December Mixtape: Merry Christmas Baby
I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas music. I genuinely love it, but there are rules. First, I’m a big Grinch about playing Christmas music early. I’m stricter than most people on this issue, but can’t we all agree that Thanksgiving is the absolute earliest date to break out the sleigh bells?
There is also too much excellent Christmas music out there to accept listening to the same bad ’50s schmaltz every year. I understand that the holidays are all about tradition, but some traditions need to evolve.
With those sentiments (and a little Christmas cheer) I offer up the following mix, which will hopefully provide an improved soundtrack to your holiday season. It’s got songs spanning six decades and many genres, with songs you hear every year, and some others that don’t get enough love. Enjoy.
[Special thanks to Scooter for contributing songs from his extensive collection of Christmas tunes as well as his help with making this mix.]
December Mixtape: Merry Christmas Baby
- The Drifters - “White Christmas”
- Darlene Love - “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
- Otis Redding - “Merry Christmas Baby”
- Charles Brown - “Please Come Home for Christmas”
- The O’Jays - “Christmas Ain’t Christmas (Without the One You Love)”
- Ray Charles & Betty Carter - “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
- The Beach Boys - “Little St. Nick”
- Elvis Presley - “Blue Christmas”
- Brenda Lee - “Christmas Will Be Another Lonely Day”
- Aretha Franklin - “Kissin’ by the Mistletoe”
- Fiona Apple - “Frosty the Snowman” [f. Jon Brion]
- John Denver - “Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk this Christmas)”
- The Band - “Christmas Must be Tonight”
- Blitzen Trapper - “Christmas is Coming Soon”
- The Eels - “Everything’s Gonna Be Cool this Christmas”
- My Morning Jacket - “Christmas Time is Here Again (Bring out the Joy!)” [Live]
- Feist - “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”
- Sufjan Stevens - “Sister Winter”
- The Raveonettes - “The Christmas Song”
- Billy Squier - “Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You”
- The Kinks - “Father Christmas”
- NRBQ - “Christmas Wish”
- Stevie Wonder - “What Christmas Means to Me”
- James Brown - “Soulful Christmas”
- Clarence Carter - “Back Door Santa”
- Albert King - “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ ”
You can also download the whole mix as zip file: December Mixtape - Merry Christmas Baby. To import the songs as an ordered playlist, go to iTunes, click on File > Library > Import Playlist… and select the .txt file in the mix folder.
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More: Check out our previous mixes
Work in a retail establishment around the holidays, then see if you still like Christmas music. Guh. I get cold sweats and flight panic whenever Feliz Navidad starts playing.
What? No Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas”??? That one seems to make the iTunes top 10 every year.
Unfortunately, “Christmas in Jail” was left off the list, seriously calling into question your knowledge of hilarious Christmas songs. But if inclined, one can listen to it right here: http://www.rockndog.com/Black_Christmas/05_Youngsters_Christmas_in_Jail.mp3
awesome list, many thanks and merry christmas!
Also, “My First X-Mas (As a Woman)” by The Vandals lights my yule log. That entire “Oi To The World” album is fantastic. http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Vandals-Oi-World/dp/B000005BO4
Nice mix. I like the old stuff especially: Drifters, James Brown, Otis Redding, etc.
Chris, there was a lot of good stuff that hit the cutting room floor, that one included. Other funny finalists were Asylum Street Spankers’ “Trim your Tree” and Guster’s “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?”
Corey, needless to say, that song was not one of the tough-to-cut numbers…
Thanks Adrian, we tried to mix it up with popular/rare, new/old, etc. The Drifters tune is probably my favorite, Home Alone inclusion notwithstanding.
I doubt you’ve ever even heard it, so you shouldn’t judge … “Grandpa’s Last X-mas” is also great.
WTF? We just talked about this… where is my effing Run D.M.C. “Christmas in Hollis.” FAIL.
Oh! So, he consults everyone else, but not me huh? Man, Jay’s fuckin’ up …
WONDERFUL mix, thanks so much for sharing!
[...] I also thought this song was apt for the day James Brown - Soulful Christmas, and if you liked that, here’s a full playlist of stuff that probably won’t make you want to go postal in the mall: December Mixtape: Merry Christmas Baby. [...]