Christmas Songs for People with Taste...

Specifically MY Taste.

For the past few years, I have been the one in my family responsible for the music that is played during a holiday. Well, I actually seized power of that responsibility, having been so stricken by the thought of having to hear "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" ever again. That song is like "The Monster Mash"; I feel we should confiscate all copies and bury them in a mountain in Nevada.

So anyways, here are my recommendations (and a couple songs provided for you, gratis) to enrich your aural experience this Yuletide:

• Cardinal: "Do you believe in Christmas trees?"
  

This song has nothing at all to do with Christmas, aside from a line about it near the ending of the song. Which of course makes it the best sort of song to be playing as you gather around the Yule log. I usually like more uptempo holiday music,but I think this song is just beautiful and melancholy.

• Saint Etienne: "I was born on Christmas Day"

Again, this song actively resists having much to do with the holiday, and it has been heard in my family's living room for the past five years as my family and I open our presents. Unlike the previous song, though, it actually sounds like a Christmas song, with the chimes, the synth harmonium, the harp. It's a duet with Tim Burgess, late of the Charlatans UK, a Britpop outfit that popped up in the early '90's. The song itself is from 1994's Tiger Bay album. I just love the reference to EuroDisney, and the line "Getting groovy after Halloween..." If we could get less wet-eyed, simpering, bland Christmas albums retreading songs in the public domain, and more disco-carols like this one, that make me feel good and joyous, then I think we would have something a lot more valuable than the Jessica Simpson X-mas slop being peddled at 7-11.

• Pizzicato Five: "24 December"
  

I have no idea whether this is a Christmas song, since the lyrics are all in Japanese, but I assume so, given the title, the children's choir, and the opening vocal part. If so, then it's a disco Christmas for everyone: "We love the disco, we love the disco sound..." The final single relesed by P5 before they broke up, it's celabratory, danceable, and like most of their songs, a little bit of a potpourri of Western popular music. Never given a proper release in this country, this is from the double CD Singles import. Pizzicato Five did release a couple versions of "Silent Night" song in Japanese, but Nomiya Maki's voice was never strong enough to do the song justice, and I find that this song has enough spirit o' the season in it to keep my cheeks a' rosey.

To complete the S. Family Christmas Mix, add the contents of the following albums:

• The Beach Boys: Christmas Album
• Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
• James Brown: James Brown's Funky Christmas
• RuPaul: Ho Ho Ho
• Various Artists: A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector
• Vince Guaraldi Trio: A Charlie Brown Christmas

As well as these various and sundry songs:

• ABBA: "Gimme Gimme Gimme"
• Bad Religion: "Silent Night"
• Clarence Carter: "Backdoor Santa"
• David Bowie and Bing Crosby: "Little Drummer Boy/ Peace on Earth"
• Donny Hathaway: "This Christmas"
• Eartha Kitt: "Santa Baby"
• Erasure: "She won't be home"
• The Flaming Lips: "A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn't So)"
• John Lennon: "Happy X-mas (War is Over)"
• Judy Garland: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas"
• Kurtis Blow: "Christmas Rappin'"
• Lambert, Hendricks, And Ross: "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie"
• Lea & Chess: "Little Star (Shine On Us Tonight)"
• Mariah Carey: "All I want for Christmas is you"
• Pet Shop Boys: "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas"
• The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl: "Fairytale of New York"
• The Polyphonic Spree: "Little Drummer Boy (live)"
• Prince: "Another Lonely Christmas"
• The Ramones: "Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight)"
• The Raveonettes: "Christmas Song"
• Rudolph & Gang: "Here Comes Fatty Claus"
• Run DMC: "Christmas in Hollis"
• Valerie Masters: "Christmas Calling"
• The Wedding Present: "Step into Christmas"
• Wham: "Last Christmas"

The following songs are optional, and are as close as the music gets to having an overtly religious message:

• Ben Vereen (I think; I don't have the cast list in front of me): "Superstar" (from the Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack)
• Handel's Messiah (for my mother; she loves it.)
• Roxy Music: "Triptych"
• The Velvet Underground: "Jesus"

And there you have a Holiday Soundtrack that you can be proud of! Have a Merry Christmas, Chappy Chunakkah, Keen Kwanzah, Swell Solstic, ETICK everybody!

By the way, there's a lot of snow here.