Christmas

 Over the last week I’ve really enjoyed our top 10 Instagram posts highlighting songs from decades spanning from the 1940s to the 2020s. It was neat to see how familiar songs from the 1940s felt and it was great to explore some songs that were new since the 2020.

The 1940s felt the most like Christmas to us. Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and I’ll be Home for Christmas are all mainline Christmas songs that will never get old. Add to that The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) by Nat “King” Cole, Gene Autry’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Silent Night and the 1940s had some of the best Christmas music of any decade.

Rock and Roll took over Christmas in the 1950s with Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee, Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms and Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry. In the 1960s songs like Frosty the Snowman by Ella Fitzgerald, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams and Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Jonny Mathis bought a traditional sound back to Christmas music. Dean Martin would add A Marshmellow World and Thurl Ravenscroft’s You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch took its post.

The 1970s brought the most unique sound to Christmas music of any decade we highlighted last week. The Jackson 5’s Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Silent Night by The Temptations and Step into Christmas reverberate with the sound of the 70s. The 70s unique sound was followed by the 1980s, the decade of decadence. Last Christmas by Wham! played for the first time. Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas took the baton from John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War is Over) for the social conscience song of the decade. The first rap Christmas song to make it big would hit with Run-DMC’s Christmas in Hollis.

In the 1990s the Christmas song of all Christmas songs ever would take over with All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. This song has transcended music, the 1990s and Christmas. Mariah Carey was in Fortnite last year and she is thawed out annually online every year after thanksgiving to bring All I Want for Christmas Is You. This song is huge, my children’s children will be singing this.

In the 2000s a year after we all somehow survived Y2K Faith Hill’s Where are You Christmas was the hit track from Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This movie still scares my youngest daughter. Polar Express, a movie known for being a textbook example of The Uncanny Valley, produced Believe by Josh Groban. If you think the Polar Express looks Uncanny check out Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within that came out three years earlier.

In 2010 some new songs like Taylor Swift’s Christmas Tree Farm, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s You Make it Feel Like Christmas and Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath the Tree entered the chat. In the 50% of the 2020s that we’ve experienced, I’ve enjoyed discovering Camila Cabello’s rendition of I’ll be Home For Christmas and One More Sleep by Leona Lewis.

There is lots more Christmas music to highlight this month and we only get to listen to it for a short time every year. We hope that everyone enjoys Christmas and the music of the season. From our family at Utah Valley DJs to yours Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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