Top 5: Christmas Songs

     Over the next week I'm going to go Top 5 list crazy.  It's that time of the year when everybody is doing their top whatever of the year and I'm no exception.  It's also the holiday season and I realized that I've never done any Christmas Top 5's, so I'll end this week with a couple of Christmas lists and then Top 5 of the Years all next week.
     I'll start with my list of Top 5 Christmas songs.  The thing with any list of Christmas songs is that the person singing is almost as important as the song itself.  Everybody wants to do their own version of the classics, some come out great, some come out horrible.  Here is my list of Top 5 Christmas Songs...

5) My Grown Up Christmas List - Kelly Clarkson
          This is a song nobody but the biggest Kelly Clarkson fans are probably familiar with (yes, I'm huge Kelly Clarkson fan.  Yes, I'm slightly embarrassed about that.  No, I make no apologies!).  As far as I know, the only way to get it is on a bonus cd that was packaged with the American Idol Christmas album.  I'm not sure what it is I love about the song, but it strikes a cord with me.

4)  All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
          OK, in all fairness, my love of this song probably has more to do with the video then the song itself.  I had a huge crush on Mariah as a young man and there was just something about here frolicking in the snow in a tight red Santa outfit that I found extremely appealing.  I do stand behind the song as well.  It's probably the most popular of the "new" Christmas classics you here on the radio today.  It fits in wonderfully with the old standards and stuff like "Jingle Bell Rock", which a lot of the newer Christmas songs can't say.

3)  Santa Baby - Rev. Run and The Christmas All Stars
          This is the first example of a certain version of a song being more important then the song itself.  There are a lot of horrible versions of this song.  And, to tell you the truth, I think the song itself is not very good on its own.  But, this version, found on A Very Special Christmas 3, takes the shell of the original and adds so much extra it becomes a wonderful song.  They essentially turned it into a rap song.  There aren't that many Christmas themed rap songs, "Christmas In Hollis" comes to mind but that's it, so I think the rarity of the genre adds to my love of the song.  It's a rare example of taking an original, turning it on its head and making it better then before.

2)  Silver Bells - Dean Martin
          The only real standard I put on the list.  That's not to say I don't like the standards, the next five in my top 10 would probably be all standards.  My favorite Christmas album is probably the Rat Pack Christmas.  This is also another example of my love of the version being bigger then my love of the song.  Deano kills it and I really have no idea why this isn't the version of "Silver Bells" that gets played all the time.  On the other end of the spectrum, the worst version of "Silver Bells" has to be by Barry Manilow.  It's about as God awful as a song gets.

1)  Mr. Heatmiser - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
           This cover from the Christmas special, The Year Without Santa Clause, is so awesome that I play it all year round.  I absolutely love this song.  I'm sure the horns have something to do with it since I love almost any song with horns, but the Dixieland style of the tune appeals to me as well.  In this version they combine both Heat Miser and Snow Miser's themes into one upbeat toe tapping tune.  I can't imagine a Christmas without hearing this song dozens of times!

Honorable Mentions - almost anything by Dean Martin (Marshmallow World, Baby It's Cold Outside, Winter Wonderland, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer), The First Noel - Frank Sinatra, Silent Night - Frank Sinatra, Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Johnny Mathis, Little Saint Nick - Beach Boys