Every year I make a playlist with modern adaptations of classical Christmas songs. So this year I decided to review my top ten list of Christmas songs covered by musicians other than pop artists like Britney Spears or Beyonce.
Rocking Around The Christmas Tree
In the tenth spot is Cartel’s cover of “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree.” The song uses a combination of punk rock guitar sounds, jingle bells and vocal harmony to contribute to the classical sense of how the song should be played but still being performed with more of an edge that reaches to younger audiences.
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Acceptance’s arrangement of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” follows Lennon’s original style with an acceptable blend of their own, making this version a great cover for a slower punk rock listeners.
Blue Christmas
In eighth place follows Blue Eyes’s cover of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas.” Lead singer Conor Oberst’s traditional ‘emo’ vocals add great depth to this song making the listener emotionally connect with the lyrics about being alone on Christmas.
Angels We Have Heard On High
“Angels We Have Heard On High” by Josh Wilson uses a combination of acoustic and electric instrumentals with an upbeat tempo to make this a more energetic cover. His voice is smooth and the lyrics articulate what the Christmas season should feel like.
Baby, Please Come Home
In sixth, Death Cab for Cutie’s adaptation of U2’s “Baby, Please Come Home” remains one of my favorite Christmas songs. Using all the style and sounds that define Death Cab, it features a slower swung tempo, a piano, and a slightly distorted guitar which results in a great blend of style and easy listening.
12 Days of Christmas
“12 Days of Christmas” from of Relient K’s successful Christmas album is an upbeat, happy, and energetic version that takes the harmony of a choir, the qualities that define pop punk, and a original addition of lyrics that contribute to this cover being Relient K’s best cover.
The First Noel
While My American Dream’s cover of “The First Noel” is a faster version of the song, it is considered more relaxing by punk rock fans. Using a piano, reverb on the vocals, guitar harmony, and the technique of palm muting, this cover presents the style of punk rock in a mature way to the Christmas genre.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
In third comes Sugarcult’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” which represents their pop punk origins as they follow the original format without skipping a beat. I find myself listening to it when hanging out with friends in a holiday setting.
Silent Night
Second place goes to Taylor Swift’s rendition of “Silent Night.” She sings the lyrics of the song in harmony and not melody making this version unique to Swift’s style in every way. Using her country roots and her pop vocals, I recommend giving this song a listen or two.
Last Christmas
First place is awarded to Jimmy Eat World’s cover of “Last Christmas” by Wham! Jim Adkin’s voice gently flows over your ears as a combination of acoustic and electric guitars reverberates the melody back to you in a very original way. This is by far my favorite cover of any Christmas song. With no disrespect to Wham! I find the original version lacking in any emotional development, the chorus is catchy but the verses seem to just take up space while Jimmy Eat World reinvents this song in a whole new original way making this number one on my Christmas playlist every year.
