Song of the Day 1/1: Little Bob and the Lollipops, “I Got Loaded”
This one's for all those who overindulged on New Year's Eve, assuming that's still a thing. Back when this song was released in 1965, a guy could sing about drinking…
Song of the Day 12/25: Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”
Some Christmas songs belong only to the artists who created them. "Little Saint Nick" is just a Beach Boys car tune, just as "Run, Rudolph, Run" is first and foremost…
Song of the Day 12/24: The King’s Singers, “Stille Nacht”
The one thing that really does sound better in the original German. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbhxZOOXLvU
Song of the Day 12/23: Norah Jones, “Christmas Don’t Be Late”
Even bad Christmas songs can be redeemed by the right artist and the right treatment. As evidence, listen to Norah Jones breathe new life into this widely reviled novelty tune.…
Song of the Day 12/22: Alison Krauss, “The Wexford Carol”
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Guest post by Nathan Arizona Sure, you’ve got your “Silent Nights” and your “O Holy Nights” and your “Adeste Fidelises.” They’re the stars of Christmas music. But some of the…
Song of the Day 12/21: Low, “Just Like Christmas”
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There's a myth concerning Christmas songs, namely that no new ones are being written. The evidence: the 25-year-old "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is the most recent tune…
Song of the Day 12/20: Foxes and Fossils, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
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Foxes and Fossils, the Atlanta-based dads-and-daughters YouTube band, this year covered one of my favorite holiday songs, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Civil War Christmas poem set to John Gorka's original tune.…
Song of the Day 12/19: The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl, “Fairytale of New York”
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This 1987 recording is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK, and it's pretty popular on these shores, too, though I'll never understand why. Not why…
Song of the Day 12/18: Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell, “Silver Bells”
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Guest post by Nathan Arizona This song was almost called “Tinkle Bells” until the wife of one of the writers explained that “tinkle” has certain connotations. So they changed it…
Song of the Day 12/17: Sufjan Stevens, “Star of Wonder”
No 21st-century singer has released more holiday material than multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. In 2006, riding the crest of his critical acclaim (his LP "Illinois" was the highest-rated album of 2005…
Song of the Day 12/16: Frank Sinatra, “Christmas Waltz”
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Guest Post by Nathan Arizona “The Christmas Waltz” is a holiday song that exists for one good reason: FRANK WANTED IT. In 1954 Frank Sinatra was about to enter the…
Song of the Day 12/15: The Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
People like to make cracks about the best Christmas music being written by Jews, but you can't blame Felix Mendelssohn for getting that ball rolling. The music Mendelssohn composed in…
Song of the Day 12/14: The Piano Guys, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Yes, of course this is Mariah Carey's song, but the squeaky-clean Piano Guys get the nod here because they assembled a Lego-mation video that uses the pain-in-the-foot building blocks to…