Let's get back on track, shall we?
I do happen to love Christmas music. Well, some of it. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, I am rather high maintenance from time to time. (Or always.)
So let’s get specific about Christmas music, shall we? I usually start to listen to holiday music the 1st or 2nd week of November. And no matter how many times I hear certain songs, I could always listen to them again:
White Christmas * Bing Crosby
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer * Gene Autry
Holly Jolly Christmas * Burl Ives
Blue Christmas * Elvis Presley
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree * Brenda Lee
Hanukkah Song * Adam Sandler
I could go on and on. Did you notice I didn't just list the song, but included the performer and the performance as well? There’s a reason for that.
Those songs are taken.
I don’t want to hear anyone other than Bing Crosby sing White Christmas. I just don’t. That song is spoken for. Gene Autry sings Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and he’s the only one who should.
I don’t want to hear Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, or Kid Rock sing any of those songs. I just don’t. Not now. Not ever.
These songs are classics. We all know them. We all sing along with… Bing and Gene and Burl. But these songs weren’t classics until these greats sang them (being loose with the term ‘great’ in regards to Adam Sandler – but no one else should sing his Hanukkah Song ever. It’s his! And it’s hilarious.)
I’d love to hear new classic holiday songs come to fruition by contemporary artists, something future generations will look back on with nostalgia. But there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel, no reason to cover these classic songs. They’re perfectly fine the way they are.
What is your favorite holiday song? Do you like to hear covers of the old classics or do you like them the way they are?
