Welcome to Day 3 of my current attempt to justify my love of modern Christmas music. Sure, there are songs which get to be annoying if I hear it too often (Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” the classic it is, has ALWAYS held that title for me), but by having a very diversified mp3 collection, even the most annoying song can be ignored for as long as I’d like. And, sometimes I download a purposely annoying song, only to put it on my annual mixtape on CD. Then, after I hand out that first disc around Thanksgiving, I always feel a little guilty for forcing those songs on my loved ones. So, I end up making a second CD with all of the “good” pop yuletide songs for that particular year.
Now, it has been a long time, over 20 years, since there has been an original Christmas song that was a big hit. No one can forget Mariah Carey’s magnificent “All I Want for Christmas Is You” becoming a Top Ten hit in the early Nineties. Since then, there has been a HUGE void in new original hit Christmas songs. But, that has not been without artists trying. Once again, radio programmers have become restrictive and not allowed some of these terrific songs to become hits. But, let’s face it, if an artist has a hit holiday song, that song can be pulled out for six weeks each year, making that artist some big change. Theoretically, Mariah doesn’t need another hit ever because of the annual success of “All I Want…”
Anyway, I have included some pretty good modern Christmas songs that I hope will one day make the annual Christmas playlists of Sirrus radio stations.
Okay, let’s just get to the countdown! Time for 20 more Christmas songs! Buckle your seat belts; it’s time to get this thing started!
160. The Grip Weeds – “Merry Christmas All” (2011)
159. Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song” (1946)
158. RuPaul – “Hey Sis, It’s Christmas” (2018)
157. Darlene Love – “All Alone on Christmas” (1992)
156. She & Him – “Christmas Waltz” (2011)
155. Dean Martin – “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (1959)
154. Kanye West Ft. Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Cyhi da Prynce, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild, Teyana Taylor and Big Sean – “Christmas in Harlem” (2010)
153. Charles Brown – “Please Come Home for Christmas” (1960)
152. Vanessa Williams – “What Child Is This?” (1992)
151. John Legend – “Wrap Me Up in Your Love” (2018)
150. Fetty Wap ft. Monty – “Merry Xmas” (2015)
149. Pet Shop Boys – “It Doesn’t Often Snow at Christmas” (1999)
148. Buck Owens – “Daddy Looked a Lot like Santa” (1965)
147. Outkast – “Player’s Ball” (1994)
146. OK Go – “Father Christmas” (2006)
145. Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Greensleeves” (2000)
144. Buzz of Delight – “Christmas” (1983)
143. Mavis Staples – “Christmas Vacation” (1989)
142. The dB’s – “Christmas Time” (1987)
141. Prince – “Another Lonely Christmas” (1984)
Twenty more Christmas songs are done, bringing us to sixty in my list, leaving us with 140 songs to go. See you tomorrow! Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!
If My Records Could Talk 