Best Christmas Songs?

[side_show]

I'm sucker for a good Christmas tune, especially if it's tinged with a bit of melancoly. 

The best Christmas song.  Name it.

[Nabubrush]

Sufjan Stevens "That Was The Worst Christmas Ever"?

[Carlos del Vaca]

Death Cab for Cutie's version of "Christmas Baby Please Come Home."

[littlefallsmets]

I hate to go all Pat on y'all but Robert Fripp's guitar-noise version of "Silent Night" kicks deep ass.

[jay-ell]

I'm partial to Bon Jovi's version of "Please Come Home for Christmas," even if the video is a bit overwrought.

However, there is nothing in this whole wide world like BB King's "Merry Christmas Baby." There is no reason for that song ever to be recorded by anyone else ever again. King nailed it; we're done. He wins Christmas.

[Choop]

baby it's cold outside

by basically anybody

[littlefallsmets]

See, I was just writing in my journal about this...

Am I the only person COMPLETELY creeped out by "Baby It's Cold Outside"?

It's kinda... date rapey... for what is supposed to be a cherished family-friendly Christmas standard.

"Officer, I don't know... I kept telling him 'no' over and over for like five minutes straight and... then I tasted something funny in my drink... and then I woke up the next morning not remembering anything after that."

[theinevitable]

yeah, that song is so creepy.

so, so, so creepy.

it makes me think of this movie I watched where a big part of the central plotline was that this woman started telling everyone this guy had raped her, and he both wanted to stop her from telling people (so he wouldn't go to jail) and wanted her to tell people, so he could be seen as a man who gets laid.

or, you know, any old movie where the romance scenes seem really heavy on the forced kisses and weird threats.

[wombat]

If we're talking about songs written in the twentieth century and later, it's obviously the Pogues' Fairytale of New York.

[side_show]

For some reason, I started thinking of Rainn Wilson as sexy after this version of the aforementioned song.  

For me, O Holy Night is a song I feel deeply whenever I hear it in it's may versions.  It's an epic song in a lot of ways, with the whole "fall on your knees" concept of basically being struck down by the power of faith.  That line "the weary world rejoices" for some reason strongly resounds with me too.  I think in part it's because I live where I do - we're all pretty weary by the time Christmas rolls around,  usually there's been some harsh weather - blizzards, ice storms, etc.- and that there's hope for some rebirth, right around the time there's almost no day light... it touches me.  I loved singing that song at Catholic school.  Still feel the cockels of my shrivelled atheist hard quiver when I hear it now.

[Nabubrush]

As a kid, I liked "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Creeped me out.

[Carlos del Vaca]

I also like giraffebone's "Slick Nick, You Devil You."  Why that hasn't become a staple of 24-hour-Christmas-music stations is beyond me.

[littlefallsmets]

Oh, messageboard filters.

Truly, you are the gift that keeps on giving.

[pmcd9]

For comic relief...

Twas the Night before Christmas and everything was all fucked up.

[Lister]

Let's have a Patrick Swayze Christmas

For serious tunes, though, I agree that O Holy Night is a very powerful song.  Despite its source, I think this is my favorite arrangement (though you really need good bass to get it).