Christmas Music review

Christmas+Music+review

All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey: When Christmas time comes around, this is one song everyone hoped to hear on the radio. It’s upbeat, modern, and loud, making it unique for the typical soft and smooth feeling of all Christmas music. This is one of the few Christmas songs that get your head bopping. Not only that, Mariah Carey’s powerful vocals and raw singing effort make you want to sing along as well! This is supported by the stats too. It is officially the most-played Christmas song EVER!

Feliz Navidad- Jose Feliciano: Despite being partially in a different language, it still is one of the most catchy Christmas songs. This “catchiness” comes from one incredibly captivating Spanish hook: “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad”; and one simple English hook: “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas.” The only reason it isn’t at number one is that this song doesn’t always keep up with the intensity of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” 

Jingle Bell Rock- Bobby Helms: This song is one of the last upbeat Christmas songs on this list. The electric guitar with a raspy pedal and the extremely unique and passionate vocals of Bobby Helms allows for this song to be extremely catchy. Especially for the time period of 1957, this sound makes this song even more unique!

White Christmas- Irving Berlin: This song was originally written for the 1942 movie “Holiday Inn” by Mark Sandrich. The song was originally sung by Bing Crosby and it instantly became popular and, even today remains the world’s best-selling single with over 50 million sales. Many soldiers in World War II  liked the song for its wistful, slow, and melancholic nature which reminded them of fun, family, and home which was especially important to them.  Aside from soldiers, this song was most popular amongst young people.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- Gene Autry and The Pinafores: Possibly the most recognized Christmas song there is, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in September 1949 where it hit the top of the US charts. The song was originally written for children and was based on the 1939 book by Robert L. May, which was a popular book at the time. This allowed the song to achieve greater fame and popularity.

Last Christmas- Wham!: One of the more modern songs on the list “Last Christmas” was a pop song released in 1984. Despite having many covers of the song “Last Christmas” didn’t hit the top of the charts until 2017. The song features themes of heartbreak and loss which it conveys with catchy, rhyming lyrics.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas- Meredith Wilson: Now this song is a true classic, known by many. People will be surprised to know that this song was originally written in 1951. Almost 75 years ago! This song, which was made famous by Bing Cosby in the fifties, has a massive legacy and has inspired countless other songs. But possibly the most famous version you have heard is by Micahel Buble, which was released in 2011 and has close to a BILLION streams.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree-Brenda Lee: This song, which was written in 1958 by Johnny Marks, who also wrote classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” is a timeless classic with over 25 million copies sold and is the song with the 4th most digital downloads of any Christmas song. You will be surprised to hear that this song was originally performed by 13-year-old Brenda Lee who had no idea why she was chosen to sing it. Nevertheless, this song grew and grew and when it was released, it was in the top 15 songs worldwide.