List of "Tired" Christmas Music (That Should Be Retired)

Self (Vanity)

[SamAdams76]

The Christmas season is upon us once again and the sounds of holiday music can be heard in shopping malls, restaurants, and other public places. Radio stations are already slipping the occasional Christmas song into their playlists and by mid-December, it will be wall-to-wall Christmas music.

Now that is not a bad thing. I like Christmas music. I collect Christmas music. Later in the Christmas season, I will post a vanity on my favorite Christmas music and that post promises to be much longer than this one.

But why is it that so many tired and really annoying Christmas songs seem to get the most airplay? Is it just me or does it seem like the radio stations play the same few Christmas songs 90% of the time?

On this thread, I will list some of my least favorite or more accurately, the most tired Christmas songs of alltime and will seek your input. I put a lot of thought into putting this list together. You are welcome to disagree with me and/or list a few really tired Christmas songs of your own.

Surely there are worse Christmas songs out there than the ones I am about to list. But I kept my list to songs that are familiar and that get a lot of airplay. The emphasis here on on "tired" rather than "bad." Also, to make my list, the song must have been out for at least five years. These songs have established some longevity of being really tired. I am listing the ones that have been "in our face" year after year. Without so much great material out there (I'll have a separate post on that closer to Christmas), there is no excuse for radio stations not to pursue fresher material.

So in no particular order, here goes...the most "tired" Christmas songs of alltime.

• Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. Now I'm not normally a violent person. But if somebody was to shoot the person who wrote this song, it would be okay by me. This has got to be absolutely the most annoying Christmas Song I have ever heard. It stopped being funny sometime around 1984. Yet year after year, radio stations seem to play it at least once every hour. Many a Christmas compilation album has been ruined for me by the inclusion of this tired ditty.
  

• Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song. Okay, maybe it was funny the first 232 times I heard it. But this song has really run its course and it should be retired. And to add insult to injury, Sandler released a "sequel" version of this song a few years ago but it already seems like 20 years ago. It's just not "funakah" to hear this anymore.
  

• The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping. Many, many years ago, back when Ronald Reagan used to refer to Russia as the "Evil Empire," it was cool to play this record at Christmas. It was cutting edge and having this song in your Christmas collection separated you from the Perry Como and Bing Crosby crowd. Well it's not cutting edge, cool or "New Wave" anymore. It's as mainstream as Garth Brooks and as dull as Peter Jennings. Give this record a rest, please.
  

• Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad. Must be a "PC" thing because the song itself is lame. Okay, okay, so it's politically correct to be "diverse" and know "Merry Christmas" in 17 different languages. So Buon Natale to you then, I am putting a contract out on this record. I am going to have it inserted into a block of wet cement and send it to the bottom of Boston Harbor. At least the Italians know what to do when something becomes tired and no longer "useful." Time for some new Christmas material from Mexico, and fast.
  

• Cheech & Chong - Santa And His Old Lady. Cheech: "Like I PLAYED with that dude, man." Chong: "Whoa, like Santa Claus ain't no musician, man!" Cheech: "I'm hip, man, like that dude couldn't play for beans, man!" Well I'm hip to Cheech & Chong. They can't play for beans and they aren't funny anymore to boot. Were these guys EVER funny? Must have been a 70s thing.
  

• Band-Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? Not only was this song a blatant rip-off of "We Are The World" (or maybe it was vice versa) but the question the song poses is ridiculous. Of course they don't know it's Christmas, and they probably couldn't give a shit either. Until this year, did we ever know it was Ramadan over there? And that "Feed The World" chorus, well, here it is 15 years later and the people are still starving over there. Guess it makes liberals feel good to sing the song though. Like the next one on my list...
  

• John & Yoko - Happy Xmas (War Is Over). Maybe it's the spelling of Christmas that irks me most about this record. Didn't this song start the whole loathsome "Xmas" thing? Anyway, you can be sure that this song will get even heavier airplay this Christmas season in light of the current war situation. But I'm so tired of this song already!
  

• Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Okay, I like Bruce Springsteen. But I still think he could have picked a better Christmas song to cover. Or even have done an original. Anyway, I was already tired of this song by 1979.

I could think of a few more but I'm going to let my fellow Freepers get a crack at adding to the list of "tired" Christmas music.

[geege]

That's why I shop on-line:0)

[Dan from Michigan]

"Run Run Rudolph" is another great one not played enough in these modern times

I agree there. There was a rock(blues based) version of it as well, I think by a Detroit band. That was a good version as well.

[MinuteGal]

The repetitive "Drummer Boy" sends me up the chimney, also. Rum-a-dum-dum, yech! Pass me a Tum.

Leni

[Paulus Invictus]

I cannot stand "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer." "The 12 Days of Christrmas" and even "White Christmas" is wearing on the ears. When it is playing non-stop in stores and malls and even parking lots, it's all getting to be tiresome and inane. Many of these songs have nothing at all to do with the birth of Christ. IMHO.

[mikrofon]

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by the I Forget Who.

Agreed on that one! Whenever I hear that "hiccup-ing" (or whatever the h*ll it is) at the end of the song, it makes me want to put the singer out of his misery ....

[strictlyaminorleaguer]

Sam, they play it all the time on our oldies station, along with the Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys and the usual suspects (e.g. Jingle Bell Rock). There are some I never get tired of: Crosby's White Christmas, Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song, and the Andre Kostelanetz version of Sleigh Ride.

[SamAdams76]

The Bing Crosby & David Bowie duet of "The Little Drummer Boy" is particularly loathsome, especially with that "Peace On Earth" crud interjected at random. Ugh. Bing musta been hitting the bottle hard that year.

Interesting sidenote on this. The song was recorded on September 11, 1977 and Bing died just a month later, so it was one of his last recordings ever. There is actually a spoken interlude between Bing & David that is rarely played on the radio. Bob Rivers does a parody of this song called "Rummer Rocker Boy" in which a punk rocker (from the band "Vomit") meets a "simulation" of Bing Crosby and they end up drinking rum together with the predictable results. It's funny to hear the first time but gets old really fast with repeated listens, as with most of Bob River's material.

On the other side, the South Park Christmas tunes are a guilty pleasure and sure do surprise the heck out of guests expecting to hear the umpteenth playing of 'Deck the Halls'...

I got that album but I wouldn't recommend it here. If this crowd thinks Harry Potter is evil, yikes!

[katnip]

I hate the dogs barking Jingle Bells too.
One of my favorite Christmas CD's is Mariah Careys.
Her version of "Oh Holy Night" gives me goose-bumps.
There's also a great gospel song "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child" that's wonderful.

[Revolting cat!]

Keith Richards did a fine version of "Run, Run Rudolph", you may be thinking of that one.

Also, "I want a rock and roll guitar" by Johnny Preston is a great under-appreciated classic.

[Mikerow]

Bob and Doug McKenzie Rock! With Geddy Lee of Rush providing back up!

[Sueann]

The greatest Christmas music is Mannheim Steamroller. Rush plays it as bumper music every year at this time. I have all their Christmas albums, and I never tire of listening to it.

[strictlyaminorleaguer]

PS My oldies station also has a knack for overplaying good songs like the Carpenters' "Marry Christmas, Darling" to the point where you get sick of them. I wish they'd vary it a bit more.

[zlala]

Don't ever work retail for a living. Listening to the Christmas classics 9-5, M-Fri from Thanksgiving to Christmas is enough to ruin all Christmas music songs ... for life. I still can't stand to listen to more than a few minutes of even the best Christmas songs . The store I worked at felt that not only should the classic Christmas songs be played on a 1 hour repeating schedule, they should be played LOUD. Now, I wished I hadn't worked there at all, and it's been 12 years.

[reality bytes]

I would be elated if they were to just get rid of all jazz inspired xmas music. One thing i hate, going to the mall, or hanging out in barnes and nobel and all i hear is that crap played over and over again.

[Nathan Jr.]

I love the Mannheim Steamroller version of "Still, Still, Still"
I have yet to hear a more beautiful Christmas song EVER.

[CWRWinger]

Who wrote 'Carol of the Bells' and who performs it best?

[SamAdams76]

But when Alan Jackson (or somebody) records an original Christmas song, why, that's cool!

I know exactly what you mean. I avoid the "cookie cutter" Christmas albums like the plague. Note to music industry: "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)," "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock" have been covered enough times already.

I collect the Christmas albums that have at least some original music on them.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

That would be "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" by the Royal Guardsmen from 1967. It was a big chart hit as well. I haven't heard that song on the radio in quite a while but I have it on a couple of compilations.

The Guardsmen were 'one-hit wonders', and it's too bad about the lack of play, Ocala doesn't get a lottle of royalty checks from Nashville.

[RMrattlesnake]

most of the secular songs about santa, christmas trees and red nose raindeer. Keep the Chrismas hymns that have to do with what Christmas is all about. JESUS is the reason for the season.

[general_re]

On the other side, the South Park Christmas tunes are a guilty pleasure and sure do surprise the heck out of guests expecting to hear the umpteenth playing of 'Deck the Halls'...

I got that album but I wouldn't recommend it here. If this crowd thinks Harry Potter is evil, yikes!

Oh, I don't know - "Merry F***ing Christmas" seems remarkably topical and appropriate this year ;)