Why is so much of the Christmas music we hear so lame?

[SamAdams76]

I have been listening to and collecting Christmas music for over 30 years now. During this time, I have collected well over 3,000 songs. I consider practically every song in my collection to be of high quality and in the spirit of the Christmas season.

My point is that there is a huge library out there of excellent Christmas music. My question is, why is so much of what we hear on the radio, at the shopping malls, and even in the movies, so horribly lame?

Already there are many radio stations (including two on Sirius satellite radio) playing Christas music around the clock through December 25th. Yet despite having weeks and weeks to play all the Christmas music that is out there, they insist upon playing over and over the same couple hundred or so Christmas songs.

Even that wouldn't be so intolerable if they at least played the couple hundred of the BEST Christmas song. But instead, we are hearing a couple hundred of the very WORST Christmas songs.

I had a long drive today and was caught without my iPod so I was forced to listen to what Christmas music was on the radio. It was basically a steady diet of horribly uninspired singers (i.e. Michael Buble, Barry Manilow, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Josh Groban, Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Madonna, etc.) playing endless variations the most inspid, Christmas songs out there (Sleigh Ride, Silver Bells, Happy Xmas, Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, Do They Know It's Christmas?, Let It Snow, etc.).

By the time I got home, I wanted to turn the calendar forward to Dec 26 and get this season over with! Fortunately, I was able to delve into my vast collection of REAL Christmas music and get back into the spirit again.

I even picked up a few new Christmas albums that came out for the first time this year that you will likely NEVER hear on the radio. One of them was "Christmas In The Heart" by Bob Dylan that has been made fun of by virtually every record critic out there. But despite what the "too-cool-for-school" critics have to say (the same people I might add who think President Obama is a swell idea), this is a breathtaking Christmas album by one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time.

Now before I go on, allow me to get the inevitable "Bob Dylan gargles with razor blades and smokes five cartons of Camels a day" comment out of the way. Yes, it is true, Bob Dylan does not have a "smooth and polished" studio-friendly voice like Whitney Houston or Neil Diamond but so what? Bob's gritty takes on such Christmas classics as "Do You Hear What I Hear," "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and even the playful "Must Be Santa" are all heartfelt, genuine and these renditions absolutely blow the pop stars of today out of the water. You can guarantee that Bob Dylan's astonishing Christmas album will become a part of my permanent Christmas collection for many years to come, even though you are unlikely to hear so much as one track on the radio.

I would like to list some of the 3,000+ tracks in my Christmas collection here but I have no idea where to even start. So in no effort to start with the best, I will hit shuffle on my iPod and post the first 25 songs that come up. This should give you an indication as to just how vast and diverse my Christmas collection is. I encourage fellow fans of Christmas music to post some of their collection so that I can compare and maybe find some new tracks to add to mine, as I'm certainly not finding any new music on the radio!

Here are the first 25 Christmas songs that came up on my iPod in shuffle mode:

Aimee Mann - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Gabriel's Message - Sting
Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming - Mannheim Steamroller
When Southern Bells Ring - The Judybats
Tennessee Christmas - Amy Grant
Come On Christmas - Dwight Yoakam
Donna & Blitzen - Badly Drawn Boy
Terra Firma - Delirium
Light Of The Stable - Emmylou Harris
Joy Is Within Reach - Adrienne Pierce
Winter's Night - Nox Arcana
Pearly Dew Drops Drops - Cocteau Twins
O Come All Ye Faithful - Bing Crosby
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Jars Of Clay
Lachrimae Antiquae - London Symphony (w/Chip Davis)
Winter's Carol - Tori Amos
Make It Home - Juliana Hatfield
Christmas In The Jungle - Derrik Roberts
Winter Wonderland - Reverend Horton Heat
I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
The Christmas Song - Angel
December Will Be Magic Again - Kate Bush
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Crash Test Dummies
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
Good King Wencelaus - Melanie

And about 3,218 more gems that you will probably never hear on the radio or in your shopping mall, which is a real tragedy....

[fatnotlazy]

Heard that story too. Ok to trash Christians and Jews, but we have to treat the Muslims with respect. What is wrong with this picture?

[Fresh Wind]

O Holy Night gives me goose bumps.

That's one of the most beautiful songs ever written regardless of subject.

[jla]

To 19 - C’mon now, don’t leave Dean Martin out of the mix.

[madison10]

Just an ad. No link for music.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Thanks for the info. on the Pat Benetar song. Appreciate it.

[Viking2002]

Oh, they're much, much more than that beer ad. Watch the video for 'Christmas Eve in Sarajevo' at the link. If the message doesn't choke you up by the end of the video, there's something wrong with you. Incredible band. Incredible people in the band.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

The reason the music today is so lame is the music is sung in the spirit of Money NOT in the Spirit of Christmas ....

Most of the songs are more than likely recorded in July so they will be ready for the Christmas season who's ready for Christmas in July ?

Also a-lot of the singers don't have Christmas spirit because they don't know Christ or believe in any thing Greater than themselves...

[chevydude26]

No Sinatra or Dean Martin or Elvis....

[Cecily]

I heard that one on the radio this past Wednesday evening.

Some more fun Christmas songs:

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Barenaked Ladies
The Redneck 12 Days of Christmas by Jeff Foxworthy
Let It Be Christmas by Alan Jackson
She’s Right on Time by Billy Joel
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - the Original
2,000 Miles - The Pretenders

[1010RD]

Oh Holy Night - Nat King Cole only.

[A.A. Cunningham]

You’re welcome.

[Chickensoup]

http://www.otisread.com/cds/christmastide.html

http://www.otisread.com/cds/christmastide2.html

Two of the best albums of Christmas ever!

[TruthHound]

Okay, so Dean’s good too. Try some Dinah Shore or Glenn Miller as well.

[reagan_fanatic]

I know what you mean.

A local radio station here started playing Christmas music about a week BEFORE Thanksgiving, and all they play is the same old crap from Mannheim Steamroller, Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow, Michael Buble, etc etc. over and over and over again - THE SAME 30 OR SO SONGS!

It's on at work all day long, and it's about to drive me absolutely MAD!!!

[MamaB]

When you get to the site, click on the icon or whatever it is called which says listen and it will take you to a page which lists the different types of music. O J Sikes plays the cowboy music. I thin the Christmas music atarts in December. I found it last year and he plays music which I had never heard. The thingy is at the top left. You might just type in OJ Sikes and see if that will get you to the station page.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Now here was a classic Christmas tune....

[visualops]

This has one of the most beautiful renditions of O Holy Night I have ever heard- Trans-Siberian Orchestra - The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve (2001)
Starring: Michael Crawford, Ossie Davis

[MamaB]

This is the link for the page which lists the different types of music:

http://www.bostonpete.com/radio.html

Let me know if you have any more trouble.

[BenLurkin]

Jingle Cats Silent Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9LqRl7tqf4

[ArmyTeach]

O Holy Night gives me goose bumps. I love it too. In the days when I could sing a little, our church had a tenor in the choir who sang it every Christmas. Have you heard Il Divo? A google will get you there. Three very good tenors and one operatic. They put out a great Christmas cd and their O Holy Night, Panis Angelicus and Ave Maria leave me weeping.