Christmas 2009

It's Christmastime, which means reruns. Today I dust off my blog entry from last year about my favorite non-traditional Christmas songs.

My older son loves “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Feliz Navidad,” both of which he learned in school. I’ve had problems introducing him to more contemporary Christmas songs (although he giggles at the sound of Alvin and the Chipmunks). Here, in no particular order, are my favorite non-traditional (i.e., slightly more contemporary) Christmas songs.

1. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home): The original by Darlene Love is a classic:



She also performs the song each year on Letterman



I really enjoy the version by U2



There’s even one by Joey Ramone. The best part: the plaintive cry, "Baaaa-bee please come home!"



2. Blue Christmas: Of course, the version by Elvis Presley.



3. Little Saint Nick/Merry Christmas Baby: Both released on the “The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album.” If you didn’t know any better, you’d think “Little Saint Nick” is a type of car.





4. Mele Kalikimaka: Given President Obama’s upbringing in Hawaii, perhaps this will garner new fans. Go for the version by Bette Midler, who also has Hawaii ties.

5. Last Christmas: Yes, it was written by George Michael and originally released by Wham, but it’s actually a nice little ditty. Take a look at the Wikipedia entry about the song. It is absolutely amazing how many artists have covered it. There is even a website devoted to covers of the song.



Even Coldplay has covered it.



6. Do They Know It’s Christmas:



Far superior to “We Are the World” as a song and in star power. The list of performers reads like a list of 80s pop stars: Bono, Duran Duran, Bananarama, Sting, Paul Young, Paul Weller (Jam, Style Council), David Bowie, Midge Ure (Ultravox), and more. Hard to believe it’s been 25 years since the song was released. The song basically ignited the mega-concert for charity movement. My favorite lyrics:

There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you


7. 2000 Miles: The Pretenders. Who said Chrissie Hynde doesn't have a soft side?



Coldplay covered this one, too.



8. Happy Xmas (War is Over): Only the John Lennon original




9. And, for my friends CS and SL in SF, NM, "The Little Drummer Boy," sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Two years ago the Washington Post had a story that described how the performance came about.



Merry Christmas!