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Dec. 11th, 2008 12:39 pmI saw a clip on TV recently about the most annoying Christmas songs, and it got me to thinking. There really aren't any Christmas songs that I just absolutely hate, but there are a few that get on my nerves. I know it's a classic and beloved by millions, but I've never liked "White Christmas." I dunno. It's too slow, too sentimental, too..blah. I just don't like it. I'm not big on "The First Noel" either, for the the same tempo reasons. I've never been much of a fan of slow songs. Although, I do really dig the chorus when it goes into the swelling "Noooo-ellll, Noooo-ellll, Noooo-ellllllll-Noooo-elllllll" part. Oh, and "Silent Night." Yes, I know, I'll probably get flogged for that, but maybe I'm just burnt out. I DO, however, like "O Little Town Of Bethlehem", and it's kinda slow. Maybe I just haven't heard it too much.
I'm very picky about arrangements. I don't like all these jazzed up, syncopated, "let me show you how much rhythm and soul I can put into "Hark the Herald Angels Sing'" type deals. I don't want to hear anyone scatting on "O Come All Ye Faithful." Seriously. Harry Connick Jr., while cute and talented in his own special way just annoys the crap out of me with his take on Christmas. Honestly, I don't like any of The Big Stars Doing Christmas. There are far too many country or blues or jazz versions of the classics, and more seem to pop up every year. I guess I'm a traditionalist. Give me a good orchestra, like the London Philharmonic performing "Joy To the World" anyday over Whitney Houston's rendention of "Do You Hear What I Hear." And I don't care that Mariah Carey can span 17 octaves. Just sing it the way they wrote it.
So what do I like? One of my favorite Christmas songs has always been "The Little Drummer Boy." But it needs to be sung by kids, preferably little boys. (OK, yes, that does sound creepy, I realize.) I just don't want to hear Bob Segar singing about his rump-pa-pum-pum. My mom has an arrangement that is (I believe) by the Vienna Boys Choir. I cannot hear that song without tearing up, even to this day. It's on the record that she and I played every year when we were decorating the Christmas tree. Maybe it's a fond childhood memory, maybe the song really is that good, but I get a lump in my throat just thinking about that poor little drummer boy with no gift to bring.
My other favorite song? "O Holy Night", quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my humble but correct opinion. But again, it needs to be sung properly. It also needs to be sung by a female, I believe, but just leave it alone in its classic beauty. Whitney Houston fouled it up, too, with her "soaring vocals" and overdone manner. Maybe Whitney just oughta leave Christmas alone, come to think of it.
I also love "Carol Of the Bells" and this is one of the few songs that I'm OK when it's messed with. Transiberian Orchestra's heavy metal-esque take on it is absolutely amazing and so incredibly powerful and gorgeous. But the original version, with all those ding-dongs in it, is just as good.
I love a good orchestral version of "Angels We Have Heard On High" with a gorgeous female soprano singing it. And one Christmas song that I love a lot, you might not be familiar with. I believe it's an Old English carol called "Fum Fum Fum." I'd never heard it until about 10-12 years ago, when my mom got me a CD of Christmas carols done in a classical piano style. I'd actually like to find an arrangment of it to learn to play myself, because it has some very fast sections that I think would be a heckuva a lot of fun to play on piano. Mannheim Steamroller does a really cool arrangment of it, if you're curious.
Honestly, I like a lot of the Old English and Celtic carols..."Good King Wenceslas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen","I Saw Three Ships" "The Holly and the Ivy", etc. Maybe I like them so much because not as many people do them, thus the ruination factor is low? (Although I do see that Sting tried his hand at "Three Ships.." At least he did apparently keep the classic instruments, so I will give him props for that.
I guess I just don't like messing with the classics and much prefer a choral or orchestral arrangment to most Christmas songs, rather than a more modern take. Does that make me a bah humbug?
So, tell me, what's your favorite Christmas/holiday/winter song? And which one (or ones) do you wish you could never hear again?
I'm very picky about arrangements. I don't like all these jazzed up, syncopated, "let me show you how much rhythm and soul I can put into "Hark the Herald Angels Sing'" type deals. I don't want to hear anyone scatting on "O Come All Ye Faithful." Seriously. Harry Connick Jr., while cute and talented in his own special way just annoys the crap out of me with his take on Christmas. Honestly, I don't like any of The Big Stars Doing Christmas. There are far too many country or blues or jazz versions of the classics, and more seem to pop up every year. I guess I'm a traditionalist. Give me a good orchestra, like the London Philharmonic performing "Joy To the World" anyday over Whitney Houston's rendention of "Do You Hear What I Hear." And I don't care that Mariah Carey can span 17 octaves. Just sing it the way they wrote it.
So what do I like? One of my favorite Christmas songs has always been "The Little Drummer Boy." But it needs to be sung by kids, preferably little boys. (OK, yes, that does sound creepy, I realize.) I just don't want to hear Bob Segar singing about his rump-pa-pum-pum. My mom has an arrangement that is (I believe) by the Vienna Boys Choir. I cannot hear that song without tearing up, even to this day. It's on the record that she and I played every year when we were decorating the Christmas tree. Maybe it's a fond childhood memory, maybe the song really is that good, but I get a lump in my throat just thinking about that poor little drummer boy with no gift to bring.
My other favorite song? "O Holy Night", quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs ever written, in my humble but correct opinion. But again, it needs to be sung properly. It also needs to be sung by a female, I believe, but just leave it alone in its classic beauty. Whitney Houston fouled it up, too, with her "soaring vocals" and overdone manner. Maybe Whitney just oughta leave Christmas alone, come to think of it.
I also love "Carol Of the Bells" and this is one of the few songs that I'm OK when it's messed with. Transiberian Orchestra's heavy metal-esque take on it is absolutely amazing and so incredibly powerful and gorgeous. But the original version, with all those ding-dongs in it, is just as good.
I love a good orchestral version of "Angels We Have Heard On High" with a gorgeous female soprano singing it. And one Christmas song that I love a lot, you might not be familiar with. I believe it's an Old English carol called "Fum Fum Fum." I'd never heard it until about 10-12 years ago, when my mom got me a CD of Christmas carols done in a classical piano style. I'd actually like to find an arrangment of it to learn to play myself, because it has some very fast sections that I think would be a heckuva a lot of fun to play on piano. Mannheim Steamroller does a really cool arrangment of it, if you're curious.
Honestly, I like a lot of the Old English and Celtic carols..."Good King Wenceslas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen","I Saw Three Ships" "The Holly and the Ivy", etc. Maybe I like them so much because not as many people do them, thus the ruination factor is low? (Although I do see that Sting tried his hand at "Three Ships.." At least he did apparently keep the classic instruments, so I will give him props for that.
I guess I just don't like messing with the classics and much prefer a choral or orchestral arrangment to most Christmas songs, rather than a more modern take. Does that make me a bah humbug?
So, tell me, what's your favorite Christmas/holiday/winter song? And which one (or ones) do you wish you could never hear again?
