America's Least-Loved Christmas Song

From the New York Times this week:

"America’s least-loved Christmas song is a Danish recording of Jingle Bells, performed in dog barks. The song — which enjoyed brief success in the United States in 1955 and 1970 — took last place in a test of 579 Christmas recordings, performed by Edison Media Research. Edison played the songs for a national sample of 200 women aged 30 to 49, recruited via e-mail, who said that they either liked or loved Christmas music.

All five of the best-loved Christmas songs are more than four decades old. The newest recording among the top 10 is John Lennon’s 1971 song  Happy Christmas (War Is Over).

'It is certainly a place where the rules about who’s relevant are suspended for a month,' said Sean Ross, a radio analyst with Edison. 'Even the Christmas songs that we think of as contemporary, things like Wham’s Last Christmas, are 20 years old at this point.'

Elmo & Patsy’s 1984 novelty track, Grandma Got Run Over by a  Reindeer, was hated by 17 percent and loved by 47 percent. 62 percent love Nat King Cole's Christmas Song."

Okay, me here. Even though the golden age of Christmas songs was indisputably way back in the 1930s and 1940s, I am still very surprised at how few holiday tracks have gained any real traction in the modern era, say, post 1990.

It's not that any fewer songs are being released; if anything even more artists are trying to cash in on Christmas albums than ever before. I have two theories:

1) Radio is so fragmented now that since we aren't all listening to the same stations anymore there is no such thing as a newer classic that everyone knows.   

2) Radio programmers are less likely to take a chance on playing a newer Christmas song than ever before due to increased scrutiny  by shareholders who don't like to take a chance that human interference might screw up their spreadsheets. "We already know they like White Christmas so just keep playing that one!"

Perhaps Christmas Shoes by Newsong has become something of a standard since it came out in 1999 but that doesn't make it suck any less. It is truly awful, as was the Rob Lowe TV movie they made  out of the song's sappy story. Not that I saw it. I'm just sayin'.

Mary Did You Know is a brilliant song that seems to get more popular every year and is being covered by more and more artists too. Even that was written back in 1984 though (by gospel singer Mark Lowry). 

The one recent number that has all the qualities of a standard, a song they'll still be playing in 50 years on whatever replaces radio, is 1994's All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey.   

Please visit www.ChristmasMusicEveryday if just reading about the song is making you jones to to hear it right now.  It's today's  free stream.

 

Comments

[ARSENAL MF'ers!]

Well that survey shows one thing.
Women are no goddamned good.

The best x-mas album in the last 15 years: Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors-Horny Holidays
"Happy birhtday to you, you woodworking Jew..." is how it starts out.
Classic and PC!

[frank]

I'm 100% for making good Christmas readily available. Thanks baby Jesus or YES-sama as they say here in Japan, for the ability to download music online, some of it for free and most of it is perhaps illegal. I found the Jingle Bells melody is by far the most popular, the lyrics don't matter.

Most of the stuff that does not make it in the US, ends up on English textbooks in Japan. We have a ton of really bad songs on every CD, every year for every age possible.

[crissk]

You're preaching to the choir, Bean. And, btw, where did they get these 200 tasteless women for this survey, anyways?

[Diane]

For my (sentimental) money, the best "modern" Christmas song (ok, it's maybe 22 years old) is Band-Aid's "Do They Know its Christmas."

[Tiffiny Kaye Whitney]

THANK YOU! You give me solace, Bean, to know that I am not the only person in the world who thinks that "Christmas Shoes" is awful. I don't feel quite so alone now.

That survey sucks though...the dogs barking "Jingle Bells" ROCKS!!!!

You STILL need to get "Noel," or at least hear Josh Groban's version of "O Holy Night." The last part of the song is breath taking.

As for why there are no more standard tunes...because new Christmas songs just can't compete with the greatness of the old ones. A vast majority of "new" Christmas music are old songs being sung by new people. As much as it might be a good version, a lot of times...those new voices are just no freakin' match for the likes of folks like Bing Crosby. And if it's a newly-written tune...well...unfortunately, a lot of those just suck (i.e., Christmas shoes). Artists try too hard to get something touchy-feely that they fail miserably.

My Favorite Christmas Carols:

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. 12 Days of Christmas
3. 12 Pains of Christmas (highly recommended)
4. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
5. O Holy Night (Josh Groban version)

Wow...oddly enough, I seem to like the "funnier" songs than the standard Christmas songs. Kind of odd...

BTW...I know I'm the only person in the world who doesn't LOVE it...but I'm not a fan of John Lennon's "Happy Christmas." I don't mind it, but it's not my favorite.

Tiffiny

[steven]

Hey Bean, you're a woman between the ages of 30 and 49 and you love christmas music. Why weren't you contacted for this survey?
Just kidding. :)

[Vic Rattler]

The cover version of The Christmas Dogs "Jingle Bells" done by Richard Cheese is quite good.

Personal Favs:
I Won't Be Home For Xmas - Blink 182
Things I Want - Tenacious D
Christmas Time in the 909 - Greenbrier Lane

According to blog rules I can't say where to find them though...
Happy Hanukkah Bean!

[Cathy G.]

I got to agree with the survey -hate the dog barking song.

I think the worse Christmas song is "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses. I change the station when it comes on.

I think my favorite would be "O Holy Night" and I do LOVE the Mariah song...

LONG LIVE BEAN & CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!

[bigadday]

i second the great mojo nixon x-mas album...but no waitresses x-mas wrapping on the list. the list blows.

[Greg Lynch]

How about U2's "Baby, please come home" A great Christmas song by a great band?

[EditThis]

I concur with Diane. "Do They Know It's Christmas" is still one of my favorite holiday songs, though I also love Lennon's "Happy Christmas".

A bad Rob Lowe TV movie? Whaaaat?

[Joel]

Well, it's a good thing they got a representative sample of people that (like to) listen to chirstmas music. =\

as for one of my favorites, I'd have to say it's...
Coming Home for Christmas by MXPX

[Heather]

I don't know... I heard Chewbacca 'singing' a Christmas song on a local radio station and it was far worse than dogs barking Jingle Bells. And I fit into the demographic so I should know.
Here's my beef about Christmas music- which I happen to love. This year it seems, more than in years past, they seem to be bastardizing them into commercial jingles. I don't want to hear your Starbucks ad incorporated into a familiar Christmas tune. Bean, could you please work on a Strongly Worded Letter for me??

[IHeartBean]

In "Love Actually" there is a really cute version of "All I Want for Christmas is You" done at a school pagaent. Love that movie.

[peff]

I can't stand most christmas music. Yeah, I'm a scrooge, but whatever. It's all so played out and every musician out there has to make their own versions. That being said, the best christmas song is Weird Al's "Christmas at Ground Zero". "Christmas Wrapping" doesn't bother me, and I'll also listen to "Oi to the World" by the Vandals and "Father Christmas" by the Kinks. But for the most part, for me, Christmas music is unlistenable. Sorry.

[Edmund F]

My 2 cents Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds "Christmas Song" is the best modern xmas song.

[Andrew]

Personally, once December 1st comes around I avoid 'classic rock' and 'easy listening' radio stations for this main reason. But contrary to one of your main points, I think there is one christmas classic that cannot be ignored The Kinks - Father Christmas.

Its a quintessential f*** you to christmas, and who doesnt love giving the finger to Santa?

[jere]

I like Ricky Martin's "Ay, Ay, Ay, It's Christmas." It is a fun relatively contemporary xmas song. "Donde Esta Santa Claus?" is really good too, but I think a little older.

[J03m]

You have way too much time.

[AndySocial]

Thanks for the Christmas Music blog - that freakin' rocks.