Since I was on the topic of Christmas music, I decided to link to this post at PopWatch:
What are my worst offenders? Hmm…I agree with some of the commenters. Christmas Shoes is at the top of the list.
I have to shout a big hearty YES to this one:
but what about “Happy Holidays” from Andy Williams? Some might say it’s a classic, but let me give you an example of the lyrics:
It’s the Holiday Season
So Whoop Dee Do
And Dickory Dock
Don’t forget
To hang up your sock
Ick, ick, ick.
And yes, Hey Santa by Wilson Phillips is pretty irritating.
I have to admit, I actually like Gloria Estefan’s wonderfully cheesy Love on Layaway. I can’t help it. 😉
And there are some songs that annoy just from sheer overplaying..um, Step Into Christmas, I’m looking at you. And The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), which apparently everyone on the planet has recorded a version of.
What’s your least favorite Christmas tune?
The thing with “Happy Holidays” is … lyrically, it’s hopeless. But married to that melody, and with his voice … it works. It shouldn’t, but it does. And while I can’t stand anyone else’s version of “The Christmas Song” … Nat King Cole’s is so gorgeous that it lets me forget about all the others.
Hmmm … all that said, I’m not a fan of a lot of the generic-holiday-trappings songs like “Christmas Time in the City,” “Sleigh Bells” and so forth. Probably because of sheer repetition — stations that run Christmas/holiday music into the ground also tend to have tiny playlists and keep coming back to the same old, er, chestnuts. Once or twice in a season, fine. After that … ehhh.
Same with novelty Christmas songs. I love holiday songs with a skewed viewpoint … Jonathan Coulton’s “Christmas is Interesting,” the Fibs’ “Christmas Crisis,” the Asylum Street Spanker’s cover of the Grinch theme in which they do one stanza in hardcore country, one in hipster swing, one in kind of a Latin vibe, etc. But spare me the barking dogs; spare me those stupid Chipmunks, and especially spare me “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.”
And finally: I don’t understand the appeal of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Bah and humbug to that, say I.
That said: Merry Christmas!
The only version of The Twelve Days of Christmas I can stand is the Muppets’. I crack up every time I hear Beaker. 😉
Worst Christmas song? Easy. “Santa Baby”. Ugh.
I love Christmas music, and have probably more Christmas music on mp3 on my hard drive than many people have in their entire mp3 collection. But there are some that are beyond the pale.
There is no Christmas song worse than “Dominick the Donkey.” Nothing else, not even “Holly Jolly Christmas” or “I Found the Brains of Santa Claus,” comes close.
Apart from “Holly Jolly Christmas”, I am not familiar with those, Dave. 🙂
I can’t stand “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John … probably because I can’t stand Elton John.
“Frosty the Snowman” by Cindy Brady is pretty bad.
And I like “Hey Santa!”
It begins & ends with “Feliz Navidad”
I have to agree with you on this one Erin, Christmas Shoes is the worst song ever.
Erin, Beaker rules! me me me me me me!!!
The song I hate — I don’t know the name — but it’s about this kid who’s mom is dying and he wants to get her these shoes….
Looking up…. is that the song Jenn refers to in her comment?
I HATE THAT SONG.
I agree with Uncle Ledley – Nat King Cole’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” is wonderful. In fact that may be my favorite Christmas album overall. Man could he sing!
Holy flaming pickled prunes … I just got Uncle Ledley’d! I thought Pete Dupler was the only person who still remembered that dubious appelation.
Good to hear from you, Mr. L.
The worst? Happy Christmas (War is Over), and Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas time. Christ on rollerskates-the two minds behind about 80% of the Beatles and this is the best they could do?
Santa Baby (Madonna Version)-Terrible
Christmas shoes-Who the hell wants that sort of depressing tripe at Christmas?
Of course, I’m also a bit bah-humbuggy in general so maybe it’s just me.
I’m deeply happy that I’ve heard/heard of almost none of the really hated ones. 🙂 (Christmas Shoes, in particular. It sounds awful from the descriptions, though.)
Santa Baby was destroyed by Madonna. It’s not so bad by Eartha Kitt. It’s kinda the same thing as the Nat King Cole/Christmas Song thing.
Happy Holidays is just barely alright for me because it has some nice memories associated with it; my mom directed a lot of local vocal jazz choirs and things, and they took part in big-band 1940’s shows around here, so I think of that song with a huge 40’s style big band and chorus of singers behind it. I still cringe at the line “he’s a great big bundle of joy,” though. It’s a phrase that’s usually used to describe babies, and they’re singing about Santa. That just creeps me out.
I always disliked I Wonder as I Wander for sheer WTFery. Okay, sometimes I like songs that don’t resolve, but it ought to have a musical reason not to resolve… and then… “I wonder if Jesus could’ve had whatever he wanted, I bet he could’ve.” O…kay.
Kinda the same with the song (I forget its name) about pregnant Mary asking Joseph to pick her some cherries, and Joseph getting jealous and going “yeah? let the guy who got you pregnant get you some damn cherries down off the tree” and Jesus speaking up from in the womb and commanding the cherry trees to bow down for Mary. It ends with Mary saying “see Joseph, I have cherries at command.” It’s not the *worst*, because if nothing else you have to appreciate how rarely these figures are actually given human emotions and flaws in the storytelling, but it’s still kind of WTFish in terms of a song celebrating what the holiday is supposed to celebrate.
i always remember the music of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. great music!.;*”