Top 10 non-cheesy christmas songs

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Is it possible for a christmas song to not make one chringe?

― robotpunk, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

to get some five really obvious ones out of the way:

mel torme, nat king cole or whoever, "the christmas song"
pogues "fairytale of new york"
waitresses "christmas wrapping"
crystals "santa claus is coming to town"
august darnell "christmas on riverside drive"

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:10 (twenty years ago)

it is possible once you grow out of being the sort of adolescent who cringes at xmas songs

― 3454%, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:13 (twenty years ago)

i need you pictures and music

― evans Asante, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:18 (twenty years ago)

I love "Father Christmas".

― musically (musically), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:19 (twenty years ago)

fromagophobia! i think there is good christmas cheese and bad christmas cheese.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:21 (twenty years ago)

Cristina "Things Fall Apart"
Alien Sex Fiend "Stuff the Turkey"

― telephone thing, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:22 (twenty years ago)

James Brown has a bunch of great ones. My favorite is "Soulful Christmas".

― D. Bachyrycz, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

More James Brown can't hurt: "Go Power at Christmas Time," "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto," and "Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:36 (twenty years ago)

"it is possible once you grow out of being the sort of adolescent who cringes at xmas songs"

- i only cringe at the cheeseburgers

― robotpunk, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 05:41 (twenty years ago)

I like the Bowie/Bing Crosby version of "Little Drummer Boy."

― vartman (novaheat), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 06:36 (twenty years ago)

none of my favorite christmas music makes me cringe, you're listening to the wrong stuff

― Brett G. (Brett G.), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 06:37 (twenty years ago)

last christmas.

― Stephen C (ihope), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

"Santa Claus," Sonny Boy Williamson
"Santa Came Home Drunk," Clyde Lasley
"Let It Snow," Betty Carter
"Jingle Bells," Duke Ellington
"This Christmas," Donny Hathaway
"The Little Drum Machine Boy," Beck
"Father Christmas," Kinks
"Sleigh Ride," Ventures
"All I Want for Christmas is You," Foghat
"Step Into Christmas," The Wedding Present (Elton John cover)

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 06:56 (twenty years ago)

That's not necessarily my definitive ten, but those are all among my favorites, for sure.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 07:05 (twenty years ago)

The Christmas Massacre of Charlie Brown by DJ John is great, you can find it on the Santastic Compilation here:

http://www.djbc.net/christmas/

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song is also non cringeworthy, it's found on an indie compilation here:

http://thetestpilot.blogspot.com/2005/12/test-pilot-holiday-mix-2005.html

― Amyo, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:07 (twenty years ago)

IMO, the best Christmas song of all time, and most culturally apropos as for as modern (a)morality is concerned, is "So This Is Christmas" by John Lennon. Either that or "Working Class Hero".

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:27 (twenty years ago)

Margo Guryan - I Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without You
St Etienne - I Was Born on Christmas Day

― Jez (Jez), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

Oops, wrong song title (stupid iTunes):

Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

your corniness threshold may vary, but i think this is ruvry:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000B9EYD4/104-0150495-5615142?v=glance

― Penis, NV (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

I want cheese at Christmas. Slade on the stereo and stilton on the table. It's just ... how things should be.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

Christmas in Hollis

― joe schmoe (joeschmoe), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

River by Joni Mitchell.

― wtin, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

One of my favourite Christmas songs is:
Half Man Half Biscuit - Its Cliched to be Cynical at Christmas.

Also:
Ten Benson - Snowman Snowgirl

There's also the Macc Lads - Jingles Bells, but lets not speak any more of it.

― Wobs (Wobs), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

Prince - Another Lonely Christmas

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

Low to thread.

Helen Love - "The Happiest Time of the Year"
Josh Rouse - "Christmas with Jesus"

― Ben Dot (1977), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

I'll second the vote for Slade, although my favorite is King Stitt's "Christmas Tree." If that doesn't cheer you up there might be something wrong with you.

― TRG (TRG), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:24 (twenty years ago)

Yah, aren't there a million threads about this already?

Seriously:
Pretenders - 2000 Miles

Not Seriously:
The Royal Guardsmen - "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" (TOTALLY classic!)

Completely Random:
Jethro Tull - "Ring Out Solstice Bells"

Classicist:
Eagles - "Please Come Home for Christmas"

Beck's "The Little Drum Machine Boy" is noodling crap, as is that Gorillaz song, "Don Quixote's Christmas [something or other]"

― Mitya (mitya), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

reigning sound- "if christmas can't bring you home"
dirtbombs- "this is my last christams"

― kt... (kt...), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Kt: That's just "My Last Christmas" (and it's a beautiful song).

As for the rest, just buy the fuckin' ZE Christmas album already. It's been reissued. (My top choice? Suicide's Hey Lord).

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

my mistake. haven't heard it in two years. found the cd this weekend though. no longer have cd player however.

― kt... (kt...), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 17:40 (twenty years ago)

Sufjan Christmas Vols. 1-3, but Sufjan may be cheesy to some. I'll second Low, esp. Just Like Christmas.

― a Side-walkin' Street Wheeler (aaron ef.), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

i tend to really like Coldplay's version of "Have yourself a Merry Christmas." Old-timey sounding. Even if you don't like Coldplay, this is something that fits them. And I like that song anyway.

― Tynan DeLong (TynanTynan!), Wednesday, 14 December 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

One that I've been really fond of is "Lullaby" by The Church. I doubt many have heard this one since it's buried in one of their most unpopular albums ('94's Sometime Anywhere) but it's lovely and simple.

― Jimmy James Inc, Wednesday, 14 December 2005 21:01 (twenty years ago)

Todd Newman - Kill Myself For Christmas

― hector savage, Thursday, 15 December 2005 01:57 (twenty years ago)

fuzzy - christmas

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Thursday, 15 December 2005 01:58 (twenty years ago)

Punk Rock Christmas

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 15 December 2005 02:01 (twenty years ago)

Joy Zipper - Christmas Song

― Tokyo Ghost Stories (Tokyo Ghost Stories), Thursday, 15 December 2005 03:14 (twenty years ago)

Hark The Herald Angels sing has always been a favourite of mine, especially all syncopated as played by John Fahey on The New Possibility, his first Christmas album and the only one that is good, I am assured. His slide rendition of Silent Night is pretty incredible too, a must hear I think. It's faintly ridiculous and I think he knows it, which somehow feeds into its cosmic awesomeness.

― Ogmor Roundtrouser (Ogmor Roundtrouser), Thursday, 15 December 2005 03:24 (twenty years ago)

Jingle Bell Rock, as covered by the Fall.
I Was Born on Christmas Day by St Etienne.

― Neil Stewart (Neil Stewart), Thursday, 15 December 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

man I love run rudolph run ----

"out of all the reindeer, you know you're the mastermind"

― reacher, Thursday, 15 December 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

Every so often you'll find Carl Smith's "Silent Night" on a country Christmas sampler. It's not cheesy, and he sings it very nicely.

― brianiac (briania), Thursday, 15 December 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

Big Star - Jesus Christ

― Sym Sym (sym), Friday, 16 December 2005 03:43 (twenty years ago)

the new quasi track "merry xmas" didn't make me cringe:
http://www.tgrec.com/news/detail.php?id=123

― pinder (pinder), Friday, 16 December 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

Beck's "The Little Drum Machine Boy" = Chanukah song, surely?
My vote = "Donner & Blitzen" by Badly Drawn Boy

― bham, Friday, 16 December 2005 10:10 (twenty years ago)

Mike Heron, Feast of Stephen

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 16 December 2005 10:30 (twenty years ago)

christmas time is here again - beatles

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Friday, 16 December 2005 13:33 (twenty years ago)

I've always liked No Doubt's "Oi to the World".

― mox twelve (Mox twleve), Friday, 16 December 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B00064AFFU/ref=dp_primary-product-display_0/102-5325523-4137752?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=507846&s=music

― a spectator bird (a spectator bird), Friday, 16 December 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

doh. that was supposed to be the "where will you be christmas day" comp from dust-to-digital.

― a spectator bird (a spectator bird), Friday, 16 December 2005 15:58 (twenty years ago)

Denim, I Will Cry At Christmas

― We Buy a Hammer For Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 16 December 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

no sufjan, no credibility

― gear (gear), Friday, 16 December 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

I heard the Jimmy Eat World cover of the George Michael christmas song on the radio today. It's pretty good!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 16 December 2005 22:48 (twenty years ago)

Nobody mentioned the obvious Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is the only holiday music I can really stomache.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Saturday, 17 December 2005 22:02 (twenty years ago)

I keep having to resist the temptation to take the position here that all Christmas music is good. I think I can go as far as: I like it by default, and am basically in favour of a higher proportion of Xmas music than music overall.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 17 December 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

"christmas" by darlene love is really good.

― scout (scout), Saturday, 17 December 2005 23:38 (twenty years ago)

No love for McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time"?

― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 18 December 2005 02:37 (twenty years ago)

on a related topic:

Thoughts on 2, no 3, no 4 famous Christmas songs

― xhuxk, Sunday, 18 December 2005 05:20 (twenty years ago)

Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Stevie Wonder - What Christmas Means To Me
Drifters - White Christmas
Elvis - Blue Christmas

I love lots of Christmas stuff: these are just the ones that I love musically as much as for just being Christmas songs.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 18 December 2005 05:39 (twenty years ago)

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