The following is a partial list of well-known Christmas songs that have been performed and recorded by countless artists:
"2000 Miles" - recorded by The Pretenders.
"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth - written by Donald Yetter Gardner and first introduced by Spike Jones in 1948.
"Angels We Have Heard on High" - based on a French tune, Les anges dans nos campagnes. In Britain the words of Angels from the Realms of Glory are sung to the same tune, except with the Gloria in excelsis Deo refrain.
"Ave Maria" - heard in two versions, one by Franz Schubert and another by Charles Gounod, set to a prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.
"Away In A Manger" - heard in two tunes, in America to a tune by James R. Murray, in England to the Cradle-Song by William J. Kirkpatrick.
"Blue Christmas" - introduced by Ernest Tubb (1949), famously recorded by Elvis Presley. Well-known 1993 version by Wynonna Judd.
"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" - famous versions by Amy Grant, Jessica Simpson, Vince Gill, and Donna Summer.
"Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" - traditional French carol.
"Carol of the Bells" - Ukrainian-American carol by Mykola Leontovych and Peter Wilhousky, sung by many choruses, but notably the Robert Shaw Chorale. Recent versions include popular rock renditions by David Foster, Gary Hoey, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
"Carol of the Birds" - most famously recorded by Mannheim Steamroller.
"Caroling, Caroling" - a carol written by Alfred Burt and popularized by Nat King Cole.
"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" - traditional. Well-known version by Natalie Merchant.
"Christmas Is Coming" - adapted from a traditional nursery rhyme.
"Christmas Island" - Andrews Sisters, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Jimmy Buffett.
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" - cowritten and recorded by Mel Tormé. Most famous version by Nat King Cole (1946). Best-selling recent versions include Natalie Cole (Nat's daughter), Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and The Carpenters.
"The Christmas Waltz" - originally recorded and popularised by Frank Sinatra.
"Coventry Carol" - traditional.
"Deck the Halls" - traditional. First famous arrangement and recording by the Robert Shaw Chorale. Also featured in a lively arrangement by John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers.
"Ding Dong Merrily on High" - Jehan Tabourot. Words by George Ratcliffe Woodward set to the Branle de l'officiale from the Orchesogrophie. Recent hit version by Celtic Woman (2006). Popularised by the King's College Choir.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" - Originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale and later re-recorded by Bing Crosby in 1963. Recent hit renditions by Linda Eder, Martina McBride, and Destiny's Child.
"The First Nowell" (sometimes spelt Noël) - English traditional. A reharmonisation by Sir David Willcocks is included in the Carols for Choirs books.
"Frosty the Snowman" - written by Steve "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson 1950. Originally recorded in 1950 by Gene Autry but later recorded famously by Jimmy Durante, who sang it for the TV special of the same name.
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (also spelt "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen") - English traditional. Best known as the carol that angered Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. A reharmonised choral arrangement by Sir David Willcocks is included in Carols for Choirs.
"Go Tell It on the Mountain" - traditional black spiritual. Recent well-known renditions include Vanessa Williams and the Cambridge Singers.
"Good Christian Men, Rejoice" - traditional. Words by John Mason Neale set to the tune of In Dulci Jubilo.
"Good King Wenceslas" - traditional. Words by John Mason Neale set to a tune from Piae Cantiones.
"Grown-Up Christmas List" by David Foster and Linda Thompson. One of the most recent classics, with original version by Natalie Cole, and other famous renditions by Amy Grant, Barbra Streisand, and Michael Buble.
"Handel's Messiah" - highlights often recorded on choral Christmas albums.
"Happy Holiday" - first performed by Bing Crosby in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn. Famous versions also include Perry Como. Not to be confused with more traditional-sounding British "(Have a) Happy Holiday", most recently recorded by Billy Idol (2006).
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - written by Charles Wesley in 1739; set to a tune by Felix Mendelssohn, performed by many artists, including Stephen Cleobury and the King's College Choir, Mariah Carey (1994) and Bradley Joseph (2000); also appears in A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life. Recessional hymn at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols sung by the King's College Choir, with a descant in the last verse.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - introduced by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me In St. Louis (1944); covered by many others.
"Here Comes Santa Claus" - written and most famously recorded by Gene Autry.
"The Holly and the Ivy" - traditional.
"A Holly Jolly Christmas" - famously sung by Burl Ives in the TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964).
"Home for the Holidays" - popularized by Perry Como (1954).
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" - adapted from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, heard in two settings, one by Johnny Marks, composer of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and another by John Baptiste Calkin.
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - written by Thomas Connor and first introduced by Jimmy Boyd in 1952
"I Saw Three Ships" - traditional. Modern hit versions by Sting, Beach Boys. In 1961 Sir David Willcocks wrote a popular choral arrangement for the series of Carols for Choirs books.
"I Wonder As I Wander" - traditional Appalachian folk carol, but also heard in a modern setting by Carl Rutti.
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" - one of the most recorded in recent years.
"In the Bleak Midwinter" - Gustav Holst. Also often heard in a setting by Harold Darke, as popularised by the King's College Choir on their broadcasts of Nine Lessons and Carols. Latest hit version of the Gustav Holst setting by James Taylor (2006).
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" - Sung to two tunes, in America to a tune by Richard Storrs Willis, in England to a tune by Sir Arthur Sullivan. The Willis tune was covered by many recently, from Hall & Oates (1984) and Leontyne Price to Sixpence None the Richer (2005).
"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" - by Meredith Willson. First recorded by Perry Como (1951), but also by Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby.
"It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" – introduced by Andy Williams (1963)
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" - a classical favorite, with famous variations including Dame Myra Hess, George Winston (instrumental) and Josh Groban (2005) (vocal).
"Jingle Bells" - Composed by James Pierpont (1857), originally as a Thanksgiving song; Covered by everyone from the Bach Choir and Dean Martin to Kimberley Locke (2006), not to mention Jingle Cats, Jingle Dogs, and Jingle Frogs. Most successful cover by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.
"Jingle Bell Rock" - originally released by Bobby Helms in (1957). Popular covers include Hall & Oates and Brenda Lee.
"Joy to the World" - hymn by Lowell Mason, one of the best known of all. John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers have recorded this hymn in an arrangement reminiscent of Handel.
"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" - Vaughn Monroe (1945), Dean Martin (1966).
"The Little Drummer Boy" - Also known as "Carol of the Drum". Famous versions include the Vienna Boys Choir from the same-named Rankin/Bass TV special, and the 1958 version by the Harry Simeone Chorale.
"Little Saint Nick" - first recorded by The Beach Boys (1963).
"Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" - traditional.
"Mary, Did You Know ?" - Famous versions include Kenny Rogers w/Wynonna Judd and Natalie Cole.
"Mary's Boy Child" - best-known versions by Harry Belafonte, Boney M, and Tom Jones.
"Mele Kalikimaka" - (title: 'Merry Christmas' in Hawaiian) Famous versions by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Jimmy Buffett, The Blue Hawaiians, and Bette Midler.
"Merry Christmas Baby" - blues song famously introduced by Charles Brown in 1947.
"Merry Christmas Darling" - first recorded by The Carpenters (1970).
"Miracles" by Kenny G. Instrumental has become a perennial favorite, performed the world over. Written for what was to become THE all-time best-selling Christmas album, "Miracles: The Holiday Album" (1995).
"The Nutcracker Suite" - the most famous ballet music associated with Christmas.
"O Come All Ye Faithful" - John Francis Wade. Sir David Willcocks wrote a descant for the third verse and rearranged the harmony of the last verse, and published this arrangement in the Carols for Choirs series. This is the second-last hymn that King's College Choir sings at the Nine Lessons and Carols.
"O Holy Night" - Adolphe Adam, composer of the ballet Giselle. Famous versions include Michael Crawford and John Rutter and the Cambridge Singers. One of the most recorded of all Christmas songs.
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Sung to two tunes, in America one by Lewis Redner and in England to an English folk tune known as The Ploughboy's Dream. Famous renditions include Dolly Parton (Redner version) and the King's College Choir (English folk tune version).
"O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)"
"Once in Royal David's City" - words by Cecil Francis Alexander, music by Henry John Gauntlett. Famous as the opening boy soprano solo of the first verse, as sung at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in King's College, Cambridge.
"Patapan" - traditional French folk song, reintroduced to a new generation with a music video by Mannheim Steamroller in 1995.
"Please Come Home for Christmas" - Originally made famous by Charles Brown in 1961. Recent best-sellering versions by the Eagles, Willie Nelson, and Jon Bon Jovi.
"River" by Joni Mitchell has become a standard, with many recent versions catching on (including those by Linda Ronstadt, Barry Manilow, Sarah MacLachlan, and Travis) .
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - best-known version is by Brenda Lee (1958). This song was also covered by Amy Grant and LeAnn Rimes.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" - first famous version was by Gene Autry (1949) .
"Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt, in 1953 and various other artists including a famous charity single version by Madonna.
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" - Perry Como, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Later famous versions by Jackson 5 (1970), Bruce Springsteen.
"Silent Night" - Austrian Carol written by Josef Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber for their church in Oberndorf. Best known in the English translation by John Freeman Young. Perhaps the best-known and most popular of all.
"Silver and Gold" - original by Burl Ives from Rankin/Bass' TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964).
"Silver Bells" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Originally written for the 1951 Bob Hope film The Lemon Drop Kid. Famous versions by Perry Como, Bing Crosby.
"Sleigh Ride" - composed and recorded originally by Leroy Anderson (1948). Famous vocal versions by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Amy Grant and Johnny Mathis w/ Percy Faith & His Orchestra (1958). Famous instrumental version by Arthur Fiedler w/ Boston Pops.
"Snow Miser/Heat Miser" - written for the Rankin/Bass TV special "The Year Without A Santa Claus." Several recent hit versions, including Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (2005). Also in the 2006 live action film version, sung by Michael McKean and Harvey Fierstein.
"Sweet Little Jesus Boy" - traditional. Famous version by Natalie Cole and Leontyne Price.
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" - traditional.
"Up On the House Top" - written by Benjamin Hanby. Popularized by Gene Autry (1953) and most recently covered by Kimberley Locke (2005).
"Veni Veni (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)" - famous versions include Mannheim Steamroller.
"We Need a Little Christmas" - originally written for the Broadway show Mame, sung by Angela Lansbury. Repeated in the Mame movie with Lucille Ball and in many recordings since.
"We Three Kings" - American carol by Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Jr. (1863).
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" - traditional.
"What Child Is This?" - words by William Chatterton Dix sung to the traditional melody of "Greensleeves".
"White Christmas" by Irving Berlin. First performed by Bing Crosby in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. He rerecorded it for that film's remake, named after this song. Crosby's version became THE best-selling Christmas single of all time.
"Winter Wonderland" - Perry Como (1946), The Andrews Sisters (1946), Johnny Mathis (1958), Tony Bennett (1968).
"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" - first appeared in the 1967 animated TV special "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". The original is by Thurl Ravenscroft, and cover versions include Amiee Mann's in 2006.
2007-08-11 17:06:17
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answer #4
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answered by Nally25 3
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