Sad to say but Christmas music has become big business. Forget the religious aspects.  This is little more than an attempt to wring every last possible dollar out of the consumers billfold.  Every year dozens of artists feel the need to release Christmas albums.  I'm sure most of them feel they're giving their legions of fans a Christmas present, but the fact of the matter is most of these albums are rubbish.  As an example, did the world really need to hear the late Regis Philbin's 2005 "The Regis Philbin Christmas Album"?  My opinion - no.

 

 

 

 

 

If you do the back-of-the-envelop calculation there has to be a catalog of thousands of holiday album and perhaps millions of individual "Christmas" songs.  For goodness sakes, everyone from Bob Dykan to William Shatner has recorded a Christmas album.  How do you even begin to pick classic songs from the forgettable, or even shameful?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I certainly don't have the answers, but I can add to the endless list of favorite Christmas songs. There are some great Christmas songs out that didn't make my list because they were just so overplayed (Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time" comes to mind).  Others simply irritate me.  Does anyone really need to hear Mariah Carey's “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, or Wham's "Last Christmas" again?   Anyhow, remember these songs reflect my tastes which means lots of '60s, '70s and '80s choices.  My list is no better; no worse than anyone else's; though it may be somewhat more diverse.  Again, remember my opinions are nothing more than opinions.  If you disagree, feel free to ignore the list.

 

 

 

 

Comments, suggestions and corrections always welcome - send them to RDTEN1@aol.com

  

 

LAST UPDATED DECEMBER 15, 2025

 

 

 


ARTIST: Donnie Hathaway

SONG TITLE: This Christmas

WRITER(S): Donny Hathaway - Nadine McKinnor

RUNNING TIME: 3:32

YEAR: 1982

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhKVSZsRxQM 

 

Similar to Stevie Wonder, the late Donnie Hathaway had a special voice.  Smooth, silky and sophisticated, it's seldom been showcased as well as on "This Christmas".  Yes, the track is super commercial, but it hides that commercial edge with a Hathaway vocal that seems to recognize what makes the season special.  No it isn't Black Friday sales ...

 

Cartoonist Lonnie Milsap was commissioned to create a promotional video for the song. See the above link. 

 

 

 


ARTIST:  The Waitresses

SONG TITLE: Christmas Wrapping

WRITER(S): Chris Butler

RUNNING TIME: 5:23

YEAR: 1991

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMfBL0VEaAE 

 

The late Patty Donahue turns in a great performance on what was essentially a throwaway tune.  Not a big Christmas guy, guitarist Chris Butler finished writing the song's lyrics while riding a taxi to the recording studio.  It was certainly an odd song for a new wave band, but the jittery melody and the single-grouchy-woman-doesn't-like-Christmas-time lyrics were hysterical. And it ultimately has a Happy Christmas ending.

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Chris Rea

SONG TITLE: Driving Home for Christmas

WRITER(S): Chris Rea

RUNNING TIME: 3:57

YEAR: 1986

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrOAoNPdBb4 

 

In addition to being a great Christmas song anyone who has had to drive home for the holidays will be able to identify with the lyrics), this one's interesting from a marketing perspective.  It was originally released as the "B" side of Rea's 1986's "Hello Friend" 45.  Three years later Rea included it as a track on his "New Light Through Old Windows" retrospective LP.  The track  was then re-issued as a single.  It charted in the UK, but has done better with each successive year.  It's just charming and hypnotic.  It's been recorded by other acts, but Rea's original remains the standout.

 

The video captured Rea lip synching the song for the TopPop televisionn program.

 

 

 


ARTIST: Brenda Lee

SONG TITLE: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

WRITER(S): Johnny Marks

RUNNING TIME: 2:02

YEAR: 1961

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7QPZti18Dk 

 

It blows my mind to realize Brenda Lee was just thireen when she recorded the song.  It also blows my mind to realize most people know the song from the 1990 flilm "Home Alone".  How can it be that I'm suddenly so old?

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Run DMC

SONG TITLE: Christmas In Hollis

WRITER(S): Rick Rubin - Steve Ett

RUNNING TIME: 2:57

YEAR: 2014

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8 

 

Scott has a rap song on his list?  C'mon, how can you not love this one?  Plus it was recorded and released for a charity album.

 

 

 


ARTIST: James Brown

SONG TITLE: Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

WRITER(S): James Brown - A. Ellis - Hank Ballard

RUNNING TIME: 2:55

YEAR: 1968

YOUTUBE LINK: James Brown-Santa Claus, Go Straight To The Ghetto

 

Probably the oddest choice on my list, but you cannot go wrong with a Christmas song that's funky and makes a social statement at the same time.

 

 


ARTIST: Vince Guaraldi Trio

SONG TITLE: Christmas Time Is Here

WRITER(S): Vince Guaraldi - Lee Mendelson

RUNNING TIME: 2:44

YEAR: 1965

YOUTUBE LINK: Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal)

 

This may be one of my earliest childhood musical memories ...  I can't tell you how many times I've seen the television show ...  Say fifty times - once a year for most of my life. That personal history may explain why this one resonates with me.  It just reminds me of a simpler time.   Included on the CBS television special "A Charlie Brown Christmas" the accompanying soundtrack album included instrumental and vocal versions of the track.  Featuring the San Rafeal, California St Paul’s Episcopal Church choir, the vocal version is the one.  

 

 

 


ARTIST: Bruce Springsteen

SONG TITLE: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town

WRITER(S): Haven Gillespie - J. Fred Coots

RUNNING TIME: 4:13

YEAR: 1981

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcV8INh0d7g

 

Springsteen and Christmas just seem to go hand in hand.  This live tune captures Springsteen and the E. Street Band at their most fun.  The vocals and sound are raw, but Springsteen and the bad sound like they are having a blast. Clarence Clemmons' sax solo is just the icing on the cake.  A Christmas song for anyone who doesn't want to admit they like Chistmas songs.  Wonder if Santa will bring me a copy of the "Lost and Found" boxed set?

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: The Beach Boys

SONG TITLE: Little Saint Nick

WRITER(S): Brian Wilson 

RUNNING TIME: 2:00

YEAR: 1963

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_3HLtW8mCw 

 

How can you go wrong with including a Beach Boys tune?  The Santa Claus-drives-a-hot-rod has a distinctive early-'60s vibe, but decades later this baby rocks out.  Another early childhood memory that still brings a smile to my face.

 

 

 


ARTIST: The London Symphony

SONG TITLE: Messiah, For unto Us a Child is Born

WRITER(S): George Frideric Handel

RUNNING TIME: 3:28

YEAR: 1741 

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS3vpAWW2Zc 

 

When you're inundated with all the commercial trappings of the Christmas season (which includes Christmas music being played before Thanksgiving is over), it's very easy to forget what the Christmas season is really about.  I'm as guilty as anyone, but hearing Handel's glorious melody coupled with Charles Jennen's libretto (the accompanying lyrics) helps me remember what makes the season important.  I'm not sure it makes me a better person, but there is just something magical about this oratorio.  I suspect that God is not all that thrilled with mankind.  We seem determined to destroy ourselves ... Perhaps Handel's "Messiah" is one of those things that pleases him.

 

 

 

 


Yes, I said top-ten, but this track belongs on any list of classic Christmas tunes.

 

ARTIST: Greg Lake 

SONG TITLE: I Believe In Father Christmas

WRITER(S): Greg Lake - Pete Sinfield

RUNNING TIME: 3:57 

YEAR: 1975 

YOUTUBE LINK: Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas (Official 4K Music Video)

 

"I Believe In Father Christmas" is one of those songs that's generated a lot of debate over the years.  Was it a slam against the holidays, or was it a declaration of faith.  

 

The song was co-written by Lake and lyricist Pete Sinfield (who'd collaborated extensively with Emerson, Lake & Palmer).  On his website Lake said the song was intended as a comment on the commercialization of the holiday.  Sinfield explained the song as being a comment on the loss of innocence as we grow up and lose some of our childhood views of the season. In 2005 Lake took a more pragmatic view of the song when he sent a letter to The Guardian newspaper:answering a question on whether an artist can survive on song royalties.

 

"In 1975, I wrote and recorded a song called "I Believe in Father Christmas", which some Guardian readers may remember and may even own. It was a big hit and it still gets played on the radio every year around December, and it appears on more or less every Christmas compilation going. So I can tell you from experience that it's lovely to get the old royalty cheque around September every year, but on its own, the Christmas song money isn’t quite enough to buy my own island in the Caribbean. I'm on tour at the moment and the Christmas song is as well received now as it was 30 years ago – maybe even more so. If Guardian readers could all please request it be played by their local radio stations, maybe that Caribbean island wouldn’t be so far away – and if I get there, you’re all invited."

 

Sporting a pseudo-classical melody, the songwriting credits should have included an acknowledgement of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev who's "Troika" was borrowed for the instrumental segment between the lyric verses.  

 

 

 


By nature I have an addictive personality.  That's meant I've had to be sensitive to my nature.  I don't smoke; do drugs; gamble; etc.  In general I try to be moderate in most things.  Okay, at one time I owned 10,,000 LPs.  Still, that tendency to excess is always there.  Against that backdrop I'm going to add a 12th song to the Christmas list.

 

ARTIST: The Monkees 

SONG TITLE: What Would Santa Do

WRITER(S): Rivers Cuomo

RUNNING TIME: 3:15 

YEAR: 2016

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZfEFtSoWBI&list=RDzZfEFtSoWBI&start_radio=1 

 

Reflecting a funny touch of seasonal aggregation, the bouncy 'What Would Santa Do' found Weezer's Rivers Cuomo turning in one of the album highlights. Damn, if it wasn't another awesome Dolenz performance.

 

I provided a link to the tune's promotional video. Yeah, it was basically the same panels as on 'Unwrap You At Christmas' with different word "Bubbles": 

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: The Moody Blues 

SONG TITLE: December Snow

WRITER(S): Justin Hayward

RUNNING TIME: 5:10 

YEAR: 2003

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6dJO1JWdSI&list=RDz6dJO1JWdSI&start_radio=1 

 

Having heaped abuse on the bulk of Christmas albums, one of the exceptions in my book is The Moody Blues' criminally overlooked 2003 "December".  To my ears Justin Hayward (the last surviving member of the original band). John Lodge and the rest of the band were the perfect band to capture the charm and fragility of the Holiday season.  Their sound was perfect for an album heavy on original material celebrating the Christmas season.  I love all eleven tracks on this ballad heavy collection, which makes it hard to pick a favorite - this is subject to changing, but ay the moment I'll go with "December Snow".  The melody was simply glorious; Hayward's vocals and lyrics heartbreaking.  One of those songs that can make you sit back and ponder your blessings while lowering your blood pressure.

 

(I could easily have gone with "The Quiet of Christmas Morning (Bach 147)" except the melody was based a work by J.S. Bach.)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_0ddAKfFxk&list=RDm_0ddAKfFxk&start_radio=1 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Gwen Stefani featuring Blake Shelton

SONG TITLE: You Make It Feel Like Christmas

WRITER(S): Gwen Stefani - Blake Shelton - Justin Tranter - Busbee

RUNNING TIME: 3:04 

YEAR: 2017

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZT9_H4-hbM&list=RD3ZT9_H4-hbM&start_radio=1 

 

This is one of those songs I've been hesitant to admit I enjoy.  I'd turn the volume up when I was alone in the car.  If someone was with me, I'd turn it down, or tune in to another radio station.  Then a couple of weeks ago when my wife  mentioned she liked the track; well suddenly it seemed okay for me to admit I like the song.  

 

At least to my ears, part of the song's charm lies in the collision of Shelton's easy-going everyday guy charm and Setfani's purring delivery. I still haven't figured out how, or why their voices pair so well.  Stefani threatens to bury Shelton on the refrain, but he hangs in there on the versus. The song also sounds kind of "old fashioned".  That's not meant in a hokey fashion, rather it just sounds like one of those classic '60s Holiday tracks.  As for the inspiration, this is what Wikipedia has to say about the tune:  "Stefani vacationed at Blake Shelton's Oklahoma farm estate where she spent time doing exercise, meditation, and praying. Inspired by the exotic animals surrounding her while on a spiritual walk outside Shelton's property, she remarked, "If I wrote a Christmas song, what would it be?" After questioning herself, she began singing random lyrics out loud on the spot which she would later use in "Christmas Eve", one of the album's twelve songs. She cited this nature walk as the main source of inspiration for deciding to record a Christmas album ...

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: The Jonas Brothers

SONG TITLE: Like It's Christmas

WRITER(S): Nicholas Jonas - Joseph Jonas - Kevin Jonas -  Gian Stone - Jason Evigan - Freddy Wexler - Mike Elizondo - Annika Wells

RUNNING TIME: 3:18

YEAR: 2019

YOUTUBE LINK: Jonas Brothers - Like It's Christmas (Official Lyric Video)

 

If I'm going to come clean about Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, then there's no reason to not admit I also enjoy this Jonas Brothers Christmas tune.  Once you get over the "collaborative" songwriting credits (reading the list takes longer than hearing the song), you're rewarded with what is probably their best Christmas tune. It follows on the heals of the less enjoyable 2007 "Girl of My Dreams", 2008's  "Joyful Kings" (essentially a remake of "Joy To the World") and 2009's "Summertime Anthem". The song was original penned by Stone, Wells and Wexler who paaed it on to produce Evigan  it as a possible track for The Jonas Brothers.  Evigan liked the track; suggested some minor changes and forwarded it to The Jonas Brothers.  Similarly they liked the track, added their own touches to the song prior to recording it as a standalone single.   The song also appeared on the soundtrack for their seasonal film - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie. (The film is not nearly as bad as you would assume.)

 

In many respects it resembles the Stefani-Shelton Christmas tune; namely the fact it goes for a great hook and a classic '60s Holiday vibe (horns, hand clapping, finger snaps, etc.).  Besides, how can you not fall under the spell of a lyrics that tells your loved one everyday with them feels like Christmas.  I don't believe the sentiment for a minutes, but it's still lovely.

 

 

 


ARTIST: Earth, Wind and Fire

SONG TITLE: December

WRITER(S): Al McKay - Allee Willis -Maurice White

RUNNING TIME: 3:49

YEAR: 2014

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjCWhwdnCd0&list=RDCjCWhwdnCd0&start_radio=1 

 

I debated whether to include this one.  "September" was part of my high school/college experience.  One of those songs that was impossible to escape and a reflection of a time when music was as categorized as it is today.  On the other hand, "December" is nothing more than a remake with modestly updated lyrics.  Hum.  But it is so damn catchy ...  It stays on the list.

 


ARTIST: Bruce Springsteen

SONG TITLE: Merry Christmas Baby

WRITER(S): Lou Baxter - Johnny Moore 

RUNNING TIME: 4:51

YEAR: 1987

YOUTUBE LINK: Merry Christmas Baby

 

My first repeat artist ...  "Merry Christmas Baby" is a true holiday classic, having been recorded by dozens of acts including Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, Chuck Berry, James Brown, B.B. King, Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Ike & Tina Turner.  The list goes on and on.

 

Springsteen recorded his version of the 1987 Special Olympics album "A Very Special Christmas".  His contribution to the charitble compilation album was a live version that had been recorded at a December 1980 concert at Long Island's Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.  TO ,y ears the performance captured Speingsteen and The E Street Band at their best - slightly raw, energetic with a sense of swagger and humor.

 

To Springsteen's credit, even though he's recorded several Christmas tunes and regularly includes them in his live show he's never fallen victim to the need to release a Christmas album.

 

And here's a link to a 2002 live performance of the song on Conan O'Brien's Late Show.  Can you imagine having been part of the audience.  Talk about an amazing Christmas gift !!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzH6Iv9SElk&list=RDAzH6Iv9SElk&start_radio=1 

 

 

 


ARTIST: The Dropkick Murphys

SONG TITLE: The Season's Upon Us

WRITER(S): Al Barr - James  Lynch - Michelle DaRosa - Ken Casey - Matt Kelly - Tim Brennan

RUNNING TIME: 4:03

YEAR: 2012

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTx-sdR6Yzk&list=RDqTx-sdR6Yzk&start_radio=1 

 

I like the Quincy, Massachusetts-based Dropkick Murphys, but musically "The Season's Upon Us" reminds me of something you'd hear at a local Irish bar.  (Having once married into a large Irish-American family, I spent way too many evenings in Irish bars.) The more beers you have the better this one sounds.  The song is on my list for two reasons.  

 

1.)  Any family that portrays themselves as a perfect union is either deluding themselves, or they are simply full of sh*t.  My family is no exception.  The band penned lyrics capture the complexities of family relationships perfectly.

 

2.) The accompanying video is hysterical and a nice change of pace from the sentimentality that graces so much holiday music..  

 

 

 


ARTIST: Mark Rose

SONG TITLE: It's Cold Out There

WRITER(S): Mark Rose

RUNNING TIME: 4:03

YEAR: 2011

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLZA80x11ow&list=RDdLZA80x11ow&start_radio=1 

 

Occasionally I'm criticized for being too staid in my tastes; unwilling to check out new acts.  I totally disagree with that and to prove it, here's a great Holiday song from a guy I'd never heard before. Turns out I actually had heard of Rose.  Singer/guitarist Rose had  been a member of Chicago's Spitafeild and Landmark.  I just never realized he'd recorded any solo material.  Anyhow, "It's Cold Out There" isn't your typical Christmas tune -  simultaneously dark and moody, it's the most soulful track on my list.

 


ARTIST: Stevie Wonder

SONG TITLE: What Christmas Means To Me

WRITER(S): Anna Gordy Gaye - George "Horgay" Gordy - Allen Stor

RUNNING TIME: 2:29

YEAR: 1967

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtgGBgpNcIo&list=RDwtgGBgpNcIo&start_radio=1

 

 

When I started collecting vinyl in high school, the first Christmas album I purchased was Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas".  One of the LP's standout performances was "What Christmas Means To Me".   Wonder was still in his teens when he recorded the collection, but to this day there is something charming hearing how genuinely happy and excited he seems to be at the thought of the holiday season.  It's such a marked difference to so many of today's "corporate" seasonal tracks that share about as much Christmas joy as a visit to the doctor to get a colonoscopy.

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Liz Phair

SONG TITLE: Ho Ho Ho

WRITER(S): Liz Phair

RUNNING TIME: 3:22

YEAR: 2015

YOUTUBE LINK:Ho Ho Ho - Liz Phair

 

It sounds nothing like The Waitresses' "Chirstmas Wrapping", but shares the same "outsider" view of the Holidays.  Add in some hysterical lyrics; a great fuzz guitar and those "Ho Ho Ho" refrains ...  By the way, I wrote those comments prior to seeing Phair's comments on the song.

 

I found a clip where Phair talked about the song: "I’ve always wanted to write a dystopian Christmas song. Holidays are a time of emotional turbulence, of unpredictable highs and lows. The retail and advertising sectors bill it as the greatest time of the year, but some seasons you are saddled with a real clunker! I find that both touching and funny. I tried to contrast chirpy, cheery elements with a depressing story line, a là David Sedaris’s “SantaLand Diaries,” the Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping,” and that timeless classic, “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.”"

 


ARTIST: Meghan Trainor featuring Earth, Wind & Fire

SONG TITLE: Holiday

WRITER(S): Eddie Benjamin - Meghan Trainor -Mike Sabath - Philip Bailey - Ralph Johnson - Verdine White

RUNNING TIME: 2:47

YEAR: 2020

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nzAxt27aDI&list=RDrF9ST-j3u4M&index=2 

 

This made the list for one reason - the participation of Earth, Wind and Fire.  Perhaps borrowing a touch from "September", they simply  take an okay Christmas tune and catapult it to a different party level.

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Clarence Carter

SONG TITLE: Back Door Santa

WRITER(S): Clarence Carter - Marcus Daniels

RUNNING TIME: 2:10

YEAR: 1968

YOUTUBE LINK: Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa (1968)

 

Besides being the funkiest tune on my list, you have to laugh at how blatant the lyrics on this one are.  Carter and co-writer Marcus Daniels didn't make much effort to hide what they were thinking about.  Seriously, verses like "I make all the little girls happy while the boys are out to play ..." don't leave a lot to the imagination.

 

 

 


ARTIST: ABC

SONG TITLE: A Christmas We Deserve

WRITER(S): Martin Fry - Robert Fusar

RUNNING TIME: 4:46

YEAR: 2016

YOUTUBE LINK: ABC A CHRISTMAS WE DESERVE -2024 MUSIC VIDEO EDITION

 

I always liked Martin Fry and ABC, but have to admit I haven't bought one of their albums since 1985's "How To Be a Zillionaire".  Until I heard this song on my car radio, I wasn't even aware the group was still around, let alone had released a 2016 Christmas EP ("Christmas ... with Love").  And that's sad since "A Christmas We Deserve" is a rarity - namely a Christmas song worth hearing.   Who knows why their label elected to all but ignore the parent EP and the song (it was only released in digiital format), but the decision was certainly their loss.  

 

Is it a Christmas classic?  No.  There are times I'm not sure it's even a good Christmas tune, but there's something charming in Fry's dry, but nostalgic view of the season and the references to ugly Christmas sweaters and mince pies always makes me smile.

 

In case anyone cares, YouTube has a brief clip where Fry talks about the song's inception:  (1) Video | Facebook 

 

 

 

 


ARTIST: Pentatonix

SONG TITLE: Christmas In the City

WRITER(S): Dave Pierce - Scott Hoying

RUNNING TIME: 3:26

YEAR: 2025

YOUTUBE LINK: Pentatonix - Christmas in the City

 

At this point there's no point in trying to hide my eclectic tastes.  Yeah, I never thought I would include Pentatonix on any favorite list I created.  As a group Mitch Grassi, Hoying Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado,  Kevin Olusolaand Matt Sallee have always been one of those groups that just irritates me. And then I heard this bouncy song while shopping for a suit in order to attend a funeral (my suits were in a storage unit a couple of hundred miles from where I live).  It seemed so odd finding my attention drawn to a bouncy holiday tune in the midst of such a dark moment.  Maybe not.  Their Manhattan Transfer-styled mix of pop, jazz and big band moves certainly isn't something that I want to hear on a daily basis, but I have to admit this one's pop edge and their tight knit vocals make "Christmas In the City" one of the best "new" Holiday songs I've heard in a long time.  

 


ARTIST: San Francisco Early Music Ensemble Voices of Music

SONG TITLE: Cannon in D

WRITER(S): Johann Pachelbel

RUNNING TIME: 4:46

YEAR: 2016

YOUTUBE LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvNQLJ1_HQ0&list=RDJvNQLJ1_HQ0&start_radio=1 

 

There's something wrong with American culture when a "rocked up" adaptation of a classical tune is better known than the original work.  Witness Johann Pachelbel's "Cannon In D".  Today most people know the song as "Christmas Cannon" by the dreaded Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO).  I can't blame TSO founder Paul O'Neil.  The man was smart enough to find a musical niche that needed to be filled and take it to the bank.  

 

So where do you start?  Pachebel's original composition is beautiful - perhaps one of the prettiest melodies in classical music, but it wasn't written as a piece of holiday music.  That's where O'Neil and company come in, adding Christmas oriented vocals and "rock" elements to their arrangement.

 

Thousands of versions of Cannon in D have been recorded, but I picked one recorded by San Francisco's Early Music Ensemble Voices of Music as their arrangement is performed on period instruments and comes close to capturing what the composition's original sound.  Kudos to violinists Katherine Kyme, Carla Moore & Cynthia Freivogel, cello player Tanya Tomkins, organ player Hanneke van Proosdij and therobo player David Tayler.  Simply stunning.  I'm sure they won't mind a link t their website:  https://voicesofmusic.org/ 

 

And in case you've never heard the Trans-Siberian Orchestra adaptation:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cP26ndrmtg&list=RD4cP26ndrmtg&start_radio=1 

 

 

 

 

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