If you've been driving around in the car much this holiday season, you might have noticed the elelphant in the room. Actually, it's a hippopotamus. For Christmas. And I'm sure we've all heard "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey, "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney, or "Santa Baby," by Eartha Kitt, Madonna, Taylor Swift -- or just about any woman with a microphone -- about a million times by now. With Christmas music taking over the airways the day after Halloween these days, there's only so much one can take of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" or "Domenic the Donkey," right?
Even with the constant bombardment of holiday cheer, limited radio playlists have left me with several songs I just haven't heard enough of this year. Here are my top ten underplayed songs of the season:
10)
Stevie Wonder - "What Christmas Means to Me" (1967) - Christmas clearly means "soul" to Stevie Wonder.
9)
Bing Crosby - "Hawaiian Christmas Song (Mele Kalikimaka)" (1950) - can't listen to this one without thinking of Chevy Chase in his kitchen in Christmas Vacation.
8)
Colbie Caillat - "Mistletoe" (2007) - she's got a unique, warm voice to add cheer to the holiday season.
7)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - "Carol of the Bells" (1995) - so much better than that Mannheim Steamroller version!
6)
Run DMC - "Christmas in Hollis" (1987) - It was either this one or the one by TLC, but I think the main riff for the theme song for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air got lifted from this song. Watch out for those ill reindeer!
5)
Jimmy Durante - "Frosty the Snowman" (1969) - It sounds like old Jimmy smoked about two packs a day. Maybe that's what happened to Frosty...
4)
Aaron Neville - "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" (1993) - I don't know what's better, the organ playing, or the way he can put 16 syllables in the word snow (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-ow).
3)
Jackson 5 - "Santa Claus is Comin to Town" (1970) - It's definitely not underplayed, but I could always hear more of this one.
2)
Bing Crosby - "Silver Bells" (1951) - not nearly as frequently played as his other songs. And this (or anything by Sinatra, Buble, Crosby,) is what Christmas songs should sound like!
1)
Andy Williams - "O Holy Night" (1963) - a great version, and not played as often as the other (also great) Andy Williams songs.
Seriously, no more "O Holy Night" by Celine Dion. Give "Do They Know it's Christmas" by Band Aid some well-deserved rest. Hall & Oates' "Jingle Bell Rock" doesn't really rock at all! And I was hoping last Christmas would have been the last Christmas for Wham's "Last Christmas." Don't even get me started on Springsteen!
The list above isn't comprised of obscure, hidden gems or anything. They're all pretty popular as well. I'd just like to hear a little more of these songs to give my ears a break from the same old 20 songs they play all day.
Have a merry Christmas.
