Christmas songs and carols to get you into the festive spirit

What will a Christmas family gathering be without these songs? Or, walking in malls, shopping for Christmas gifts with Christmas song and carols played in the background just further adds to this Festive Season spirit.

Some of the music are true classics that features the likes of Nat King Cole, which the older generation would certainly recall, as well as from modern day artists.

Share and comment when how these songs and carols brings back special memories and which are your favourite and why.

Here are first the top ten of the 100 top Christmas songs this year:

1.”The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole (1961)

Co-written by singer Mel Torme, “The Christmas Song” became one of the defining performances of the career of Nat King Cole. He recorded the song at least three times, but the 1961 recording is often considered the best. Sometimes the song is referred to as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” from the lyrics in the song’s first line.

2. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – Judy Garland (1944)

This song was introduced by Judy Garland in a poignant moment in the 1944 movie musical Meet Me In St. Louis. The filmmakers complained that in the first version, the song’s lyrics were too depressing and commissioned a rewrite that became the most popular interpretation.

3. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” – John Lennon (1971)

One of Beatle John Lennon’s dreams in the music industry was to create a classic Christmas song. Undoubtedly, he was successful with the song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” that is simultaneously a holiday song and plea for world peace.

4. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee (1958)

The first significant recording of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was Brenda Lee’s version released in 1958. It didn’t become a hit single until Lee’s pop breakthrough in 1960. The song has been a holiday favorite ever since.

5. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” – Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi (2003)

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” was written in 1934 and first performed on the Eddie Cantor radio show. It was an instant hit. Bruce Springsteen has made it a traditional part of his live concerts during the holidays.

6. “The Little Drummer Boy” – David Bowie and Bing Crosby (1977)

Katherine K. Davis composed “Little Drummer Boy” in 1941. It was popularized in an arrangement by the Harry Simeone Chorale. An animated TV special was created based on the song’s story in 1968. David Bowie and Bing Crosby collaborated for a version televised on a Bing Crosby Christmas special in 1977.

7. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey (1994)

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” was featured on Mariah Carey’s hit 1994 holiday album Merry Christmas. In the past decade, the song has quickly become a contemporary holiday standard selling over four million copies around the world.

8. “White Christmas” – Bing Crosby (1942)

“White Christmas” was introduced in the 1942 movie musical Holiday Inn. It went on to win an Academy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture. Bing Crosby’s version from the film has sold over 50 million copies.
9. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – Band Aid (1984)

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure put together the impromptu “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” project to provide aid for victims of a famine that was ravaging the people of Ethiopia. The recording featured a who’s who of current British pop stars. It has become a radio Christmas standard.

10. “Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl (1988)

 

Top 15 Pop Christmas Albums of All Time:

15. John Denver – A Rocky Mountain Christmas (1975)

Singer-songwriter John Denver was at the peak of his career when the Christmas season of 1975 rolled around.  He had just released two consecutive #1 albums and two gold-certified number one singles “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and “I’m Sorry.” Delivering classic songs in John Denver‘s inimitable homespun style, A Rocky Mountain Christmas quickly became a favorite and has sold more than two million copies.

14. George Winston – December (1982)

In the early 1980s pianist George Winston became a very unlikely music superstar. As one of the key artists recording for the Windham Hill label, he helped define the sound of new age music. December is one of four seasonal solo piano albums he has released.  It is a contemplative tribute to winter sounds including holiday music. The album has sold more than three million copies. His music helped pave the way for many other Windham Hill artists to earn national notice.

13. The Carpenters – Christmas Portrait (1978)

The Carpenters’ popularity was beginning to fade by the time they put together this first Christmas collection. They would only have one more top 40 pop hit after release of Christmas Portrait in 1978. This album includes the duo’s classic “Merry Christmas, Darling.” The album has sold over a million copies and today is one of the best loved Carpenters albums. The cover art designed by Robert Tanenbaum is modeled after Norman Rockwell’s painting “Triple Self-Portrait” done for the Saturday Evening Post in 1960.

12. The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (1964)

California surf pop and Christmas music may not seem to go together on first thought. However, the Beach Boys didn’t let that stand in their way. Coming just months after their first number one pop hit single “I Get Around,” The Beach Boy’s Christmas Album, featuring their classic originals “Little Saint Nick” and “The Man With all The Toys,” quickly became a holiday favorite. The group’s leader Brian Wilson was influenced by the success of Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You released a year earlier.

11. Bing Crosby – White Christmas (1945)

Bing Crosby’s recording of the song “White Christmas” is considered the bestselling single of all time having sold over 50 million copies worldwide. This album was first put together in 1945 when it was released as ten songs on five 78rpm discs. It reached number one on the national album chart. The album was released as a standard vinyl LP for the first time in 1955. The album includes guest appearances by the Andrews Sisters on three tracks. The album first became available on compact disc in 1986.

10. Barbra Streisand – A Christmas Album (1967)

Barbra Streisand was a young traditional pop phenomenon in 1967 having released eight consecutive top ten albums in four years. Her first Christmas album has become a classic selling more than five million copies. She kicks it off with a humorous version of “Jingle Bells” and then simply sings classics with her trademark stunning vocals. A Christmas Album did not qualify for the overall album chart in 1967 and instead was listed on Billboard’s special holiday album chart where it spent five consecutive weeks at number one. This was Barbara Streisand’s last album to be released in both mono and stereo versions.

9. Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song (1963)

Nat King Cole first recorded “The Christmas Song” in 1946. However, it is his 1961 recording that was later added to a holiday album of the same name that is best known. Except for “The Christmas Song,” the content of this album was released as an earlier 1960 holiday album called The Magic of Christmas. However, with the success of “The Christmas Song,” Nat King Cole’s version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was removed and replaced by “The Christmas Song.” The song and album became even more popular following Cole’s death from lung cancer in 1965.

8. Elvis Presley – Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)

Elvis Presley was the hottest recording artist in the US having released nine number one singles and three number one albums in two years when he put together his first Christmas album. The collection spent four weeks at the top of the album chart and, with sales of more than ten million copies, it is considered the bestselling Christmas album of all time in the US. Songwriter Irving Berlin stated that Elvis’ recording of “White Christmas” was a profane parody of the song, and it was ordered off several radio stations.

7. Mannheim Steamroller – Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (1984)

Producer and composer Chip Davis first became known in the music industry for helping create the musical personality C.W. McCall for singer Bill Fries. C.W. McCall went all the way to number one on the pop singles chart with the CB radio themed song “Convoy.” Davis put together his own record label, American Gramaphone, to release a combination of classical music and light jazz under the pseudonym Mannheim Steamroller in 1975.

The album was Fresh Aire and became one of the prototypes for new age music. In 1984 Mannheim Steamroller released this Christmas album, its first holiday collection, and found its true niche as a recording act. Mannheim Steamroller has now released eight platinum certified Christmas collections. The group is credited with overall sales of albums approaching 30 million in the US alone, most of that is holiday music.

6. Michael Bublé – Christmas (2011)

In 2011 following three consecutive multi-platinum studio albums and two that went all the way to number one on the album chart, singer Michael Bublé released his first full-length holiday collection. Co-produced by David Foster it quickly became a smash hit and has sold over three million copies. It hit number one on the overall album chart and was the second bestselling album of the year in 2011. In 2012 Christmas was the second bestselling holiday album of the year selling an additional 600 000 copies.

All of the songs are classics except the one new song “Cold December Night” co-written by Michael Bublé himself. Country star Shania Twain, retro trio the Puppini Sisters, and Latin star Thalia all make guest appearances.

5. Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas (1994)

Mariah Carey had released three multi-platinum albums and was riding high with the success of Music Box that spent eight weeks at number one on the album chart and ultimately was certified ten times platinum when she decided to record a Christmas collection. Mariah Carey worked with a variety of producers, and, in the album’s first run on the charts, it peaked at number three. The album includes the song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” which is considered a contemporary Christmas classic.

It is the first holiday song to sell a million digital downloads. Mariah Carey released a second Christmas album Merry Christmas II You in 2010. It included a re-recorded version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

4. Josh Groban – Noel (2007)

Pop-classical singer Josh Groban had already released three multi-platinum top 10 albums before putting together Noel, his first Christmas collection in 2007. The result was the sleeper hit album of the year. It was produced by David Foster, known for his big pop productions with such stars as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Noel hit number one on the pop album chart in the US seven weeks after its initial release.

3. Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Lee Mendelson, producer of the A Charlie Brown Christmas TV special heard a recording of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” by Vince Guaraldi’s Trio while riding in a taxicab in San Francisco. Mendelson was put in touch with Guaraldi and he made the proposition that Vince Guaraldi create the score for the upcoming Peanuts special. The results were such a success that Guaraldi ended up composing scores for 16 Peanuts TV specials.

Among the legendary songs created are “Linus and Lucy,” “Christmas Time Is Here,” and “Skating.” The album has sold more than three million copies and ranks as one of the top 10 selling holiday albums since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, 26 years after the initial release of the album. The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and listed on the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

2. Various Artists – A Very Special Christmas (1987)

This was the first in a series of Christmas albums put together to benefit Special Olympics. The overall series has raised over $55 million for the cause. Artist Keith Haring contributed the cover art to this first collection. The project was overseen by producer Jimmy Iovine. The collection features a significant number of the top pop artists of the 1980s. Among the most celebrated recordings here are the Eurythmics’ “Winter Wonderland,” Whitney Houston’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” Sting’s “Gabriel’s Message,” and Run-D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis.” The collection has sold more than 2.5 million copies and spawned a series of nine additional collections.

1. Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963)

At the peak of his success on the pop charts with his trademark “wall of sound” production technique, Phil Spector put together this Christmas collection by four of his top recording acts. The Crystals, Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans each contributed their versions of mostly secular Christmas songs. The album had the misfortune of being released the same day as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and was a relative failure upon initial release peaking at number 13 on the album chart.

However, over time it has been recognized as perhaps the top Christmas album and one of the top overall pop-rock albums of all time. When the collection was reissued in 1972, it reached number six on the Billboard holiday album chart. Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is particularly revered.

Information source: top40.about.com

The TOP 21 Christmas Carols playlist currently on YouTube is sure to fill your heart with joy this Christmas:

1. Jingle Bell Rock
2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
3. The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy
4. Deck the Halls
5. Jingle Bells
6. Joy to the World
7. Silent Night
8. Twelve Days of Christmas
9. Away in a Manger
10. O Holy Night
11. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
12. We Three Kings
13. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
14. Ding Dong Merrily on High
15. The First Noel
16. The Friendly Beasts
17. Good King Wenceslas
18. Holly and The Ivy
19. O Come All Ye Faithful
20. I’m a Little Star
21. In France they have Pere Noel.