Christmas is all about Music, making people come together and feeling that sense of unity and communion. History traces the tradition of singing around the Winter solstice even before Christian times, and it's known that the first Christian authorities, during the Roman period, embraced the idea. In England, Christmas carols survived the Oliver Cromwell period and flourished during the Victorian period. In the present day, the music industry took over this tradition and the 20th century saw a sharp increase of Christmas songs. Get the feeling of the season and immerse yourself with the best songs for these days!
'White Christmas'
This was written in 1942 by Irving Berlin and popularized by Bing Crosby. It's just the best-selling single of all time.
'Jingle Bell Rocks'
Released in 1957 by Bobby Helms, this one took on the classic "Jingle Bells" which came all along from the 19th century. Today, both songs are Christmas classics and some people could easily mix them up in confusion. The most famous interpretation is still the one from Bobby Helms.
'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'
Published in 1971, this music by John Lennon and Yoko Ono quickly transcended the purpose of its time, with the Vietnam War as a background. "Happy Xmas" is undoubtedly a classic among Christmas songs, and, unfortunately, is painful as the Christmas of children all around the world continues to be plagued by wars.
'Do They Know It's Christmas?'
The Band Aid is a reference of the Eighties, and Midge Ure and Bob Geldof got it really right with this one. It's a lovely song and it goes somehow out of the usual pop music trails. One could argue a single problem with it: this is a 100% Eighties song, from top to bottom,
'All I Want for Xmas Is You'
It may be a surprise the way this song stepped up to be, perhaps, the most colossal Christmas song of our time.
It's not a great anthem, and it wasn't the best top charts performer when it was released in 1994. In a recent article, Time Out rated it as the number 1 in a list of the best 50 Christmas songs. The point is that this music by Mariah Carey is energetic, positive, and you never get tired of hearing it, which is perhaps the most important test for seasonal music such as these.
Merry Christmas!
