Rockin’ around the Christmas tree.
The greatest pop music Christmas songs of all time.
Like most young Jews, I grew up without Christmas. However, growing up without Christmas didn’t mean that there weren’t aspects of the holiday that I didn’t enjoy. I’ve previously discussed some of my favorite movies and cartoons, but how can we forget the endless songs celebrating and promoting Christmas time?
From my semetic perspective, there were Christmas songs I could sing-a-long to, but there were also those that I knew weren’t meant for me. These were the songs that really delved into the whole “Christ the savior is born” motif. These particular tunes just didn’t seem like they were right for me to belt out if I were to choose to share with the public my particular gift of song. “Little Drummer Boy”, “O Holy Night”, and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” just seemed to “Jesus-ish” for a nice Jewish boy to enjoy in public.
I’m not sure why it seemed so awkward for me to listen and enjoy religious themed Christmas songs, after all, I wasn’t then, nor am I now, religious in any way. Perhaps sometimes, it’s easier to identify what you’re not, rather than trying to figure out what you are. Honestly, I’ve never had any problems knowing what I was. Culturally and ethnically, I know I’m Jewish, but as for being a true believer…meh, not so much.
Fortunately, the power that is rock ’n’ roll brought me holiday salvation. I’m not sure what age I first picked up on it, or which station I was listening to, probably WPLJ, 95.5 in New York City, but I started hearing all of these Christmas themed rock ’n’ roll songs, and I was hooked. It was always a treat when you got to hear these songs on the radio, and it was like finding a nugget of gold when one of the great rock-Christmas classics blared on the radio.
How many people know that “Foghat” recorded a rarely played Christmas gem, “All I want for Christmas is you”. (You Tube)
Today of course, all the music you want is no more than an iPhone away. Even commercial terrestrial radio gives you all of the Christmas songs you could ever want. 98.3-WTRY here in Albany, as well as B95.5 in that very same said city, provides its listeners with nothing but Christmas tunes from before Thanksgiving right on through the Christmas holiday.
This however begs the question, “How much is too much?” For example, there’s only “X” amount of good Christmas songs out there in the stratosphere worth listening to. Five or six weeks of Christmas music is a bit much, and it ends up leading to a lot of repeats, particularly on WTRY. There’s only so many times I can here “Little St. Nick” and “Feliz Navidad” before I have to start reaching for copious amounts of “Christmas cheer”.
The rock ’n’ roll Christmas phenomena forced me to think about what the greatest rock ’n’ roll Christmas songs of all time were. Here’s what I came up with:
10. “Wonderful Christmas Time” — It’s really not one of my favorites. However, many people seem to enjoy it so it has to be given top 10 status. It’s kind of the “Silly Love Songs” of holiday rock tunes.
9. “It’s Christmas, all over, again” — This one can be found on the “A Very Special Christmas Volume 2” CD, released in 1992. It’s performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers which means it reminds you a little bit of Bob Dylan, and a little bit of “The Byrds”. It may not be the best Christmas rock ’n’ roll song of all time, but since the same album has a song by Sinead O’Connor, you know it can’t be the worst one either
Remember when people used to say that she’d be good looking if she just had hair. I’m not sure that’s true anymore. (You Tube)
8.“Run Rudolph Run” — Recorded first and popularized by the immortal Chuck Berry, there are many great versions:
A — Dave Edmonds
B — Keith Richards
C — Bryan Adams
All rock the house in their own way.
7a. “Rock ’n’ Roll Christmas” — George Thorogood rocks the house as only he can with his “Delaware Destroyers”. My oldest brother is not a fan stating that Thorogood was a semi-pro baseball player and a semi-pro rock star, never quite making it in either profession.
7b. — “All I want for Christmas is You” — The aforementioned “Foghat” was never one of my favorites, in fact I always hated “Slow Ride”, but there’s a great rock-a-billy sound to this unknown Christmas biscuit. (I stole “biscuit” from Scott Muni of WNEW-FM fame.)
6. “Christmas at Ground Zero” — Full disclosure, I’m a huge “Weird” Al Yankovich fan from way back. His ode to Christmas where the world is destroyed by nuclear holocaust will fill you with Yuletide warmth.
5. “Christmas Wrapping” — The “Waitresses” were a new wave band that had a couple of cult-like hits including “I Know What Boys LIke” and “Square Pegs”. But they became immortalized with this Christmas classic. Unfortunately, lead singer Patty Donahue died of lung cancer in 1996 at the age of 40.
4. “Happy Christmas/War is Over” — The “Plastic Ono Band” has never sounded better. Only John Lennon can write a song that has more meaning now than when it was originally released. The song still resonates in our very violent world.
3. “Do They Know it’s Christmas” — Who would have thought that a song with George Michael and Boy George would be cool, but when it came to quality songs that were designed to raise money for starving peoples, the British blew us away. I defy you to listen to “We are the World”. You’ll want to be put to sleep by the same stuff that killed Michael Jackson.
2a. “Step into Christmas” — Elton John’s attempt at Christmas is unique, light, and very enjoyable, sort of like a parfait.
2b.“Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You” — Billy Squire had his last hit about 30 years ago, but from around 1981 to 1985, he was a veritable hit machine. He put out a Christmas song as all hot artists must, and he hit it out of the park. Listen…
- “Father Christmas” — “The Kinks”, perhaps the most underrated rock group in history put out this blistering rendition of the greed and inequities of the holiday. Really, far and away the best rockin’ Christmas song there is.
Of course, most people prefer tradition, and there have been dozens of renditions of the classic Christmas songs, so in my opinion, the best versions of those are:
5. The entire “Phil Spector Christmas Album”, not a bad cut on the album/cd.
4. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” — Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in their youth. I’ve never been a Springsteen fanatic, (Especially when I found out he wasn’t Jewish) plus I’m more of a Billy Joel guy, especially due to my Long Island roots, but this live recording has become almost as big as the holiday itself.
3. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” — The Andy WIlliams version of course. Andy WIlliams is not typically the type of artist that I would gravitate to. He’s kind of the “un-Jew”. I believe he might have been the first person to put mayonaise on white bread.
2. “Baby, Please Come Home” — U2’s version makes we want to give to every charity Bono represents. Even if it’s Chaz Bono!
1.. “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” — David Bowie and Bing Crosby. It’s a great song, and their voices do it justice. I just wonder if Bowie had shown up in one of his alter-egos, would Bing have been quite as tolerant.
It should be noted that the giants of classic rock including “Pink Floyd”, “Led Zeppelin”, “The Rolling Stones”, and “The Who” and many others never put out a Christmas rock tune. In a way I respect that. But what if they had? Hmmm…
- Led Zeppelin — “Stairway to Santa”
- The Rolling Stones — “Hey hey, you you, Get off of my Nog”
- The Who — “Baba O’Kringle”
- Pink Floyd — “All in all it’s just another Wreath on the Wall”
Ok, I think I’m done.