Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Holiday songs

I am quasi-obsessed with holiday music. My favorite thing about Thanksgiving weekend was that it marked the start of the all-holiday, all-the-time music on a local radio station. It went from its boring soft rock format to the sounds of the season 24/7. Now with my XM radio, I have 6 stations to listen to whenever I am in my car. Fabulous!

I love holiday music that isn't traditional and especially when you stumble upon "winter time" music that doesn't mention any Christmas theme, being a not particularly religious person. Here's my question: what holiday/non-holiday tunes are your favorites?

Some examples of mine - Sarah McLachlan's version of "Song for a Winter's Night"; "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by any number of great duets.

5 comments:

Animal said...

Every holiday mix I've ever made has started with Babs' version of "Jingle Bells?" I love almost anything by Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby, and the Jerry Vale version of "Silver Bells" may be my favorite holiday version/tune of all time. Oh, and a recent addition was Bette's "Cool Yule."

NON-specific tunes that go WITH the holidays, I rather like "Skating" by Vince Guaraldi, and the entire Dean Martin "Winter Romance" CD.

Strangela said...

We are big fans of all songs on the Ray Charles "The Spirit of Christmas" album. Well all except the Betty Carter track(really, she sounds like Miss Piggy! http://youtube.com/watch?v=G5Rbkcxiibw)

Along the same lines we were talking yesterday about how cool it must be to write a song that becomes a Christmas standard. The only example of new standards we could come up with is the Eagles "Bells will be ringings"

Fun Guv said...

We love the Barenaked for the Holidays CD by BNL - lots of good traditional and non-traditional songs. Also, because of the CD Jimmy knows (and sings) a few Hannauka songs and none of them are by Adam Sandler.

I always love any version of Carol of the Bells - especially the one by TSO (Christmas Eve in Sarajevo)

kat said...

Let It Snow - Gloria Estefan's version (which oddly, I haven't heard this year!!!!). The horn section is awesome. It instantly brightens my mood.

L*I*S*A said...

I love George Winston's classic, "December"...I play it all year 'round.