Guest Post - Lesser Known Christmas Songs
This is the first guest post on Seriously for Serious! I hope you all enjoy!
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“Heard this same song twenty times and it’s only Halloween….” Straight No Chaser, the a cappella group, really nailed it with this line from their song “The Christmas Can-Can”.
Even in 2020 -- aka the Time of COVID, with limited exposure to retail store PA systems -- I still feel like I am hearing the same handful of songs on endless repeat. So I bought myself a new Bose Wave IV music system with a (gasp!) integrated CD player, located the box holding my collection of roughly 100 Christmas CDs, and started listening. I told Sunshine how much I was enjoying the less-well-known Christmas songs. She invited me to post my curated list for you!
Religious Music
What Is the Crying at Jordan? Sung by The Miserable Offenders
A haunting Advent hymn, modern words (1971) set to an Irish melody. While there are organ and choral versions of this hymn, I love this version, with the two clear voices and a Tibetan bowl. It evokes the stillness of sitting in darkness awaiting the coming of light.
Mary Mild, Sung by the Kingston Trio
Christmas songs are naturally about Jesus’ birth and/or they foreshadow his adult life. This song considers Jesus’ childhood. Per the album’s music notes, this is a version of the ballad “The Bitter Withy,” which in turn is based on a traditional story dating back to the 11th century. Jesus, as a young boy, asks his mother’s permission to go play ball with the other boys. But the boys snub him because of his humble birth. Listen to the song to find out how Jesus convinces the boys to play with him and what reaction this gets from the boys’ mothers.
Still Her Little Child sung by Ray Boltz
A powerful song about the bonds of motherhood. It reminds me how many mothers have lost children (of any age) to violence this year.
Kalin Iméran sung by Nana Mouskouri
Why limit oneself to Christmas carols sung in English, French, or German? Here’s a traditional Greek Christmas carol, sung by the amazing Nana Mouskouri. I enjoy the upbeat melody, even if the lyrics are all Greek to me (trite but I couldn’t resist). Plus this song reminds me of seeing her in concert many years ago.
Secular Music
Old City Bar by Trans-Siberian Railroad
Kindness to a stranger on Christmas Eve.
I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas by Yogi Yorgesson
Pretty much my favorite Christmas novelty song. (I mean, at my age, I just can’t get behind “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.) Yogi Yorgesson is a Swedish-American character created by the entertainer Harry Stewart in the 1940s; the exaggerated “Scandinavian accent” was part of his act. I like the way this song captures the chaos of family Christmas. I especially like the bridge.
Is Zat You Santa Claus? sung by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
A perfect song for the Christmas of Social Distancing. A knock on the door. Who is it? Not the folks in my social bubble; I know where they are. Is zat you, Santa Claus?
The Song We Need This Year
I Heard Bells on Christmas Day
If ever there was a time we needed hope, it’s now. This song is one of my all-time favorites at Christmas. The words were written by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1863, during our terrible Civil War and following tragedies in Longfellow’s family. It’s been covered by many artists, from Burl Ives, Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Johnny Cash to The Carpenters, Mercy Me, and Sarah McLachlan. There are at least two different melodies so below are the two different versions.
Charleene Closshey
Casting Crowns
