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Inspired in part by the passing of The Pogue's frontman Shane MacGowan today, I'm going to do a thread with a different Christmas or holiday song every day. I'll try to cast a wide net, both secular and religious, and if you have some suggestions, I love to discover new music.
We start off with The Pogues' “Fairytale of New York,” which I am told is the most-played modern Christmas song in the UK, but isn't as common in the US, despite its setting.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
Last year Lizzo released a very nice cover of Stevie Wonder's iconic "Someday at Christmas." She absolutely does the song justice, and the lyrics are evergreen.
What Stevie hoped for in 1967, Lizzo still sang aspirationally in 2022. Maybe someday "Men won't be boys/playing with bombs like kids play with toys," but until then, we have this song to help keep our hope up.
#ChristmasCountdown #Lizzo #StevieWonder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6SY1-St-g
"Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (literally "A rose has sprung up") is usually translated in English as "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming." The text is a Christian reference to Jesus as the rose grown from the Tree of Jesse, a common symbolism during the Middle Ages. It has been print since the 1500s, and is mostly known with a melody by Michael Praetorius from 1609. I like this version by the ensemble Voces Suaves with lute accompaniment.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_6jxKEq7r4
December 4
Kurt Hugo Schneider & Chase Holfelder - "All I Want for Christmas (minor key)" A great experiment in how changing the key of a song completely changes a song, the saccharine-sweet vibe is gone in this anguished minor key cover, which is really quite good. If you can't stand the Mariah Carey version anymore, give this one a chance, it's quite a change!
#ChristmasCountdown #MariahCarey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDACj0tkD-s
December 5 (late!)
The Carpenters - "Merry Christmas Darling"
There was always something uncool about the squeaky-clean image of The Carpenters that the label promoted, but I'm glad the Carpenters are now getting their due. Richard Carpenter was a skilled arranger, and Karen Carpenter's rich contralto and vocal control are phenomenal. "Merry Christmas Darling" is slightly sad and beautiful, and plays to both their strengths.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB5c-KmxqQw
December 6
Queen - "Thank God it's Christmas"
There has been a lot of recent appreciation for Queen and Freddie Mercury, with which I wholeheartedly agree. I recently came across this song again after buying *Queen Greatest Hits III*, and it's hard to say no to Freddie.
#ChristmasCountdown
December 7
The Ronettes - "Sleigh Ride"
One of two tracks on 1963's *A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector*, which gave the "Wall of Sound" treatment to a set of Christmas classics. But I don't pick this song for Phil Spector, who was an awful human being. "Sleigh Ride" makes the list for Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes, who bring a great energy and Ronnie's raspy attitude that made this song famous.
#ChristmasCountdown #TheRonettes
December 8
Donny Hathaway - "This Christmas"
Described by some as the premier Christmas song written by an African American, "This Christmas" didn't make much of a splash when it was released in 1970. Only after it was released on a 1990 compilation album *Soul Christmas* did it take off, and now it is a deserved classic, covered by dozens of artists, but Hathaway's original recording is still my favorite.
#ChristmasCountdown #DonnyHathaway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhKVSZsRxQM
December 9
Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Christmas Time is Here"
On this day in 1965, *A Charlie Brown Christmas* aired across America, and both that special and the music by the Vince Guaraldi Trio became instant classics. The low-budget production was an unlikely hit, as was the jazz soundtrack, but they hit the right chord and gave the show a contemporary feel that has endured for decades.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PzetPqepXA
December 10
John Prine - "Christmas in Prison"
Nashville had a pretty rough last 24 hours, so it gets a spotlight today with legendary Nashville singer/songwriter John Prine's 1973 tale. Nashville still mourns Prine's death in 2020 from COVID in the early days of the pandemic, and celebrates his legacy. "Christmas in Prison" is a quintessential John Prine song, humorous and bittersweet.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQaJn11t94M
December 11
Bruce Springsteen - "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"
Recorded live in 1975, the Boss' interactions with the crowd and back-and-forth with the E Street Band's saxophonist Clarence Clemons are still fun. The bells evoke to me the glockenspiel used in "Born to Run."
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WFkKp8Tjs
December 12
"Campana sobre campana" (Bell on Bell)
Also known as "Campanas de Belen" (Bells of Bethlehem), this Andalusian carol is one of the best-known Spanish-language Christmas songs, not only in Spain but also much of Latin America. The lyrics tell of (slightly anachronistic) bells ringing in Bethlehem to announce the birth of the Christ Child. I like this version by Madrid's Orquestra Sinfónica y Coro JMJ.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90IbrjqSUzU&t=43s
December 13
Tim Minchin - "White Wine In The Sun"
Though Christmas is a religious holiday, it's broadly embraced by the secular crowd, and few are more non-religious than Tim Minchin. That doesn't mean there aren't still some feelings involved, however, as he explores spending Christmas in his native Australia with family. The final verse addressing his young daughter hits me in the feels.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q
December 14
David Bowie and Bing Crosby - “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth.”
This unlikely duet was featured in Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, a 1977 Christmas special filmed just five weeks before Crosby’s death and airing posthumously. Bowie wasn't keen on the "Little Drummer Boy," so the show runners put together a counter-point melody, “Peace on Earth,” and Bowie and Crosby recorded it with less than an hour’s practice and rehearsal.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RJ_IsGruho
December 15
Charles Brown - "Please Come Home for Christmas"
Most people know the song from the Eagles' 1978 cover, which hit #1, or maybe from Bon Jovi's 1994 cover and sexy music video with Cindy Crawford. Both are good covers! But what made them work was all there in Charles Brown's 1960 original—the longing, the bittersweet tinge that often comes with the holidays.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itdNoGtPQ3I
December 16
Marvin Gaye - "I Want to Come Home for Christmas"
In 1972 Marvin Gaye recorded this song from the perspective of a Vietnam prisoner of war that was meant as a tribute to soldiers and POWs. Motown balked at including the song on Gaye's Christmas album, fearing political reprisal in the politically charged Nixon Era. It wasn't until after Gaye's untimely death that it was released, and conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have kept it relevant.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2TQxwHgAYc
December 17
Taylor Swift - "Christmas Tree Farm"
It's been a big year for Taylor Swift, she's topped the charts, filled arenas around the world, juiced the economy, single-handedly revived the NFL, and released two new albums to crush Scooter Braun into atoms. Arguably, it's Taylor's world and we all just live here. But the music is good too, and since she actually grew up on a Christmas tree farm, this release from 2019 seems appropriate.
#ChristmasCountdown
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozk8xq0Lp1g
December 18
Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"
This unexpectedly infectious mash-up of two Christmas songs was recorded backstage by these Canadian superstars in 1996, but it wasn't released on an album until 2004. However, I have liked it since finding it on Napster in 1999. 
#ChristmasCountdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqgxWyJ_m40
December 19
Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige - "What Child is This?"
As one of the oldest tunes in the English language, it was inevitable that "Greensleeves" would be used for a Christmas song. There are dozens of versions, but I picked this perhaps unlikely duet between Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and American R&B singer Mary J. Blige.
#ChristmasCountdown #AndreaBocelli #MaryJBlige
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-GX0eWXjq8
December 20
Paul Simon - "Getting Ready For Christmas Day"
Round about this time is when most people are hurriedly making last-minute purchases, wrapping presents, mailing cards, etc. Christmas can be hectic! Paul Simon captures some of that energy in this song, while still communicating the excitement and anticipation.
#ChristmasCountdown #PaulSimon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZKKj0U-T2k
December 21
Tony Bennett - "Snowfall"
We said goodbye to Tony this year, but he left us over 70 albums to remember him by, including three good Christmas albums. He sang all the classics, you could pick any of them, but I like the original song and title track off his 1968 album *Snowfall*.
December 22
Cher - "DJ Play a Christmas Song"
The Goddess of Pop released a Christmas album this year, and this song follows decidedly in her post-"Believe" sonic tradition—a dance track with her now-iconic heavy use of pitch-correction. It's a bop, though, and I think it's a nice bit of variety to the sometimes staid Christmas canon.
#ChristmasCountdown #Cher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z6AnCRjWX0
@forpeterssake listened to the album last night for personal happy hour.
@forpeterssake I love this one! The MP3 I have of it has a radio DJ announcing it on the front, but I never knew what the backstory was.