A dozen Christmas songs I had not linked to yet this season. These are among my favorites.
Wexford Carol – Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma. Alison is one of my wife’s favorite artists. She’s one of her K Girls, along with Diana Krall, and they reside next to each other in the file cabinet. Naturally, the artists are in alphabetical order
Merry Christmas, Baby – Charles Brown. I was not really familiar with him, to be honest until I heard Bonnie Raitt had him and the unrelated Ruth Brown on a live album that I own.
Merry Xmas (War Is Over) – John and Yoko and The Harlem Community Choir. Always makes me sad, because John’s assassination was in December.
River – Joni Mitchell. I’m still mystified that my late friend Donna, who was a music buff and a Joni obsessive, failed to hear Jingle Bells as the motif of this song.
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole. Likely my mother’s favorite singer. Whatever happened to all of her old 78s she owned?
The year the US entered WWII
Getting Ready for Christmas Day – Paul Simon. I was always taken that the sermon was from 1941, the year Paul was born. Simon is sampling!
This Christmas – Donny Hathaway. I miss Donny, though I have none of his albums, except the ones he did with Roberta Flack.
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love. I could have picked several songs from that Phil Spector Christmas album. But this song is the best of a great bunch.
The Mistletoe And Me – Isaac Hayes. From one of those Stax/Volt boxed sets. This deserves radio play!
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses. I have this on 12″ vinyl, but it’s seldom made my annual lists simply because it slips my mind.
What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder. One of my Top 5 favorite pop Christmas songs. I have it on both a Stevie album and a Motown compilation.
We Three Kings – Patti Smith. This is from A Very Special Christmas 3 in 1997. David Lose calls the rendition an unlikely Christmas carol, in a good way.
Wait, there’s more!
Here are a few from Sharp Little Pencil:
Snowman – Barenaked Ladies
Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones) – Norah Jones
Plus
You would be a remarkably awesome DJ!
My favour ,ite Christmas songs are:
Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea
and
Mary, Did You Know – by anyone and everyone. I actually sang in the church choir one Christmas as backup for the soloist!
Merry Christmas, Roger!
Be Still. the Beach Boys. A lullaby by Dennis and lyricist Steve Kalinich to the baby Jesus.
Dark Star. Grateful Dead. Essence of Epiphany. Star gazers ponder, “Shall we go, you and I while we can?” You had to leave before the triple junction merged over Bethlehem if you wanted to walk there from China.
Love Comes to Everyone. George Harrison. Admittedly, the English character even to George’s Indian music makes everything spiritual sound Christmasy.
Footprints in the Snow. Bill Monrie. Cautionary winter. Great fourth week of advent.
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry. How long till winter ends, the overriding theme of foruth week of advent. Told thorugh the despair of aging migratory birds. What is better?
My own advent choices this year are 1) Get Ready, Smokes; 2) Chimes of Freedom, Bob; 3) Where’s the Party, Madonna, and 4) the above Hank Sr.