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This index lists the essential songs (not all the songs) contained on the albums reviewed in Hip Christmas, plus singles, album tracks, or one-hit wonders not otherwise included on those albums. Whenever possible, the artist's name is linked to my review of the best Christmas album (not necessarily the only or original album) on which to find the song.

Barring that, the names will be linked to a place where you may buy the song (usually Amazon). If there's no link, it means that, to my knowledge, the song is not available on CD or MP3. Of course, the list will expand as I write more reviews. And, nothing's perfect - especially me and my crazy list. Please send additions, corrections, criticisms, and suggestions via email.

  • Keegan's Christmas (Marcy Playground, 1997)
  • Keeping Christmas (Carly Jamison, 2016)
  • Kenny's (It's Always Christmas In This Bar) (Rich Krueger, 2018)
  • Kids Come Back Again At Christmas (Sloan, 2016)
  • Kimchi Kristmas (V.D. King, 2023)
  • Kind Of Christmas Card (Morten Harket of a-Ha, 1995)
  • Kings Of Orient (The Odds, 1991) [close]

    A Lump Of CoalThe Odds' "Kings Of Orient" is really just "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" by another name, but it's a cool version, nonetheless. Building from a slow, funky shuffle into a big-ass rock jam, "Kings Of Orient" is pretty typical of the Odds' rootsy, alternative sound. At the time, the band was signed to Zoo, which was distributed by BMG, which was also affiliated with First Warning, the label that released A Lump Of Coal (1991). That's the only Christmas album ever to feature "Kings Of Orient," though it was later included on the Odds' own Singles: Individually Wrapped (2000).

    The Odds were a Canadian band formed in the late 1980's, and they are best remembered south of the border for their 1993 album Bedbug and its lead single, "Heterosexual Man," the music video for which featured members of the Canadian comedy troupe Kids In The Hall. Later, the band contributed to the soundtrack for the Kids' 1996 movie Brain Candy.

    They are also notable for their association with dearly departed singer/songwriter Warren Zevon. He used the Odds as his backing band during the tour to promote his 1991 album Mr. Bad Example, and "Jack Hammer," one of the subsequent singles from Bedbug, featured a guitar duel between Zevon and Robert Quine - a six-string genius known for his work with Richard Hell and Matthew Sweet.

    Regardless, like a lot of Canadian bands, the Odds were mostly big in Canada, where their peak was their 1995 album Good Weird Feeling and its lead single "Truth Untold," which earned them Juno Award nominations for album and group of the year. The Odds recorded consistently through the 1990's and have reunited a couple of times since.

  • Kiss For Christmas (Jimmy Boyd, 1955)
  • Kiss Me Sweet Pea (Peaness, 2023)
  • Kisses For Christmas
  • Kissin' By The Mistletoe (Aretha Franklin, 1961)
  • Kris Kringle Ju Ju (Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, 2009)
  • L.A. Christmas Blue (Hadda Brooks, 1995)
  • L.A. X-Mas (Nathen Maxwell & The Original Bunny Gang, 2010)
  • Last Christmas
  • Last Christmas Girl (Stratocruiser, 2005)
  • Last Day Of December (Chilliwack, 1975)
  • Last Minute Rush (Cheepskates, 1984)
  • Last Month Of The Year (Chris Isaak, 2004)
  • The Last Noel (The Automatics, 2007)
  • Last Train To Christmas (April March y Los Cincos, 1998) [close]

    April MarchIndie princess and pop changeling April March is best known for her fiesty side - as a punk rocker with the Shitbirds (with whom she cut a fabulous version of "Christmas Is A-Coming" for Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus) and as a sexy, faux French chanteusse (cf. Chick Habit). "Last Train To Christmas," however, is cut from an entirely different cloth. Extracted from a one-off collaboration, April March y Los Cincos, the song is a moody, impressionistic piece of chamber pop somewhat out-of-step with the bossa nova flavor of the rest of the album. Charming, nonetheless. Lastly, I am compelled to point out that a 45-rpm record commonly attributed to April March ("Christmas In Killarney" b/w "When Christmas Rolls Around" on Keystone Records) is not this April March, but rather an obscure supper-club pop singer, circa 1960.

  • Late Again For Christmas (Jules Shear, 2019)
  • Late Great Snowball Fight of 2006 (MXPX, 2006)
  • Legend Of Old St. Nick (Allen & The Lads, 1966)
  • Less The Merrier (Night Birds, 2013)
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
  • Let Me Be Your Christmas Toy (Chocolate Snow, 1973)
  • Let Me Be Your Santa Claus (Joe Hurt Trio, 2011)
  • Let Me Hang My Stockings In Your Christmas Tree (Roosevelt Sykes, 1937)
  • Let Me Sleep (Christmas Time) (Pearl Jam, 1991)
  • Let Us Love (Bill Withers, 1972)
  • Let's Exchange Hearts For Xmas (Georgia Harris & The Lyrics, 1956)
  • Let's Get Christmas Going (Bryan Adams, 2022)
  • Let's Get It Together This Christmas (Harvey Averne Band, 1969)
  • Let's Have A Merry, Merry Christmas (Ross Bagdasarian, 1953)
  • (Let's Have A) Surfin' Christmas Holiday! (The Hollyberries, 2010)
  • Let's Make A Baby King
  • Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year (James Brown, 1966)
  • Let's Make Christmas Merry Baby
  • Let's Make Every Day A Christmas Day (Bubber Johnson, 1950)
  • Let's Put Christ Back In Christmas
  • Let's Put The Elves To Bed (A Little Early Tonight) (Jeff Chance, 1986)
  • Let's Put The X Back In Xmas
  • Let's Spend Christmas At My House (Tom T. Hall, 1988)
  • Let's Start The New Year Right (Bing Crosby, 1942)
  • Let's Unite The Whole World At Christmas (James Brown, 1968)
  • Light (Lisa Loeb with Renee Stahl, 2014)
  • Light My Way (Bangles, 2006)
  • Light Of The Stable
  • Light Shines Through (Deena & Jon of the Cucumbers, 2015)
  • Lights (Darling West, 2023)
  • Like A Holiday (Jody Watley, 2017)
  • Like A Snowflake (Ride, 1991)
  • Like It's Christmas (Jonas Brothers, 2019)
  • Listen The Snow Is Falling
  • Listen To The Choir Sing (Ian McGlynn, 2009)
  • Listening To Otis Redding At Home During Christmas (Okkervil River, 2002)
  • Little Becky's Christmas Wish (Becky Lamb, 1967)
  • Little Bit Of Christmas Love (Eric Clapton, 2018)
  • Little Bit Of Christmas Time (Brian Hyland, 2023)
  • Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (Nat King Cole, 1953)
  • Little Bright Star (Supremes, 1965)
  • Little Cajun Drummer Boy (Evan Johns & The H-Bombs, 1990)
  • Little Christmas Tree (Nat King Cole, 1950)
  • Little Christmas Tree (Michael Jackson, 1973)
  • Little Drum Machine Boy (Beck, 1996)
  • Little Drummer Boy
    • Tori Amos (1992)
    • Nicole Atkins (2011)
    • August Burns Red (2010)
    • Bomboras (1994)
    • Kenny Burrell (1966)
    • Johnny Cash (1959)
    • Ray Charles (1985)
    • Terri Clark (2021)
    • Dandy Warhols (1994) [close]

      The Dandy Warhols emerged from Portland, Oregon, combining elements of power pop, garage rock, glam rock, Britpop, psychedelia, and shoegaze into their own unique sound. They signed to hometown label Tim/Kerr Records and released their first album, The Dandys Rule, OK?, in 1994. Jumping to Capitol Records for the release of their sophomore album, ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down, they became the "it" band of 1997 thanks in no small part to sexy, charismatic lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor. In 2000, they scored a worldwide hit with "Bohemian Like You" from their third album, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, and shared the stage with David Bowie. Over the next few decades, the Dandy Warhols would maintain a successful career - though rarely at such lofty heights.

      Dandy Warholds, Little Drummer Boy (1994)
      Dandy Warholds, Little Drummer Boy (1997)
      Dandy Warholds, Silent Night (2011)
      Dandy Warholds, Little Drummer Boy (2013)
      Dandy Warholds, Little Drummer Boy (2022)

      The Dandy Warhols' primary contribution to the Christmas canon happened at the very beginning of their career on a Tim/Kerr compilation called It's Finally Christmas! (read more). The Dandys' groovy, hypnotic reading of "Little Drummer Boy" is a clear highlight of the album, and it would continue to have an impact for decades to come. Tim/Kerr also released it as a single in both red 7-inch vinyl and compact disc, the latter with two mixes of the song, both running nearly five minutes.

      I'd argue that the definitive version of the song is the new single the band would release on Capitol Records in 1997. In most respects, the two versions are very similar - so much so that I am not certain that the new version isn't simply an edited remix of the original version. Regardless, the Capitol recording is shorter, sharper, and kicks a lot harder. And, the Capitol version is much more common these days, appearing on compilations like It's A Cool, Cool Christmas (2001) and Alternative Rock Xmas (2007).

      Then, fast-forward to 2011 when the Dandy Warhols released a second Christmas song, "Silent Night," as a web freebie for their fans. It's a dreamy, slightly dreary performance of the old carol that also includes a recitation from "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day." The free download quickly disappeared into the ether, but in 2013 the band reissued "Little Drummer Boy" on their own Beat The World label with "Silent Night" as the b-side. Misleadingly, the band dates "Little Drummer Boy as 1994, but it's clearly the 1997 version, and they present the single online as though it's an actual vinyl single. Best I can tell, though, vinyl copies were never actually pressed.

      Fast-forward once more to 2022 when the Dandys did, in fact, press the single on colored 7-inch vinyl - same two songs, different cover art. That's a lot of history for two measly songs, but that's what I get (actually not) paid to keep up with.

      Speaking of which, in 2016 the Dandy Warhols recorded a third Christmas song, "Silver Bells," for online behemoth Amazon and their exclusive playlist Indie For The Holidays. At some point, Amazon abandoned the playlist, but they kept the track, which can only be streamed or downloaded through Amazon.

    • Gloria Gaynor (2002)
    • Glitter Critters (2014)
    • Emmylou Harris (1979)
    • Jars Of Clay (1995)
    • Joan Jett (1981) Top 100 Song
    • Ben E. King (1982)
    • Lenox Avenue (1970)
    • Les Troublemakers (2010)
    • Love Spirals Downward (1999)
    • Miracle Legion (1985)
    • Lou Rawls (1967)
    • RuPaul (2018)
    • Bob Seger (1987)
    • Harry Simeone Chorale & Orchestra (1959)
  • Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth (Bing Crosby & David Bowie, 1977) [close]

    Bing Crosby & David BowieMostly, this website celebrates Christmas music that "rocks, rolls, swings, or twangs." In that light, writing about Bing Crosby is problematic, because Der Bingle did none of those things. But, just before his death, Crosby managed one last session that would cement his legacy as the King of Christmas for a younger generation who thought of him as little more than an old fogey who sold orange juice. Crosby historian Steven Lewis describes the event:

    One of the more surreal moments in pop music history took place September 11, 1977, when the leading American pop star of the first half of the 20th century met and performed with one of the most innovative rockers of the last half. Crosby was in London to conduct a concert tour and tape his annual Christmas TV special. It was Bing's idea that he should have as a guest on his TV show a young star. Someone suggested David Bowie. Bing had never heard of Bowie, but his kids had, so an invitation was sent to the rock star. Bowie, as it turned out, was a secret fan of Der Bingle and jumped at the chance to perform with him.

    Bing's idea was that he and Bowie would perform "The Little Drummer Boy" as a duet. Bowie felt the song did not showcase his voice very well, so the writers added "Peace on Earth," which suited Bowie's voice quite well. Two musical spokesmen of different generations met for the first time on the morning of the taping, rehearsed for just an hour, and finished their duet in only three takes. Bing was impressed with Bowie and gave him his phone number at the end of the taping. Bing told an interviewer four days later that he considered Bowie "a clean cut kid and a real fine asset to the show. He sings well, has a great voice, and reads lines well. He could be a good actor if he wanted."

    Bing CrosbyBing died just a month later, dropping dead of heart failure on October 14 while playing a round of golf. David and Bing's performance aired on November 30 after Crosby's death, forming a memorable tribute to his broad appeal. In fact, TV Guide chose the duet as one of the 25 best musical moments in television history. "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy," however, was not released commercially until 1982 when David Bowie's former label RCA issued it on 45 backed with Bowie's "Fantastic Voyage" (later issued on CD single by Oglio Records).

    In the years since, the duet's reputation has grown considerably, spawning a fair number of cover versions and a bizarre video by comics Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Bowie and Bing's recording itself has been reissued many, many times - though often in a single edit that excises the opening dialogue between Crosby and Bowie - which is no small part of the song's charm.

    The full-length version can be found on later editions of Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics and Oglio Records' 1994 compilation The Coolest Christmas, and the single edit can be found on The Crosby Christmas Sessions (2010), New Wave Xmas (1996), VH1: The Big 80's Christmas (2001), and many others - especially in Europe, where Christmas compilations are a minor industry. Interestingly, the track rarely shows up in David Bowie's catalog, appearing only on an early limited edition of The Singles 1969 To 1993 (1993) and A New Career In A New Town (2017), one of a series of mammoth boxed sets documenting his entire career. Finally, it's worth noting that television in 1977 was, by definition, mono, so all recordings of "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" are mono, as well.

  • Little Drummer Boy (Up The Khyber) (Hoodoo Gurus, 1991) [close]

    Hoodoo GurusAustralia's leading power popsters transformed Harry Simeone's hoary classic into a smokin' surf-instrumental-cum-Indian-raga as the b-side of their 1991 single "Castles In The Air." The Guru's "Drummer Boy" was also featured on A Lump Of Coal, a solid alt-rock holiday album released the same year - I'm not sure which came first - and was later compiled on Gorilla Biscuit, a collection of odds and sods that served as a companion to Electric Soup (1992), a greatest hits collection. Much later, "Drummer Boy" was added as a bonus track to the deluxe 2005 CD reissue of Kinky - the album from which "Castles In The Air" was excerpted.

    By the way, the "Up The Khyber" in the title is both a reference to a drum-driven instrumental song from Pink Floyd's More soundtrack and - according to the interwebs - a sly butt joke. Supposedly, "up the Khyber Pass" is a euphemism for taking it up the ass...

    Completist maniacs should note that "Jungle Bells," the third track from the "Castles" CD single, is neither the song recorded by Les Paul & Mary Ford (1953) and the Four Seasons (1962) nor - despite appearances - a Christmas song (though a pun was clearly intended). Rather, it's an original Hoodoo Guru composition (also compiled on Gorilla Biscuit) that dates back to 1988 when it was originally released as the flip of "The Generation Gap" (a non-LP single compiled on Electric Soup). Got all that? There will be a quiz at the end of class.

  • Little Drummer Girlz (Sheila E. featuring Geneva London, Sarah Thawer & Chitaa, 2020)
  • Little Jack Frost, Get Lost (Bing Crosby & Peggy Lee, 1952)
  • Little Klinker... The Pup That Woke Santa Up (Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1960)
  • Little Sandy Sleighfoot (Jimmy Dean, 1957)
  • Little White Mouse Called Steve (Jimmy Charles, 1961)
  • Little Red Rooster (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, 2000)
  • Little Saint Nick
  • Little Things (ABBA, 2021)
  • Little Town (Cliff Richard, 1982)
  • Littlest Angel (McGuire Sisters, 1955)
  • Living Doll (Crossfires, 1963)
  • Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming (John Fahey, 1982)
  • London For Christmas (Limahl of Kajagoogoo, 2012)
  • London Town (Happy Holidays) (Living Pins, 2021)
  • Loneliest Christmas Tree (Lisa Miller, 1968)
  • Loneliest Time Of Year (The Wedding Present, 2022)
  • Lonely Christmas (Ferlin Husky, 1967)
  • Lonely Christmas (Sloppy Seconds, 1992)
  • Lonely Christmas (aka Lonely Christmas Again) (Bob Wagner, 1962)
  • Lonely Christmas Call
  • Lonely Christmas Eve (Ben Folds Five, 2000) [close]

    How The Grinch Stole ChristmasBen Folds has written a couple of Christmas songs, but "Lonely Christmas Eve" is the more musically agreeable of the two. Thus far, however, it has only been commercially released on the soundtrack of Jim Carrey's live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). Written for the film, the song adopts the perspective of the Grinch, gazing down disdainfully at the Christmas Eve celebrants from atop his lonely mountain. "How I hate their happy noise!" Folds exclaims, adding "There's only one thing I hate more... the people who keep making it." In 2002, Sony appended the song as the flipside of a promo-only, 7-inch vinyl single promoting "Bizarre Christmas Incident," a song from the inaugural edition of Nettwerk Record's Maybe This Christmas series.

  • Lonely Christmas Eve (Ernest Tubb, 1954)
  • Lonely Christmas (Hallelujah) (Calico Brothers, 2010)
  • Lonely Christmas Without Elvis Presley (Buzz Jefferson, 1977)
  • Lonely Night (Merle Haggard, 1982)
  • Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop) (Adam Faith, 1960)
  • Lonely Shepherd (Billy Eckstine, 1950)
  • Lonely This Christmas
  • Lonely Without You (This Christmas) (Mick Jagger & Joss Stone, 2004)
  • Lonesome Christmas (aka I Wanna Spend Christmas With You)
  • Long December
    • Counting Crows (1996) [close]

      Counting CrowsA single from Counting Crows' second album, Recovering the Satellites (1996), "A Long December" was a sizeable hit, particularly in Canada where it topped the charts. But, for most of us, it sunk into the background like, dare I say it, the band themselves. Crows fans loved the song, though, and over the years it began to take on currency as a holiday song. The thing is, save its title, you'd be hard pressed to find anything vaguely festive about it. In fact, the word "Christmas" appears nowhere in the lyrics, and Crows singer Adam Duritz said he was inspired to write it after one of his friends had been hit by a car. Ouch! That said, more than 25 years later Duritz weighed in and claimed yes, "A Long December" is a Christmas song. "It fits in with my feeling of songs that conjure up and resonate with this particular time of year," he told Rolling Stone, comparing his song to Joni Mitchell's "River," among others. "It’s cheery in a bittersweet way, in much the same way that 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' is - in the original lyrics before Sinatra changed them." Case closed, I guess.

    • Amanda Stewart (2023)
  • Long Distance (Last Call, 2011)
  • Long Way Around The Sea
  • Look Around You (It's Christmas Time) (Bobby Goldsboro, 1968)
  • (Look At The) Reindeer Rock (Jimmy Boyd, 1955)
  • Look Out (Snoop Dogg with Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, and Nate Dogg, 2008)
  • Look Out The Window (Gene Autry & Rosemary Clooney, 1952)
  • Looking For Santa (Hungry Dutchmen, 1988)
  • Looks Like A Cold, Cold Winter (Bing Crosby, 1950)
  • Los Chrismos (Los Bitchos, 2022)
  • Love Actually (Keane, 2023)
  • Love And Joy (Cucumbers, 2019)
  • Love Disease (Christmas In New York) (Cafeine, 2013 )
  • Love For Christmas (Jackson Trio with the Ebonaires, 1955)
  • Love For Christmas (Gems, 1964) [close]

    Rockin' Little ChristmasThe Gems' "Love For Christmas" (Chess, 1964) has one foot in the girl group sound of the early 60's and another in the soul music that would dominate the late 60's. It was written by Billy Davis, an early mover and shaker at Motown Records in Detroit, who moved to Chess Records in Chicago. There, he was largely responsible for updating the label's sound with soul stalwarts like the Dells, Billy Stewart, and Fontella Bass. The Gems, meanwhile, were a Chicago-based female quartet featuring Louise Bethune. They recorded a number of singles for Chess in the early 60's - none of them hits - and they did a lot of session work at Chess as backup singers.

    "Love For Christmas" is a fine song, released as a single backed with "All Of It" (not a Christmas song), and it shows more than a little influence of Motown, as well as the other big names on the Chicago scene, producer Carl Davis (Brunswick Records) and singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield and his group, the Impressions. Lyrically, Billy Davis works the well-trodden path where romance converges with the holidays, but it's a groovy, brassy arrangement (by Phil Wright, another key figure at Chess) that highlights the Gems' bright, buoyant vocals. It can be found on Have A Merry Chess Christmas (1988) and Rockin' Little Christmas (1986), the latter of which is now available to download or stream.

    Minnie RipertonAnd, that's where the single most notable thing about "Love For Christmas" comes in. A young Minnie Riperton joined the Gems earlier that year, and on "Love For Christmas," she takes the lead vocal - something usually reserved for Bethune. Riperton later left the Gems and briefly recorded as Andrea Davis. Then, she joined the Rotary Connection, a hippie soul/rock collective that recorded for Chess. In 1968, they cut a complete Christmas album, the trippy Peace - a very unusual move during those image-conscious times.

    Minnie Riperton eventually stepped into the limelight with a series of soulful, adventurous albums, building up to her signature hit, the sensuous ballad "Loving You," which topped the charts in 1975. No one has ever written about Minnie Riperton without mentioning her remarkable, five-octave range, and "Loving You" was essentially a showcase for that. Certainly, it's the song for which she's remembered - well, that and her tragic death from breast cancer in 1979 at a mere 31 years of age. But, Minnie was a master of many styles, and I strongly recommend Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection (2001), an in-depth look at her all-too-brief career - though it doesn't have any of her Christmas recordings.

  • Love For Christmas (Felix Gross, 1949)
  • Love For Christmas (Carole King, 2002)
  • Love Is Christmas (Sara Bareilles, 2011)
  • Love Letter Christmas (R. Kelly, 2010)
  • Love This Christmas (Rick Astley, 2020)
  • Love Turns Winter Into Spring
  • Love's What You're Getting For Christmas (Bobby Sherman, 1970)
  • Love Will Conquer All (John Lodge featuring Jon Davison, 2024)
  • Lovely Christmas (Jason Ringenberg & Kristi Rose, 2006)
  • Lover Man For Christmas (Lots Of Love, 2013)
  • Ludacrismas (from "Fred Claus") (Ludacris, 2007)

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