Well it's that time of year when the air waves and shops are filled with saccharine christmas music, so which ones do you like or think should be banned from ever being played again?
I used to bus tables at an airport cafeteria. That was thirty-some years ago, but I never need to hear "The Little Drummer Boy" again for the rest of my life. On other hand, I still like "Silent Night" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
WORST: Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney. Makes me stabby. BEST: O Holy Night by either Celine Dion or Josh Groban. Both are amazing.
FYI: This is coming from someone Jewish, so take my opinions with a grain of salt WORST: "The Christmas Shoes" NewSong (Runner up, "Do They Know it's Christmas") BEST: "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," by Bruce Springsteen (Runner up, "All I Want for Christmas," by Olivia Olson from the movie Love Actually)
Favorite: Winter Wonderland by The Eurythmics. Best: White Wine in the Sun by Tim Minchin. Worst: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) by Alvin and The Chipmunks . I'm fairly certain they use this monstrosity to torture prisoners.
Definitely the worst is The Christmas Shoes. Best: Carol of the Bells (except for the Manheim Steamroller version, just never cut it for me)
Worst: That damn Paul McCartney shit (@bluedana - it makes me stabby too ) Almost worst: Bob & Doug McKenzie version of 'Twelve Days of Christmas' Best: Mannheim Steamroller - Deck the Halls [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKotZyHT8E[/yt] Almost best: Cocteau Twins - Frosty the Snowman [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e874vKfYfuU[/yt]
I used to have a job where I was in retail stores all day and around Christmas time it became torture. Now, I'm an atheist, but in my opinion, religious Christmas songs sound a lot better than the schmaltzy secular ones. But political correctness and all, so I was treated to four progressively shriller versions of Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Let It Snow, Christmas special theme songs, and ten Michael Buble songs on a loop for seven hours. I don't mind religion, but I'm deeply offended by schmaltz. Songs I am a fan of, Silent Night, most of Weird Al's Christmas songs, O Holy Night, O Come All Ye Faithful.
Every time I hear "Let It Snow" I reply, "...unless you have to DRIVE in this shit, in which case I hope it never snows again for at least a hundred years".
Best: Pogues, Fairytale of New York [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8[/yt] Worst: Anything by Manheim Steamroller. That stuff greats on me.
Favorite: Let it be Christmas by Alan Jackson, Brand New Year by SheDaisy (that whole album is great, like also Deck the Halls), and Go Tell It on the Mountain by Little Big Town. Least favorite: Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney and War is Over by John Lennon and all its incarnations.
I'm not familiar with "The Christmas Shoes". "Wonderful Christmas Time" is okay, but I can see the point. Streisand's version of "Jingle Bells" grates on me. Love "Jingle Bell Rock "and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree".
All time fav: Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You This year's fav: [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjdfjrtf1Q[/yt] I don't have a worst song because I simply don't remember songs that I hate.
Most despised: Last Christmas by Wham. If I believed in hell, that would be on a loop there Favorite: Have Yourself A Merry little Christmas. Depending on the artist, Sinatra, Torme, Garland, I can still get a little choked up hearing it after all these years
I hear you, I work in retail and I know that feeling all too well. After hearing them for the hundrenth time in a week all you want is for it be over and not have to listen to them ever again.
I have also worked in retail, years ago... They could all fall off a cliff and I'd be OK with that. Fave- A Spaceman Came Travelling, and Fairytale Of New York Most hated- Merry Christmas Everybody, and fucking Band Aid's Do they Know It's Christmas (cos after 30 years and four reduxes, yes everyfuckingbody knows), who just need to at least do a new fucking song. (Seriously, this year's is for Ebola relief, but the chorus is still "feed the world"? Shouldn't it be fucking "cure the world" or something? Since it's about a disease rather than famine?)
Of course, I do have a favourite Band Aid related story - which may apocryphal, but I can believe it. Basically, at a gig in Glasgow soon after the original, Bono stopped playing, and started a slow handclap, 2-3 seconds apart. After a couple of minutes, during which the audience grew restless, he called out "every time I clap my hands, a child dies in Africa." At which point a voice from the crowd called back "Then stoap fuckin' daein' it, ya evil cunt!"