Best and Worst Christmas songs

Best:

• Just about anything by Trans Siberian Orchestra (from their Christmas albums)
• The Vince Guaraldi Trio, just like the above troper said, has some pretty good Christmas songs.
• "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Gives me goosebumps every time.
• "Joy to the World." Same as above.
• "We Three Kings." Specifically, the Steve Ouimette version.
• The instrumental orchestra version of "Sleigh Ride."

• "Jingle Bells." Depends on the version, but I'm still sick and tired of hearing it.
• "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas." Whose bright idea was it to write this, anyway?
• "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town." I'm just tired of it, and the creepy Lyrical Dissonance does not help matters.

edited 15th Dec '11 11:38:51 AM by mcb01932

My favourite religious song for the season is "Silent Night".

My mother used to sing me that as a lullaby when I was little.

Here's one my best friend introduced me to, "Father Christmas" by The Kinks. I'll steal the Wikipedia summary of it:

I really don't like the Christmas standards. I don't care who's covering it. I just don't like them because they've been so overdone.

My favorite Christmas songs are

• Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas"
• NSYNC "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays"
• Millionaires "Rated X-Mas"

I like most of the standards. I got my mother the Michael Bublé Christmas album for her birthday (she is a big fan of his music) and she's been keeping it in her car, so I've been hearing that quite a bit. I think it's quite good.

I cannot stand Trans-Siberian Orchestra anything.

Paul Mc Cartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" is probably one of my favorites for sentimental reasons. And then there's the whole A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, which is good any time of the year.

Also really love The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York".

EDIT: More thoughts that occurred to me. August Burns Red's version of "Carol of the Bells" is absolutely dire. Legendary song and I love it but it's a horrible rendition by a band I hate.

My two favorite Christmas songs are Bob Dylan's "Must Be Santa" (you guys have to hear it it's ridiculously amazing) and even though it's been posted in here as an example of the worst, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" when done by Bruce Springsteen is SO GOOD.

edited 15th Dec '11 5:31:17 PM by sca_punk

Curious why.

Also, I have heard Dylan's version of "Must Be Santa". I like it, but nothing can top the cheesiness of the Pokemon version:

I WANT TO STAB WHOEVER MADE THE INSTRUMENTAL FOR THIS SONG, but it's fun otherwise :D

edited 15th Dec '11 6:38:57 PM by 0dd1

Love Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Favourite:

• You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
• Carol Of The Bells
• Mistletoe (the Pentatonix cover, don't shoot)
• What's This? (if it counts)

Worst:

• Little Drummer Boy

This is my favourite Christmas cover ever:

Best:

Seconding "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Springsteen

Also U2's (I think it's them) version of the song with the line "but it ain't like Christmas at all"

"Christmas Must Be Tonight" by the Band

A couple more obscure ones: "Jingle Bell Jamboree" by Aaron Neville and "Jesus Christ" by Big Star

Mistress for Christmas by ACDC.

edited 16th Dec '11 1:57:21 AM by Buscemi

The Wizzard and Slade songs would be quite high as well; "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" and "Merry Xmas Everbody".

Regarding "The Little Drummer Boy", this is the only version I actually like. I usually can't stand any other versions.

Dandy Warhols have a pretty decent cover of it (warning: video contains a lot of some scrawny guy dancing around in his underwear)

I DJed for a fleamarket at a rock club last week, and I figured I should throw in some christmas stuff since the place was decorated for it and there was someone dressed as Santa. These are the christmas-related songs I remember fitting in:

Big Star - Jesus Christ
The Vandals - Oi To The World (somewhat covered up by No Doubt)
The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)
The Flaming Lips - Christmas At The Zoo
Chuck Berry - Run Run Rudolph
The Sonics - Santa Claus
Weezer - The Christmas Song
The Fall - Jingle Bell Rock (they did covers of this and "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" for a Peel session once)
The Kinks - Father Christmas
Run DMC - Christmas In Hollis

edited 16th Dec '11 12:57:50 PM by MikeK

Anyone who's bored of the same old Christmas tunes, I strongly encourage you to give Sounds Familyre Records' Familyre Christmas compilation series a listen. Tone and quality varies wildly from song to song, and there's some garbage even I can't defend (I love Sufjan Stevens but his track on Vol 1 is probably the worst thing he's ever released), but the good songs are either melancholy in the best possible way or breathtakingly sublime.

My biggest guilty pleasure Christmas song is probably "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - I used to assume Mariah Carey had Covered Up some early sixties Girl Group, but she and the co-writer of the song just did a pretty good job of emulating that style.

edited 20th Dec '11 8:15:25 PM by MikeK

That song is a classic and liking it needs not to be in guilt.

I'm not usually a big fan of Christmas music, but I do make an exception for anything Trans Siberian. I'm also partial to unique interpretations of the classic hymns. This take on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is particularly fun.

Worst: Extraordinary Merry Christmas. It'd be decent as a fun, dancey, Christmas song, except that the lyrics are terrible. The fandom hates it. Darren Criss even supposedly called it "awful" during a concert last weekend, and that man loves AUTOTUNE for God's sake.

Also, Hey Santa makes me want to hit things. It's just plain irritating.

On the positive side: I love His Favorite Christmas Story despite being a sappy story.

@"Hey Santa": I love that song

Best: Bing Crosby's White Christmas

Worst: Can't decide between "I Saw Mommy Kissin' Santa Claus" and "Santa Baby done by anyone other than the original singer".

Best: Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters' version of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"

Worst: Justin Bieber's version of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"

Yes, I know they're the same song.

Best - All I want for Christmas - My Chemical Romance

merry christmas I missed you so much -Taking Back Sunday

Oh, Holy Night - Brand New (I especially love this version, because they turn the song into a more somber piece....and also a more creepy piece....o___o)

The entire "A Christmas Album" by Bright Eyes. Classic songs redone. Especially love this track by them, if only for the awesome accent.

I won't be home for Christmas by Blink182.

Don't Shoot Me, Santa by The Killers.

edited 25th Dec '11 6:38:46 AM by cutewithoutthe

A nominee for "Best" is "Santa Baby," by Eartha Kitt. "O Holy Night" by Linda Eder. "The Huron Carol," though "Jesus Ahanatonia" is an utter throat-ripper. I know; I've sung it.

Worst... that's a tough call, since I make a point of avoiding bad music of any sort. Bobby Helms' "Captain Santa Claus" is certainly the weirdest I've ever heard. The Fridge Logic in that song is... well, if it weren't so obscure, I'd put it under the Most Triumphant Example entry.