“Christmas Dragnet/Yulenet,” Stan Freberg and Daws Butler, 1953
You may not have heard of Stan and Daws, but if you have seen any classic Warner Brothers cartoons, you have almost certainly heard them in the voices of the many characters they voiced. Stan also recorded comedy records such as this one.
TRIVIA: Stan was considered for the role of C-3PO in Star Wars. After auditioning for the part, he recommended Anthony Daniels for the role.
“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Elmo and Patsy, 1979
Say what you will about rednecks and drunk relatives and all that, but what I’d like to know is: How did this song get made into a Christmas special?
“Chrissy the Christmas Mouse,” Debbie Reynolds & Donald O’Connor , 1957
There’s something about fictional animals and Christmas. This cheerful tune tells the story of a mouse that “lives in the middle of Santa’s house,” and even alludes to Rudolph, although not by name.
“Give Love on Christmas Day,” The Jackson 5, 1970
Sure, the message is schmaltzy, the song is highly-refined bubblegum pop, but THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT CHRISTMASY, PEOPLE!
“Jingle Bells,” The Singing Dogs, 1955
Today, this tune is dismissed as a kitschy novelty song, but it was actually an experiment from the early days of tape recording. Recording engineer Carl Weisman would routinely have his birdsong recordings ruined by barking dogs, so he spliced the barks together, tweaked their speed and pitch, and made music with them with assistance from record producer Don Charles. This was before the advent of modern editing equipment, so it took some effort.
“Carol of the Bells,” Mykola Leontovych (composer), 1987 (Claymation Christmas Special version)
A wonderful song with or without lyrics, easily recognizable by its four repeated notes. One of the featured songs from “A Claymation Christmas Celebration,” this short subject never fails to make me laugh.
“I’ll be Home for Christmas,” Fats Domino, 1993?
It isn’t easy to cover a well-known song and make it your own, but Fats Domino easily succeeds with his upbeat rendition.
“The Twelve Days of Christmas,” John Denver and The Muppets, 1979
“Five gold rings” by way of Miss Piggy and Beaker meeping along with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew help make this one of my favorite renditions of the classic holiday count-up.
“Santa Baby,” Madonna, 1987
Recorded for the seminal “A Very Special Christmas” charity album, Madonna turns up the cuteness in her cover of Eartha Kitt’s 1963 arrangement.
Mannheim Steamroller, 1984+
Not to be confused with that other instrumental group associated with the holidays (their turn comes next week), Mannheim Steamroller’s takes on holiday standards are wonderful examples of modernizing traditional music.
Eduardo Soliz 