Acceptable Xmas songs…

I have been tasked my putting together a xmas playlist…. but i admit the thought of endless xmas music leaves me cold (like anyone who has ever worked in retail or a bar)..

So suggestions for songs that are actually OK, so far i have:

Christmas in Harlem – Louis Armstrong

Christmas in Hollis – Run DMC

Little Drummer Boy – Johnny Cash?

Tenebrae – In The Bleak Midwinter

These for starters

Bob Dylan – Must be Santa

LCD Soundsystem – Christmas will break your heart

Not a Christmas song per se but

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal

Do search on Spotify for Alternative or even Indie Christmas playlist that’ll get you away from the usual dross.

Fairytale of New York by the Pogues is a great song, as long as you haven’t heard it 1,000 times within the last week.

2,000 miles by the Pretenders

Just like Christmas by Low (in fact all four songs from Low’s Christmas EP)

or you could just play A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

‘Jesus Christ’ by Big Star

’Close Your Mouth’ by The Free Design

’Fuselage’ by Centro-matic

Anything by the Muppets

Anything Phil Spector, there are a few compilations

Any Elvis christmas song

Some alt ones on my list not mentioned above:

(obvious one, its a modern classic now) Just Like Christmas – Low

Christmas at the Zoo – Flaming Lips

I Was Born on Christmas Day – St Etienne (and Tim Burgess)

Back Door Santa by Clarence Carter. James Brown and Sharon Jones Christmas albums are great. Mojos blue Christmas playlist has some great songs.

One of the best Xmas #1s Killing in the Name Of.

Little drummer boy by king and country

walking in the air by Nightwish

Both are preferable to the originals imho

Shakura S’Aida – Be My Santa Claus (nsfw)

merry christmas (i dont want to fight tonight) by the ramones

Eric Idle – **** Christmas (Official Lyric Video)

Mark Lanegan released a Christmas album “Dark Mark Does Christmas” ..

a nice example

Don’t Let the Bells End. The Darkness.

some nice ones on Robert Glasper new album ‘In December’

Some more:

Its Cliched To Be Cynical at Christmas – Half Man Half Biscuit

I Wish It Was Christmas Today – Julian Casablancas

The whole of the Jethro Tull Xmas Album.

Freiheit- keeping the dream alive

Greg Lake- I believe in father Christmas (which contains snips of the magical Troika movement of Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kije)

Jona Lewie- stop the calvary

Goat – Let It Burn

Just about acceptable

chk chk chk – & Anyway its Christmas
Peter & The Test Tubes Babies – I’m getting pissed for Christmas
The Long Blondes – Christmas is Cancelled

Please check out the Dualers. They have a Christmas cd and it’s brilliant.

Sheffield carols anyone?

Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus is coming to town

The Run DMC one from Die Hard

Jonah Lewie – Stop the Cavalry

The jazz piano stuff from the Charlie Brown Christmas special

Eels have done a couple that are quite good fun.

Jim White has done one that might appeal if you like bleak alt-country songs:

And if you like the Flaming Lips then they have one too:

Though in general with Christmas songs it’s probably as much about overfamiliarity and overexposure as it is about how good they are, so provided you get a varied list without any repetition and don’t go for the most well known songs you’re probably going to do OK.

Wham -Last Christmas?

another from my childhood

Smashing Pumpkins – Christmas time

And as per Stevenmuir, the Sharon Jones album is always on at chez 4130 over xmas.

No mention of Kevin “Bloody” Wilson and Santa Clause you Count? maybe not the best for offices and young families though

2,000 miles by the Pretenders

This is the one. More than acceptable.

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Dominik the Donkey

Thanks all … except the person who said Wham!

Tar Barrel in Dale by the Unthanks. They performed it on the Rad Mac show on 6 music at the weekend. Beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITbZfWybEU8&list=OLAK5uy_lqCkqnBUYZKchBQHuRLF-gEp7j8399N5I&index=3

and the black metal epic that is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBgZVazi2Uc

The cold winter moon
Eclipsing all light
Our master of the northern sky
From the frost, he rides
I am castle
Frozen snow pavilion
He comes but once a year
Do not blaspheme before him

The wolves of night we ride

My domain is filled with chocolate
I hope I’ve been a good boy this year

Who’s eaten half of Stus chocolate orange?

Santa is my master
My stocking filled is present

The lord of kristmas
The lord of the snow
Castle of toys
Frostbitten beard
I have burnt my tongue
On a mince pie
Mum, it’s too hot
Reindeer blood

He shall return next year

1987 Christmas was decent due to this Album

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Very_Special_Christmas_(album)

walking in the air by Nightwish

Had to go look for that as they are a bit of a guilty pleasure. And definitely better than the original!

Though Apple also revealed to me that McFly had done a version as well, which was also way better than the original