If a particular version of a song gets it on the list (as you will see for #3 below), then the version is what is on the list. If any version, well at least any good version, will do, then the song itself makes the list. All songs were considered, however, my musical tastes will create a bias away from traditional religious songs and more towards secular, modern music. With that said, here are the top 5 Christmas songs:
5. Silent Night (generally). In No. 2 below I will confess my love of hair bands and orchestra-rock combos. In the previous paragraph I stated my general preference for secular, modern music. Despite these two true statements, I have a soft spot in my heart for a well performed Silent Night. I enjoy songs that can move you emotionally, and when this song is performed well, you feel it. There is no version I can think of that stands out, so I am going with general. However, unlike Rudolph, discussed below, Silent Night can be ruined. For this reason, Silent Night falls below Rudolph.
4. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (generally). Rudolph is the signature song of Christmas. OK, the signature song of secular Christmas. Every kid knows Rudolph. Anyone can sing it. The "Like a..." lines add a new element of fun, especially when you start making up your own. Personally, I love messing with my boys by adding my own twist to the "like a.." line. (Play in any Reindeer games...like Trivial Pursuit...You'll go down in history...like Troy Aikman). There is no particular version that stands out, they are all pretty good. It is nearly impossible to ruin this song. It belongs on this list for that reason alone. The Christmas Special is also good, but more on that later.
3. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by U2. This is the classic "particular version" song. U2 did not do the first version, and from my limited research I have never heard the first version. If you have a problem with this or think I'm an idiot, read #2 about my musical illiteracy and get over it. Sorry. Sometimes even I can get a little sensitive. OK, back on track...Since U2 recorded this Song for the "A Very Special Christmas, Volume 1" album (the best "A Very Special Christmas" album by far, but I am again getting off track), many other people have recorded this song. They are all so inferior as to defy belief. The song should have been retired. No one can match Bon, and no one should try. Those who have tried failed...miserably. There are certain songs that people should not be allowed to remake, copyright laws be damned. This is one. People who have performed this song since U2 have not only embarrassed themselves, they have taken a little piece of Christmas away from all of this. I'm not going to go quite as far as saying they are evil, but if you do, I won't argue.
2. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I am not a big music person. I enjoy music, but I did not attend a lot of concerts as a kid, I did not have a vast CD collection (which also impacted my hook-up life in college) and I have never been very critical of music. If I like it, great, if not whatever, I can usually live with it. I do have a great affinity for hair bands and mixing the sound of rock and orchestras. This would explain my love of November Rain. This song combines the two sounds perfectly. No Christmas song rocks out quite as well as this one.
1. Do They Know It's Christmas, 1984 version. The number one Christmas song is, has been for the last 30 years, and will be for all eternity, Do They Know It's Christmas. This is not debatable. You can argue the other 4 all you want. This one is fact. The music is perfect. It sounds like Christmas. It's inspirational. The mix of singers is fantastic. Simon Le Bon...Bono...Sting...what more could you ask for? Well, what more could a child of the 80s ask for? The shot of Bananarama walking in during the video is...kind of baffling. I always wondered how the Cruel Summer girls got invited to that jam session. Maybe it was an accident. Or maybe Ralph Macchio's power is really just that strong. Phil Collins playing the drums, the party atmosphere when everyone shows up at the studio that looks like an abandoned warehouse. Just perfect. This was a chef's perfect blend of ingredients. It was the first Christmas song I heard this year, and it should be the first one I hear every year.
Honorable Mention:
The Chanukah Song - pure genius by Adam Sandler. I heard an interview with Frank Caliendo once who said he wished he had Adam Sandler's gig - he sings a bunch of random things, makes it rhyme at the end and people give him $5 million. Have truer words ever been spoken?
All I want for Christmas is You - I am probably biased by the movie Love, Actually, but this song deserves a little love.
Santa Claus is coming to Town, by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Almost made the list.
The Little Drummer Boy - Like Silent Night, this must be performed correctly. It can truly be butchered, but when done right, the rum pum pum pums can bring a smile to your face.
Enjoy the holiday season. I hope to be back next week with my next list.
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