Songs & Singles

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's Christmas (Albert Brooks, 1974) [close]
  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 (Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, 1972)
• Dance Mr. Snowman Dance (Crew Cuts, 1954)
• Dancing With Santa (Trashmen, 1964)
• 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 Santa (Bring Me A Man This Christmas) (Weather Girls, 1983)
• Dear Santa Have You Had The Measles? (Lael Calloway, 1956)
• December Mourning (Crocodile Shop, 1987)
• December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas) (George Michael, 2009)
• 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)
  • Geolyn (1997)
  • Jacob Miller And Ray I (1978)
  • REM (1988)
  • Tiny Lights (1991)
  • Jackie Wilson (1963)
• Deck Us All With Boston Charlie (Lambert Hendricks & Ross, 1961)
• Decorate The Night (Brook Benton, 1983)
• Department Store Santa (Before Xmas) (Howard Morris, 1960)
• 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)
• Disco Bells (Walter Murphy Orchestra, 1975)
• Disgrunted Christmas (Local H, 1994)
• Do They Know It's Christmas? [close]
  With "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 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 now shows up with regularity on compilations like Now That's What I Call Christmas).
  
  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 that spanned the globe.
  
  But, if more is better, then too much must be wonderful. Two different groups of 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), and 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.") Both times, the song returned to the coveted "Christmas #1" spot on the UK singles chart.
  
  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. (Copies of the original 45-rpm or cassette single can be purchased through eBay and similar sellers. According to Amazon UK, Polygram issued a CD single, but I have yet to find one.)
  
  Bob 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 includes the original 1984 studio version plus a 1985 version recorded at Live Aid.)
  • Band Aid (1984)
  • Band Aid II (1989)
  • Band Aid 20 (2004)
• Do You Believe In Santa Claus? (Billy May, circa 1958)
• Do You Hear What I Hear?
  • The Carpenters (1984)
  • Bing Crosby (1963)
  • Hangnail (2001)
  • Gladys Knight & The Pips (1974)
  • Native Tongue (1983)
• Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown? (Jackie DeShannon, 1969)
• Dominick The Donkey (Lou Monte, 1960)
• Don't Believe In Christmas
  • Pearl Jam (2002)
  • Sonics (1965)  Top 100 Song [close]
    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 Shoot Me Santa (Killers, 2007)
• (Don't Wait Till) The Night Before Christmas (Eddy Duchin, 1938)
• Donde Esta Santa Claus?
  • Guster (2003)
  • Augie Rios (1953)
  • Salas Brothers with The Jaguars (1966)
• Driving Home For Christmas
  • Chris Rea (1988)
  • Saint Etienne (1995)
• Droopy Little Christmas Tree (Benny Martin, 1963)

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