Why is so much of the Christmas music we hear so lame?

[SamAdams76]

I have been listening to and collecting Christmas music for over 30 years now. During this time, I have collected well over 3,000 songs. I consider practically every song in my collection to be of high quality and in the spirit of the Christmas season.

My point is that there is a huge library out there of excellent Christmas music. My question is, why is so much of what we hear on the radio, at the shopping malls, and even in the movies, so horribly lame?

Already there are many radio stations (including two on Sirius satellite radio) playing Christas music around the clock through December 25th. Yet despite having weeks and weeks to play all the Christmas music that is out there, they insist upon playing over and over the same couple hundred or so Christmas songs.

Even that wouldn't be so intolerable if they at least played the couple hundred of the BEST Christmas song. But instead, we are hearing a couple hundred of the very WORST Christmas songs.

I had a long drive today and was caught without my iPod so I was forced to listen to what Christmas music was on the radio. It was basically a steady diet of horribly uninspired singers (i.e. Michael Buble, Barry Manilow, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Josh Groban, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Madonna, etc.) playing endless variations the most inspid, Christmas songs out there (Sleigh Ride, Silver Bells, Happy Xmas, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, Do They Know It's Christmas?, Let It Snow, etc.).

By the time I got home, I wanted to turn the calendar forward to Dec 26 and get this season over with! Fortunately, I was able to delve into my vast collection of REAL Christmas music and get back into the spirit again.

I even picked up a few new Christmas albums that came out for the first time this year that you will likely NEVER hear on the radio. One of them was "Christmas In The Heart" by Bob Dylan that has been made fun of by virtually every record critic out there. But despite what the "too-cool-for-school" critics have to say (the same people I might add who think President Obama is a swell idea), this is a breathtaking Christmas album by one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time.

Now before I go on, allow me to get the inevitable "Bob Dylan gargles with razor blades and smokes five cartons of Camels a day" comment out of the way. Yes, it is true, Bob Dylan does not have a "smooth and polished" studio-friendly voice like Whitney Houston or Neil Diamond but so what? Bob's gritty takes on such Christmas classics as "Do You Hear What I Hear," "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and even the playful "Must Be Santa" are all heartfelt, genuine and these renditions absolutely blow the pop stars of today out of the water. You can guarantee that Bob Dylan's astonishing Christmas album will become a part of my permanent Christmas collection for many years to come, even though you are unlikely to hear so much as one track on the radio.

I would like to list some of the 3,000+ tracks in my Christmas collection here but I have no idea where to even start. So in no effort to start with the best, I will hit shuffle on my iPod and post the first 25 songs that come up. This should give you an indication as to just how vast and diverse my Christmas collection is. I encourage fellow fans of Christmas music to post some of their collection so that I can compare and maybe find some new tracks to add to mine, as I'm certainly not finding any new music on the radio!

Here are the first 25 Christmas songs that came up on my iPod in shuffle mode:

Aimee Mann - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Gabriel's Message - Sting
Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming - Mannheim Steamroller
When Southern Bells Ring - The Judybats
Tennessee Christmas - Amy Grant
Come On Christmas - Dwight Yoakam
Donna & Blitzen - Badly Drawn Boy
Terra Firma - Delirium
Light Of The Stable - Emmylou Harris
Joy Is Within Reach - Adrienne Pierce
Winter's Night - Nox Arcana
Pearly Dew Drops Drops - Cocteau Twins
O Come All Ye Faithful - Bing Crosby
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Jars Of Clay
Lachrimae Antiquae - London Symphony (w/Chip Davis)
Winter's Carol - Tori Amos
Make It Home - Juliana Hatfield
Christmas In The Jungle - Derrik Roberts
Winter Wonderland - Reverend Horton Heat
I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
The Christmas Song - Angel
December Will Be Magic Again - Kate Bush
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Crash Test Dummies
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
Good King Wencelaus - Melanie

And about 3,218 more gems that you will probably never hear on the radio or in your shopping mall, which is a real tragedy....

[paulycy]

If you like a capella music, check out http://www.singers.com/christmas/

I like *really* good acapella music. I'll check it out. Thanks!

[LibFreeOrDie]

Try The Blenders:

[paulycy]

I most definitely will. :0)

[combat_boots]

It’ll take me awhile and several phone calls to find the album....

Some of the words go...

Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
I said it first, so now, hand it here!

....???

Possum, possum, you better run.
My daddy’s in the woods with his big shotgun.
Ol’ man turkey flyin’ so high,
Don’ you see that gleam in my daddy’s eye.

Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
Christmas Gift! Hand it here!
I said it first, so now, hand it here!

Loved that whole album, but that tune was jazzy and fun. 1940s, I think.

[real saxophonist]

As long as you don’t have any Kenny G on your iPod, you’re okay.

[RayChuang88]

I agree with your sentiments. If you want to enjoy Mannheim Steamroller's best Christmas album work, the four albums you want are:

Christmas (1984)
A Fresh Air Christmas (1988)
Christmas in the Aire (1995)
Christmas Extraordinaire (2001)

My two favorite pieces from the four albums are their rendition of Stille Nacht (Silent Night) (still the most beautiful version of this song I've ever heard) and Davis' original composition "Traditions of Christmas" (which captures the feeling of Christmas morning like no other composition I've ever heard).

[dangerdoc]

It's hard to write music about the birth of a savior you don't really believe in?

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Being 66, I still prefer what, I guess, would be considered the "classics:" Crosby, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, et al.

While it took me 3 consecutive years of listening (at first not really liking it much) to finally appreciate and come to enjoy Manheim Steamroller's Christmas Music (Thanks Rush) it is and has been for 7 years, a staple this time of year.

I don't think Manheim's haunting and beautiful version of Silent Night, can be beat, bar none!!!

[RayChuang88]

Oh by the way, here's a new favorite of mine for Christmas:

[SamAdams76]

Of course I've got some Burl Ives! But I'm posting my collection at random and when you have over 3,000 songs, it might take a while for him to come up...

One Christmas Catalogue - Captain Sensible
Star of Wonder - Tori Amos
Santa Came On A Nuclear Missile - Heather Noel
Jingle Bells - Reverend Horton Heat
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - Tiny Tim
The Seven Rejoices - Loreena McKennitt
Happy Holidays - Bing Crosby
Silent Night - Thanatos
At The Christmas Ball - Bessie Smith
Greensleeved - Jethro Tull

[combat_boots]

Take Six:

YouTube medley:

http://christmasmusicvideos.com/song-titles-j-l/joy-to-the-world-christmas-medley-take-6/

Amazon samples:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QJK078/ref=pd_krex_dmusic_artist_rd?ie=UTF8&parent=B001MCV752

Smooth.....A capella, too. “I L-O-V-E You” is a surprise.

A Christian group.

[GLDNGUN]

Any list of best Christmas tunes that does not include Loreena McKennitt’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is sorely lacking. It’s like having a list of top 20 NBA players that doesn’t include Michael Jordan.

[combat_boots]

Oh yes. Their “Amen” is one to listen to over and over and over.

[InspectorGadget]

Not only does the lack of playing really good Christmas music bother me, but the fact that once the clock strikes midnight on December 26th, no more Christmas music is played AT ALL! I thought the 12 days of Christmas STARTED on the 25th and ran until the Epiphany.

[MCH]

"Traditions of Christmas" (which captures the feeling of Christmas morning like no other composition I've ever heard).

Yes, very good. Mannheim's "The Holly and the Ivy" is also beautiful. Excellent group (saw them in concert 2 years ago), but I suspect Mannheim Steamroller (MS) kind of falls into the "overplayed" category I think the original poster was complaining about.

If you like MS and instrumental Christmas music, you'll really like both Narada Christmas albums. Over the years, I think I like Narada the best - even a bit more than MS. John Tesh's Christmas album is also really good, as are a number of the songs from the "Home Alone" soundtrack by John Williams.

Also on my all time Christmas favs list are some older ones, including the Burt Kaempfert and Chet Atkins Christmas albums from the late 50's/early 60's, and John Denver's Christmas album ("Christmas for Cowboys" in particular is original/good). Finally, a "shout out" for Donny Osmond's (I assume) original song "Soldier's King" on his Christmas album from a few years back. Beautiful song that I've never heard anyone else do and that very few people have ever heard of.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Get yourself a copy of this:

[LibFreeOrDie]

Definitely “Take 6”!

[Chickensoup]

Dan Fogelberg

Depression unlimited. Not enough Prozac in the world to get through his songs.

Didnt the poor soul suicide recently?

[Seven plus One]

...Just come on in, take a seat, and let the candles, incense, sounds, and beauty of traditional Christian seasonal observance enfold you. You won't regret it!

You bet! Love and devotion are very musical aspects of our personalities. At Christmas we share with each other the best that we have to offer. (at least we used to did, terms like "Black Friday" give me the willies.) Since I was a little kid, this meant Christmas to me.

[kickonly88]

“I have the Jethro Tull Christmas album too...great stuff.”

One of my absolute all time favorites;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yibz4xAejos