The Chris Moeller Archives

The 5 greatest Christmas music recordings of all-time

5. "Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas," Burl Ives, 1965-- He may have provided the voice for the narrating snowman, and not Kris Kringle, in the television classic "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but when I picture Santa Claus, he's Burl Ives.

4. "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Mariah Carey, 1994-- I'll be forced to apologize to at least one of you that none of Phil Spector's holiday classics made this exclusive list, but this instant Mariah classic was definitely in that same spirit. Don't believe me? Check out the Ronettes-inspired video. Nobody ever looked better in a Santa suit, either.

3. "I'll Be Home For Christmas," Bing Crosby, 1943-- This recording was the most requested song at U.S.O. shows in Europe and the South Pacific the year it was released. Songwriters Walter Kern and Kim Gannon authored the tune during the height of the 2nd World War, but there are no fireworks or flag-waving hysterics in the lyric. It's simply a song about a boy, or a girl, who is tired and wants to get back to where the lovelight gleams.

2. "Christmas Is Coming," Vince Guaraldi, 1966-- "O Tannenbaum" and "Christmas Time Is Here" get more airplay off this Charlie Brown Christmas record, but when the Peanuts gang hits the dance floor, this is the jazzy "un-Christmas-like" tune that Schroeder plays. Who would attend a Christmas play that featured nothing but kids dancing, anyway?

1. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," Lou Rawls, 1967-- The song dates back to 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis," but Rawls' epic recording appeared on a holiday compilation album Mom and Dad had on the shelf when we were growing up. It's the perfect marriage of song and performer-- a warm, soulful ballad sung by one of our grooving-est funkmasters. Rawls puts his vocal stamp on the song throughout ("...From now on our troubles will be out of sight/Out of sight"). We lost the velvet-voiced crooner to lung cancer in January, but he'll still be at the Christmas Eve party if we put this record on the phonograph. I can already hear the tinkling of the egg nog glasses.

posted by CM @ 5:30 PM