Christmas Archives - Page 4 of 19

More Billboard Christmas Charts

Cheech & Chong

Here are more Billboard Christmas Charts, the songs that did very well in the limited seasonal charts. They were calculated from 1963 through 1972 and 1983 through 1985.

The majority of these songs I do not know; I’ll note the ones that I do.

Here are the songs that reached #2

Merry Christmas, Baby – Charles Brown (1968). I know the song, but it is not from that time period.

Little Drummer Boy – Lou Rawls (1967). Another song I first heard much later.

Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy– Buck Owens (1965). Co-written by Owens.

If Every Day Was Like Christmas – Elvis Presley (1966). If every day WAS like Christmas, would it really be a wonderful world? (Asking for my id.)

Do You Hear What I See – Bing Crosby (1963). I have a whole album of Bing, plus some songs on an Andrews Sisters collection.

Little Becky’s Christmas Wish – Becky Lamb (1967). “Probably the most well-known (and most commercially successful) of the 60s child spoken-word records, the song (Warner Bros. Records # 7154) by the 6-year-old girl took the form of a letter to Santa Claus asking him to bring her big brother Tommy home for Christmas. However, he died in Vietnam.” I never even heard of this. Oh, my.

Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas – The Staple Singers (1973). This shows in a STAX/Volt box set. Besides the vocals, it’s a bit melancholy, which is why I like it.

We’re #3

These songs reached #3 on the Xmas charts

Santa Claus and His Old Lady – Cheech & Chong (1972). Stoned talk.

The Man With All The Toys – The Beach Boys (1964). This I have.

Silver Bells – Earl Grant (1969). This needs more airplay.

Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys (1963). I also have this

You’re All I Want For Christmas – Brook Benton (1963)

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – The Temptations (1971). Several Motown artists released Christmas albums: Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, as well as the Tempts. They appeared on a couple of compilations, one of which I own on vinyl.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon (1971). Of COURSE, I have this song.

Billboard Christmas Charts #1s

The Christmas Song, twice

The Billboard Christmas charts were very odd ducks. Quoting from the book Joel Whitburn Presents Christmas in the Charts, 1920 to 2004, “From 1963 through 1972 and from 1983 through 1985, Billboard published a seasonal Christmas singles chart and did not chart Christmas singles on the Hot 100.”

There were a couple of exceptions in 1984 when two Christmas songs landed on the Hot 100; one was Do They Know It’s Christmas, #13 pop. I don’t know what the other one was. “The charts varied in size from a low of three to a high of 38 positions. The charts from 1983 to 1985 consisted of 10 positions.”

All of these songs went to #1 on the Christmas charts. They may have previously appeared on pop, country, or rhythm and blues charts. The years designated the first time the songs appeared on this particular list.

Billboard put out a pair of compilations with the songs I marked with * on them.

The Little Drummer Boy*—the Harry Simeone Chorale (1964). We had the single when I was a kid, but it was rerecorded with a slower ending.

Snoopy’s Christmas – the Royal Guardsmen (1967). I have this on an LP.

White Christmas – Andy Williams (1963). I know the song and Andy, but not this combo.

Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer* – Elmo and Patsy (1983). I own the single. This, too, was rerecorded.

Merry Christmas Darling – Carpenters (1970). Only vaguely familiar.

The Christmas Song – Herb Alpert (1968). The album cover is very familiar. Did I own this?

The #1 Christmas singles artist

White Christmas* – Bing Crosby (1969). This is the 1947 remake, not the 1942 original. I own both. Bing is this book’s #2 Christmas album artist, behind Mannheim Steamroller.

Jingle Bell Rock* – Bobby Helms (1969).

The Christmas Song* (Merry Christmas to You) – Nat King Cole (1969)

Blue Christmas* – Elvis Presley (1964)

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town– the Jackson 5 (1970). Interesting Classic Motown animation; it was on a Billboard R&B CD collection.

Please Come Home For Christmas – Charles Brown (1972). it was on a Billboard R&B CD collection.

Jingle Bells – the Singing Dogs (1972). Not high in my rotation; at least it’s short.

Sleep In Heavenly Peace (Silent Night) – Barbra Streisand (1966). I didn’t know this version.

Step Into Christmas – Elton John (1973). I was unfamiliar with this song.

Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town—Bruce Springsteen (1985). It was included on the first A Very Special Christmas benefit CD in 1987.

Bonus

Chuck’s 2024 CPKC Holiday Train Chase: The Montreal Concert

Merry Christmas 2023

Every valley shall be exhalted

Merry Christmas 2023. Peace on earth: that would be nice. Goodwill to all: an admirable goal.

Gloria by John Rutter. Our choir performed this a few years ago.

The Dream Isaiah Saw by Glenn Rudolph, text by Thomas Troeger. I’ve used this before. The choir has sung this as well.

Little Drummer Boy (African Tribal Version) – Alex Boye’ ft. Genesis Choir

Every Valley – Handel’s Messiah, A Soulful Celebration

Handel’s Messiah – the Christmas portion. The New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Theoretically, these should play in order. The last piece is Hallelujah, traditionally more of an Easter piece, but I’m no purist. I’ve had the joy of singing this at least four times.

Sunday Stealing: it’s almost Christmas

Billboard

waiting.christmas The topic for Sunday Stealing is the December 25 holiday, probably because it’s almost Christmas. I note there are 12 questions, one for the drummers, one for the pipers…

1. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

It might have been a subscription to Billboard magazine that my then-girlfriend, now late friend, bought for me in the 1980s. It was rather pricey, and it was not really of great interest to her, but she loved me. When I was in high school, I was a library page. I read the magazine before putting it away in the basement.

Or maybe it was the first Hess truck that my wife bought for me in the early 2000s and every year since. I am almost encircled by them right now.

2. What is the worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

At work, we had a gift exchange. One bozo filled up a container with random screws and nails.

3. Do you have a favorite Christmas song?

I have LOTS of favorite Christmas songs. Check my upcoming posts and yesterday’s. I’ll pick What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder or Coventry Carol by Alison Moyet. But I have many holiday albums, religious and secular.

4. Does your family have any favorite holiday traditions?

It has morphed over time. We used to go to my in-laws. It seems recently, and certainly since COVID, it’s been rather haphazard. This is also true, BTW, of Thanksgiving.

5. What is your favorite Christmas snack?

Eggnog and amaretto.

6. Did you believe in Santa growing up?

I believe in Santa now, more than ever.

7. How early do you start decorating?

Once again, it is haphazard. It can be from early December to a day or two before Christmas Eve.

8. Are you an early or last-minute shopper?

In years past, I was ahead of the curve. There was a medieval faire in October, and I always bought something for my wife, but it’s defunct. So, this year, WAY behind.

9. Would you rather give or receive gifts?

With that duality, then receive because I tend to agonize over the correct gift to give. That said, this is a lovely story of giving. There was also a local item about a guy paying for the $2,000 for the Toys for Tots that a local charity had been collecting.

Cinema

10. What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

I’m not sure I have one. It’s A Wonderful Life is a lot better than I thought it would be. Scrooged was interesting in parts. I’ve recorded Elf because I’ve never seen it. Rotten Tomatoes has made a list of the best movies, and they have The Holdovers on it. I’ll say that. Of the old-time ones, possibly Miracle on 34th Street, because I’m a sucker for a courtroom drama.

11. What is one of your Christmas memories?

I wrote about a few of them here. 1966: Christmas was on a Sunday. I delivered the paper six evenings a week, back in the olden days when there WERE afternoon papers, and then on Sunday morning, back in Binghamton, NY. My father, who NEVER helped me with my route because it was MY job, not his – not that I ever asked him – got up (or maybe stayed up) to help me deliver that thick newspaper to my customers on Clinton Street, Front Street, and McDonald Avenue. That meant a lot to me, but I doubt I ever said so.

12. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Sometimes.

A Very Special Christmas

Special Olympics

Back when I was buying vinyl, and later with CDs, I was a sucker for music associated with a good cause: No Nukes, a Cambodian refugee cause, USA for Africa, and so many more. And not just the We Are The World single but the whole album.

So, I have several CDs in the A Very Special Christmas series, in fact, the first seven (The live album is the fourth, and the acoustic album is the sixth.). The funds go to the Special Olympics, as noted here. If you have Spotify, which I do, you can hear the whole set of albums. If not, you get the 30-second tease. For those of you in the latter category, my list of some of the songs I like.

The original and still the best (1987)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – the Pointer Sisters. They seem to be having such fun.

Winter Wonderland – Eurythmics. Annie Lennox’s great voice shines through.

Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston

Merry Christmas, Baby -Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Prime Boss

Gabriel’s Message -Sting. This is in our church hymnal.

Christmas in Hollis – Run-D.M.C. I’ll admit that it took me a moment to embrace it, but now I like it a lot. The last time I took the Long Island Railroad, I noticed the Hollis, Queens stop.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – U2 -It’s not Darlene Love, as heard on A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, but what is?

Santa Baby -Madonna. I’ve heard lots of complaints that it’s not as good as Eartha Kitt, but I heard this first, so I have an odd affection for it.

The Coventry Carol – Alison Moyet. My favorite song in the entire series.

Volume 2 (1992)

Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This song always makes my Christmas playlist on the blog.

Merry Christmas, Baby – Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt. Bonnie had both Charles Brown and Ruth Brown on her subsequent tour.

What Child Is This – Vanessa Williams. That Carol of the Bells intro oddly works here.

Volume 3 (1997)

Children Go Where I Send Theee – Natalie Merchant. I loved this song growing up, and this take is fun.

We Three Kings – Patti Smith. This, by comparison, is particularly dark, which I also enjoy.

The Live album (1999)? There are too many covers of the previous iterations. Volume 5 (2001)? Some OK pieces.

Acoustic (2003)

This is primarily a country/bluegrass album.

Even Santa Claus Gets The Blues -Marty Stuart. It has a great guitar intro.

Christmas Is Near – Ralph Stanley. I love the harmony.

The subsequent album, the 7th volume (2009), is fine, though it covers many of the same songs that I heard before, and the earlier ones are usually better.

After that, 25 Years Bringing Joy to the World and 25 Years of Bringing Peace on Earth (both 2012) I haven’t heard yet. The latter features “Today’s Top Christian Artists.”

Finally, the ICON album (2013) is an odd mix of songs previously on albums from the series (Sting, Aretha, Bon Jovi, Underwood, Petty, Crow), older songs (Lennon, Presley, Wham!), and new songs by Rod Stewart and Josh Groban. You can still purchase these if you’re so inclined.