skip to content
home > navigation > songs > this page

This index lists the essential songs (not all the songs) contained on the albums reviewed in Hip Christmas, plus singles, album tracks, or one-hit wonders not otherwise included on those albums. Whenever possible, the artist's name is linked to my review of the best Christmas album (not necessarily the only or original album) on which to find the song.

Barring that, the names will be linked to a place where you may buy the song (usually Amazon). If there's no link, it means that, to my knowledge, the song is not available on CD or MP3. Of course, the list will expand as I write more reviews. And, nothing's perfect - especially me and my crazy list. Please send additions, corrections, criticisms, and suggestions via email.

  • Daddy Won't Be Home Again For Christmas (Merle Haggard, 1973)
  • Daddy's Christmas (Albert Brooks, 1974) [close]
    Albert Brooks Once upon a time, Albert Brooks was the younger, hipper, West Coast edition of Woody Allen. Brooks never got that famous, and he's certainly not been as prolific (six films in forty-or-so years, not counting his more frequent acting gigs), but then, he never married his stepdaughter, either. Nearly lost to history, sadly, are the comedy records Brooks made early in his career. Both were brilliant, and neither has been reissued on CD. "Daddy's Christmas," released only on 45, is even more obscure - and more twisted. Every holiday season, one of my favorite moments is hearing Brooks invoke this deathless bit of wisdom during his bedtime dialogue with an unsuspecting young actor, "Honey, sometimes I wonder if through sheer stupidity children aren't just as smart as any grownup."
  • Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas
  • Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas (Tommy Hester, circa 1968)
  • Dan Aykroyd Santa Claus (Proton Packs, 2023)
  • Dance Mr. Snowman Dance (Crew Cuts, 1954)
  • Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (from "The Nutcracker")
  • Dancing With Santa (Trashmen, 1964)
  • Dark Christmas (Freedom Fry, 2012)
  • The Day Before Boxing Day (Robyn Hitchcock, 2015)
  • Dead By Christmas (Hanoi Rocks, 1981)
  • Dead Christmas (Monster Magnet, 1995)
  • Dear Father Christmas (Neil Innes, 1984)
  • Dear Mister Santa Claus (Red Sovine, 1950)
  • Dear Mr. Claus (Paul Revere & The Raiders, 1967)
  • Dear Mr. Kringle (Kelly King, 2010)
  • Dear Santa (Jackknife Stiletto, 2014)
  • Dear Santa (Mr Little Jeans, 2014)
  • Dear Santa (Bring Me A Man This Christmas) (Weather Girls, 1983)
  • Dear Santa Have You Had The Measles? (Lael Calloway, 1956)
  • Dearest Santa (Alphabet Backwards, 2012)
  • December (MxPx, 2018)
  • December Mourning (Crocodile Shop, 1987)
  • December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas) (George Michael, 2009)
  • December Sky (Dawn Richard of Danity Kane, 2011)
  • December Will Be Magic Again (Kate Bush, 1980)
  • Deck Five (Saturday's Children, 1966)
  • Deck The Halls (I Hate Christmas) (Zebrahead, 1999)
  • Deck The Halls (With Boughs Of Holly)
  • Deck Us All With Boston Charlie (Lambert Hendricks & Ross, 1961)
  • Decorate The Night (Brook Benton, 1983)
  • Department Store Santa (Before Xmas) (Howard Morris, 1960)
  • Depressed Christmas (Culturcide, 1986)
  • Detroit Christmas (Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise, 2001)
  • Dig That Crazy Santa Claus (Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers, 1954)
  • Ding Dong Bell (Ethiopians, 1968)
  • Ding Dong Ding Dong (George Harrison, 1974)
  • Dirt Sledding (The Killers, 2015)
  • Disco Bells (Walter Murphy Orchestra, 1975)
  • Disgrunted Christmas (Local H, 1994)
  • DJ Play A Christmas Song (Cher, 2023)
  • Do The Christmas Rush (Bentley Rhythm Ace, 2000)
  • Do They Know It's Christmas? [close]
    Band AidWith "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Bob Geldof (late of the Boomtown Rats) invented the charity single: all-star cast, overblown production, worthy cause. Geldof's aim was to alleviate famine in Ethiopia, and, while I'm not sure how many bellies were filled, the song spawned an industry. Geldof cowrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with Midge Ure (Ultravox) based on an unused Boomtown Rats track called "It's My World." The pair then enlisted help from the cream of British pop, including members of Duran Duran, Genesis, the Beatles, and Wham! Calling themselved Band Aid (nice bit of irony, that), their single (issued in both 7- and 12-inch formats) entered the UK charts at #1 in late 1984, reached #13 in the US, and sold millions in both countries. Though scarce for many years, the song began to show up with regularity on compilations like The Best Christmas Album In The World... Ever! and Now That's What I Call Christmas and, later, became available to download or stream.

    Next spring came "We Are The World" by an even larger and more famous American conglomeration dubbed USA For Africa (Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, and many more). That song peaked at #1 nearly everywhere and set the stage for Live Aid, a massive series of concerts in 1985 that spanned the globe.

    Band Aid IIBut, if more is better, then too much must be wonderful. Three different groups of mostly British pop stars subsequently recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" - first in 1989 as Band Aid II (with only Bananarama repeating from the original crew), next in 2004 as Band Aid 20 (with U2's Bono being the only orginal cast member, reprising his semi-infamous line, "Thank God it's them instead of you."), and 10 years after that as Band Aid 30 (with Bono and Bono wannabe Chris Martin returning from the previous version). All four versions, by the way, reached #1 on the UK singles chart, with the first three earning the coveted "Christmas #1" spot.

    Then-trendy producers Stock Aitken Waterman helmed the Band Aid II effort, and they dragged their biggest artists (including Kylie Minogue) along with them. While I retain a certain fondness for the original production - at least it's not as bloated as "We Are The World" - the SAW recording is, quite frankly, horrible. Musically bankrupt and devoid of nearly all human emotion, Band Aid II makes the pain of all those hungry Africans seem very, very real. The song was issued on 45-rpm record, cassette single, and CD single - but not in America. None are too common, and the CD single, in particular, can be tough to find - try Amazon, or, even better, Amazon UK.

    Band Aid 20Bob Geldof had a direct hand in organizing Band Aid 20, and it's better - though hardly the equal of the 1984 original. For me, the high point (of sorts) comes when The Darkness' cheesy guitars insert themselves incongrously just before some awkward rap the middle eight. Had to be there, I guess. At the time, Geldof seemed to have made peace with his legacy, telling the BBC, "I feel absolutely proud, not because it's a profound song at all, but because I've contributed something to popular culture which has really embedded itself into the nation's consciousness." Band Aid 20 was issued primarily as a CD single which also included the original 1984 studio version plus a 1985 version recorded at Live Aid.

    Band Aid 30 was, largely, more of the same, with the singers featuring a number of first-timers both young (Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran) and not-so-young (Sinéad O'Connor, Seal). It's notable mainly for the fact that its proceeds went to a different cause - combatting an Ebola outbreak in Western Africa - and because it was the first Band Aid effort released after downloading and, eventually, streaming became the dominant musical format (but before vinyl made its comeback). It was, in fact, issued as a CD single (including all three previous versions), but fans predominantly purchased it as a digital download. Over time, Band Aid II and Band Aid 20 would also be reissued for digital consumption, with the latter including the original 1984 version as a b-side. Oddly, that version has never been reissued on its own, with its iconic cover art depicting starving Ethiopian children amidst a lavish, Dickensian Christmas.
  • Do You Believe In Santa Claus? (Billy May, circa 1958)
  • Do You Hear What I Hear?
  • Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?
  • Does It Feel Like Christmas (Nathen Maxwell & The Original Bunny Gang, 2010)
  • A Dog Is For Life (Not Just For Christmas) (Vice Squad, 2013)
  • Doggy Dogg Christmas (Snoop Dogg, 2020)
  • The Dollyrots Do Christmas (medley) (Dollyrots, 2018)
  • Dominick The Donkey (Lou Monte, 1960)
  • Don't Be A Dick At Christmas (Niagra Balls, 2014)
  • Don't Be A Jerk (It's Christmas) (SpongeBob Squarepants, 2008) [close]
    SpongeBob SquarepantsI include this song here not because I like it. In fact, I find it profoundly annoying - just like almost anything else associated with SpongeBob and his cast of underwater idiots, whose Nickelodeon cartoon began airing in 1999. I think I am simply not young enough - or high enough - to appreciate the humor. Rather, I had to include the song on my website because I think it's one of the classic titles of all time. I mean, what a universal sentiment! "Don't Be A Jerk (It's Christmas)" first aired in the episode It's A SpongeBob Christmas! (2008) and was first released on SpongeBob's Greatest Hits (2009). In 2012, it showed up on both It's A SpongeBob Christmas! Album and Merry Nickmas! Now, given my opinion of the song, it would seem to be ripe for interpretation. But, as of 2012, only one artist had covered it - the pop singer Amiena. Well, A-for-effort, but I find her version only slightly less annoying than Spongebob's. How some punk, metal, or rap act hasn't taken a shot at it remains a mystery - so stay tuned.
  • Don't Believe In Christmas
    • Pearl Jam (2002)
    • Sonics (1965) Top 100 Song [close]
      Merry Christmas from the Sonics, Wailers, Galaxies Almost since the dawn of recorded Christmas music, a favorite topic of songwriters has been how much Christmas sucks for them. Never mind that it's the "most wonderful time of the year" - dude, I am bummed! Here, the Sonics' ferocious lead singer, Gerry Roslie, expresses his disbelief in the "Happy Holiday" and his displeasure with Santa Claus, declaiming "I didn't get nothin' last year!" Not only did the "fat boy" not show, but Roslie got shot down at the dance - "you jerk," sneers his date, "mistletoe doesn't work!" "Don't Believe In Christmas" was featured on Merry Christmas From The Sonics, Wailers, Galaxies, a compilation of garage bands from the Pacific northwest; the LP also includes another of my Top 100 picks, the Wailer's "Christmas Spirit??" Both songs are also on Rhino's Bummed Out Christmas.
  • Don't Cry For Me This Christmas (Marcels, 1961)
  • Don't Make Her Christmas Wish Come True (Rosie Flores & Grey Delisle, 2023)
  • Don't Shoot Me Santa (Killers, 2007)
  • (Don't Wait Till) The Night Before Christmas (Eddy Duchin, 1938)
  • Dónde Está Santa Claus?
  • Donna & Blitzen (Badly Drawn Boy, 1998)
  • Dragging A Tree (Mac McCaughan, 2022)
  • Dreidels Of Fire (Adam Green, 2019)
  • Drinking Alone On Christmas
  • Driving Home For Christmas
  • Driving Under Stars (Marika Hackman, 2016)
  • Droopy Little Christmas Tree (Benny Martin, 1963)
  • Drummer Boy (Titus Andronicus, 2022)
  • Drunk On Christmas (Jimmy Fallon, 2009)
  • Dude, It's Christmas! (4lgernon, 2014)

[top of page]