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The Strange Holiday Mix – 2019

December 1, 2019

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As is usual by this time of the year, I’m pretty sick of the holiday soundtrack playing in most public spaces. So I dig into the archives looking for a mix of seasonal music that I can stand to hear for the next three weeks. It always helps if the tracks are new, or a least new to me.

I hope this list might help you find something unique to put in your ear during the season as well. Everything is available on Apple Music so I assume you can find them in your favorite streaming service or store. Enjoy, and be nice to the people in your life.

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The Strange Holiday Mix – 2018

December 9, 2018

Bend in the River

Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri has posted her insightful and very funny list/ranking of 100 Christmas songs. With two exceptions (71 and 2), none of her choices are in my collection, to which these fine musical works are being added this year.

All of them should available in your favorite digital store or streaming service. So listen and enjoy.

  1. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) – Ramones
  2. The Big Opening (Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch) – Danny Elfman
  3. Monster’s Holiday – Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers
  4. I’m Not Ready for Christmas – Alicia Witt
  5. Deck the Halls – Walk Off the Earth
  6. Come On Santa – The Raveonettes
  7. Fall in Love This Christmas – Dia Frampton
  8. Mele Kalikimaka – The Monkees
  9. A Marshmallow World – Walk Off the Earth
  10. Holiday – Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, James Corden, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Kunal Nayyar, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & The Bergens
  11. Christmas Is You – Swear And Shake
  12. Santa’s Messin’ with the Kid – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  13. The Nice List – Dia Frampton
  14. Christmas Tree – Zac Brown Band (feat. Sara Bareilles)
  15. 2000 Miles – The Pretenders
  16. Making Christmas – The Citizens of Halloween & Danny Elfman
  17. Auld Lang Syne – The Cast

Photo is of Georgetown as seen from Kennedy Center on the foggy Christmas eve of 2014, and posted to my Flickr account. I have great hopes for Flickr under it’s new, non-corporate owners in the new year.

The Strange Holiday Mix, 2017

December 3, 2017

This is my idea of an annual tradition: a collection of the holiday-related songs I can stand to have on heavy rotation over the next month or so. As opposed to the traditional playlist of earworms that even the programmers at Muzak must be embarrassed to let loose on the world.

But regardless of your musical tastes, and whatever you are celebrating this time of year, enjoy!

  1. Strangest Christmas Yet – Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
  2. Christmas Coming Home (feat. Lennon & Maisy) – Nashville Cast
  3. To Christmas! (The Drinking Song) – Straight No Chaser
  4. Christmas Is the Time – Katharine McPhee
  5. Naughty Naughty Children (Better Start Actin’ Nice) – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
  6. Santa Claus Is Comin’ (In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train) – The Tractors
  7. Warmer in the Winter (feat. Trombone Shorty) – Lindsey Stirling
  8. Santa Stole Thanksgiving – Jimmy Buffett
  9. Feels Like Christmas (feat. Jana Kramer) – Straight No Chaser
  10. Santa Claus, Santa Claus – Dennis Turner
  11. California Christmastime – Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, and the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast (the video)
  12. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ – Bill Kirchen & Austin de Lone
  13. They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore – Great Lake Swimmers
  14. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) – Davina & The Vagabonds
  15. Santa, My First Love – Swear And Shake
  16. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Lindsey Stirling
  17. Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy – The Tractors
  18. Baby Don’t Leave Me (All Alone on Christmas) – Echosmith
  19. Schedryk – Pink Martini
  20. The Way-Too-Early Christmas Song – Paul and Storm

The Strange Holiday Mix 2016 – Best of Edition

December 1, 2016

I’ve been posting this list for more than 10 years, but this year we seem to have a major shortage of original, interesting, and/or weird holiday songs. Even The Killers, instead of a new, oddball holiday song, dropped a compilation of their past Christmas singles (adding one cover of a holiday classic).

So in that spirit, here is a short list of the best holiday-themed stuff in my music collection, now in heavy rotation for the season. Enjoy.

  1. Christmas is Interesting – Jonathan Coulton
  2. Elf’s Lament – Barenaked Ladies (With Michael Buble)
  3. Christmas in L.A. – The Killers
  4. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft
  5. I Want an Alien for Christmas – Fountains of Wayne
  6. Merry Christmas from the Family – Robert Keen Earl
  7. Can I Interest You In Hannukah? – Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart1
  8. Father Christmas – The Kinks
  9. Ain’t No Chimneys In the Projects – Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings2
  10. Yuleman Vs. The Anti-Claus – The Bobs
  11. Snow Globe Christmas – Pink Martini
  12. The Christians and The Pagans – Dar Williams
  13. The Cowboys’ Christmas Ball – The Killers
  14. Come Darkness, Come Light – Mary Chapin Carpenter
  15. Alternate Christmas In Heaven Song – Monty Python
  16. Light One Candle – Peter, Paul & Mary
  17. Fifty Kilowatt Tree – The Bobs
  18. A Great Big Sled – The Killers
  19. Oklahoma Christmas – Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison
  20. Another Christmas Song – Stephen Colbert
  21. The Man in the Santa Suit – Fountains of Wayne
  22. Getting Ready For Christmas Day – Paul Simon
  23. Fruitcake – The Superions

And not really a holiday song, but still one that seems appropriate for some this time of year:

Atheists Don’t Have No Songs – Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers

The Strange Holiday Mix, 2015

December 3, 2015

The annual list of holiday songs now in heavy rotation on my phone. Lots of odd, fun stuff, with some sorta traditional music mixed in. Think of it as my own personal war on Christmas. :-)

1. Winter Wonderland / Don’t Worry Be Happy – Pentatonix (feat. Tori Kelly)
2. I Feel It In My Bones – The Killers (feat. Ryan Pardey)
3. Christmas In Heaven – Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
4. Blue Christmas – Michael Bublé
5. Christmas Wish – She & Him
6. Everyday Is Christmas – Straight No Chaser (feat. Colbie Caillat)
7. (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag – Seth MacFarlane
8. The Santa Claus Boogie – The Tractors
9. Santa, Teach Me to Dance – Debbie & The Darnels
10. Yabba-Dabba Yuletide – The Brian Setzer Orchestra
11. More Than I Wished For – Schuyler Fisk
12. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – She & Him
13. Let’s Ditch Christmas – Jeremy Messersmith
14. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
15. The Christmas Song – The Raveonettes
16. Dirt Sledding – The Killers (feat. Ryan Pardey & Richard Dreyfuss)
17. Christmas At Ground Zero – Weird Al Yankovic
18. Christmas Blues – Canned Heat

Whatever you are celebrating this time of year, enjoy.

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