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Christmas Songs & Singles. This index lists the essential songs (not all the songs) contained on the albums reviewed in my Christmas section, plus singles, album tracks, or one-hit wonders not otherwise included on those albums. Whenever
possible, the artist's name is linked to my review of the best Christmas album (not necessarily
the only or original album) on which to find the song.
Barring that, the names will be linked to a place where you may buy the song
(usually Amazon).
If there's no link, it means that, to my knowledge, the song is not available
on any CD. Of course, the list will expand as I write more reviews. And, nothing's
perfect - especially me and my crazy list. Please send additions, corrections,
criticisms, and suggestions via email.
- Baby Brother (Santa Claus, Dear Santa Claus) (Kitty Kallen, 1954)
- Baby It's Cold Outside
- Baby Jesus (Matthew Sweet, 1991)
- Baby Just Like You (John Denver, 1975)
- Baby Sittin' Santa (Barry Richards,
1961)
- Baby's First Christmas (Connie Francis,
1959)
- Back Door Santa
- Clarence Carter (1968)
- Back Door Santa (Honeymoon
Killers, 1989)
This
New York band is an unheralded missing link between early, primitive psychobilly
groups like the Cramps and the amped-up, garage-inflected blues of latter-day
revivalists like the White Stripes. And, they were an obvious influence on (and
occasionally played with members of) Boss Hog and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Spooky, clattering, and painfully slow, the Honeymoon Killers' rendition of Clarence
Carter's classic "Back Door Santa" was first unleashed on , a Christmas LP released by NYC indie Vital Music. Later,
the song was collected on the Killers' compilation CD, Sing
Sing 1984-1994 (1997).
- Back Door Santa (Jet,
2003)
As
of this writing, groups like Jet are rapidly becoming the EMF of
the 2000's - that is, they seemed like a good idea at the time. For my money,
however, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" is no "Unbelievable," and
Jet - while hardly original - rocks with conviction. Their straightforward take
on "Back Door Santa" is fairly typical. Opening with a riff baldly
copped from Love's "Little Red Book," they ferociously kick into a
swaggering rock arrangement of Clarence Carter's soul classic. Barely two minutes
later, it's over - leaving us sweaty and begging for more. "Back Door Santa" was
released for download only (try iTunes)
and later compiled in Japan on Rare
Tracks (2004).
- Back In England For Christmas (David Essex, 1986)
- Be-Bop Santa Claus (Babs Gonzales, 1955)
- Beatles Christmas Record (Beatles, 1963)
- Beatles Third Christmas Record (Beatles,
1965)
- Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem
- (Before You Know It) Christmas Will Be Here (Elton Britt, 1952)
- Bell That Couldn't Jingle
- The Bells (Bobby Powell, 1971)
- Bells Of St. Mary's
- Bizarre Christmas Incident (Ben Folds
Five, 2002)
Ben
Fold's disrespectful ditty was released by Sony Records as a promo-only, picture-sleeve,
7-inch vinyl single backed with another original tune, "Lonely Christmas Eve." "Santa,
he's a big, fat fuck," Folds explains on the scatological a-side, "he went
down the chimney, got his fat ass stuck." The song was also included that same
year on the inaugural edition of Nettwerk Record's Maybe
This Christmas series - albeit in a censored version. The bah-humbug b-side ("How
I hate their happy noise!") had been previously released on the soundtrack of
Jim Carrey's live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How
The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
- Big Yule Log Boogie (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, 1992)
- Black Christmas (Emotions, 1970)
- Black Christmas (MDC,
1991)
- Black Christmas (Hot Rock Mays, circa 1986)
- Black Christmas (Red Flag, 2000)
- Blanca Navidad (White Christmas) (Freddy Fender, 1994)
- Blink Before Christmas (Phil Moore Four, 1953)
- Blue Christmas
- Blue Christmas (Dead
Or Alive, 1990)
Unlike
the many "Blue Christmas" recordings listed above, this rare Dead Or Alive
side is an entirely original composition. That is, it is not the song first
recorded by Ernest Tubb and later watermarked by Elvis Presley. Though atypically
subdued for the group that brought us "Spin Me Round (Like A Record)," the
song is nevertheless what you might expect - a sad lament of a lonely holiday. Androgynous
singer Pete Burns - sounding creepily like Boy George on testosterone - croons, "Don't
think I'll pull through" accompanied by smooth electric piano. Deliciously bad.... "Blue
Christmas" was first released as the b-side of a Japanese 3-inch CD single, "Your
Sweetness (Is My Weakness)," then quickly compiled on another Japanese disc, Fan
The Flame (Part 1), an EP of rare tracks (there was never a second part...).
Ten years later, Dead or Alive released a hopped-up disco version called "Blue
Christmas 2000" on yet another Japanese exclusive, Fragile.
- Blue Christmas Tree (Ernest
Tubb, 1965)
- Blue
Grey Christmas (King
Coleman, 1958)
- Blue Holiday (Shirelles, 1961)
- Blue Snowflakes (Ernest
Tubb, 1952)
- Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern) (Miles
Davis, 1962)
- Blues For Christmas (John Lee Hooker,
1960)
- Bob Kringle (Creamers, 1990)
- Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
- Born In A Manger (Patti LaBelle, 1990)
- Born In A Barn/Away In A Normal Bed (Yobs, 1991)
- Boxing Day (I Belong With You) (Darin
Murphy, 2001)
- Brand New Bike (Junkyard Dogs, 1993)
- Breaking Up At X-Mas (Mother May I, 1994)
- Bring That Cadillac Back (Harry "Fats" Crafton
with Doc Bagby's Orchestra, 1948)
- Buon Natale (Means Merry Christmas To You) (Nat
King Cole, 1959)
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