3. The Ronettes, “Frosty the Snowman”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlGDTlCQ6o
A Phil Spector creation, the Ronettes flourished in the post-Elvis, pre-Beatles pop environment of the early 1960s. Recorded as part of a Spector-helmed Christmas album, “Frosty the Snowman” is transformed from a simple ditty into a soaring symphony thanks in no small part to the “Wall of Sound” recording style that Spector perfected. The album it was recorded for, “A Christmas Gift to You,” had the misfortune of being released on November 22, 1963, the day that JFK was shot (try as they might, conspiracy theorists have not been able to tie gun-nut Phil to the murder). Originally composed as an anti-nuclear proliferation song (Frosty was said to be a product of nuclear waste mingling with the snow), the song has endured as a Christmas classic that implores a spirit of cooperation and friendship amid the crass commercialism that often overtakes the holiday season. The Ronettes certainly delivered on that promise with this song as well as their entire record catalog.
Wait…Frosty the Snowman is supposed to be the mutant product of nuclear fallout? Like Godzilla??? This blows my mind.
Also, while I do like the “Love Actually” version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” there’s still a special place in my heart for the Mariah version. It’s become an annual sing-along event in my office. No joke. Did I mention I work for the government?
Great list. Like Mark, I also really love the shit out of Mariah’s version of “All I Want for Christmas is You” (but I’m in general a huge fan of pre-1997 uptempo Mariah singles).
My personal favorite is “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” by Bing Crosby and David Bowie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9KpNznVLlY, from Crosby’s 1977 Christmas Special. Crosby sounds great, Bowie’s counterpoint (written for this recording) is beautiful, and the silly patter before the clip is priceless (and is exactly the sort of thing that Colbert riffed on perfectly in “A Colbert Christmas).
Great list. I submit Fairytale of New York by the Pogues, though have been told on occasion that it “doesn’t really count.”
If that were the case 24Frames, then dozens of Christmas songs wouldn’t count. I wholeheartedly agree with you on Fairytale of New York.
I nominate The Eagles’ “Please Come Home For Christmas”
I second Fairytale of New York. When I saw the title, it was the first and only song that came to mind.
“Alfie the Christmas Tree” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by John Denver and The Muppets. The latter amazingly by John and Rowlf.
or
“My Little Drum” and “Christmastime is Here” by The Vince Guaraldi Trio for A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Thank you for putting “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” on your list. You have brought a sense of validation to the perverseness in me that likes kitschy, strange, and slightly dark stuff.
Having said that, I am a big fan of the traditional Christmas songs, and not generally into holiday songs about the death of a close relative (the writers of “The Christmas Shoes” should be flogged). But for some reason, I just love the heck out of this dumb song. It is it’s irreverence and silliness that gets me, and I smirk every time it gets to the part about grandpa showing that he’s holding up okay by “drinking beer and playing cards with cousin Mel”.
In the same vein as “All I Want for Christmas” from Love Actually, I must also submit, “Christmas is All Around,” by Billy Mack (Bill Nighy.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjl80WFBzY