MANILA, Philippines – If you’re over your local mall’s insistence on playing Jessica Simpson’s Christmas album ad naseum, we’ve cobbled together a list of Christmas classics that may be flying under your radar, or at least the mall program director’s.
Christmas Song by The Raveonettes
Mistletoes were made to dance under songs like this. If Christmas is the spirit of giving, give love on Christmas Day with this contemporary Kris Kringle slow dance classic. Extra points for being on The O.C.’s now classic Chrismukkah soundtrack.
Frosty the Snowman by Cocteau Twins
It sounds cold, as in the temperature. The music is icy, the voice cool in that distinctively Scottish way. But it’s also warm — this is Frosty the Snowman, after all. The Cocteau Twins take possession of this children’s favorite and makes it seem personal, almost new.
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love
Before Phil Spector was primarily known for his interesting court room hairstyle choices and predilection for pointing guns at ’60s-era babes, he was Phil Spector the Genius Producer. From River Deep, Mountain High to Be My Baby, you’d be hard-pressed to find a producer with such a considerable contribution to pop music. But the pinnacle of his achievement might be this classic from Darlene Love. It starts of quietly enough, silence and a few bells until it hits you like a train. “Christmas, the church bells in town,” delivered by that distinctively brassy voice. It’s titled “Christmas” for a reason. It packs all the love, joy, longing, and wonder that come with the season in less than three minutes.
Winter Wonderland by Louis Armstrong
That warm, sandpaper voice met its match in Ella Fizgerald — but also in the ice cold strings of this Winter Wonderland cover. Like a fireplace in a snow blizzard, Louis Armstrong’s Winter Wonderland provides the kind of warmth to keep the holiday chill at bay.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by Maroon 5
It takes a special kind of song to offset Adam Levine’s vagina voice. Thankfully, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is a pretty special song. Although it’s robbed of its historical significance by now, the Lennon composition still simmers, especially when in the hands of an able vocalist.
God Only Knows by Giant Drag
Because holiday listening doesn’t have to mean Christmas songs, Giant Drag’s cover of The Beach Boys classic hits all the right spots. Of course, the song’s Christmas-friendly reputation has increased through the years with its spot in Love, Actually. Its message — ”God only knows what I’d be without you” — is never more relevant than on Christmas Day.