Monday, December 24, 2012

Last Christmas – Taylor Swift


You may do a double take before remembering that this was a Wham! song.  Because Taylor Swift makes this song her own.  It has the main ingredient of any good Swift song: that wide-eyed young love and heartache.  With some country pop replacing the synthesizer-laden original, it could easily pass for an original from Taylor.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid


The lyrics may sometimes be absurd, but the spirit rings true.  We have to “Feed The World,” and who better to remind us then a bunch of recording artists from the UK?

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby And David Bowie

There is a passing of the torch here.  Bing Crosby hands the keys of the city to a new generation, and trusts David Bowie as its ambassador.  And he doesn’t let down, as the two croon together, an old Christmas chestnut roasting next to a modern classic

Friday, December 21, 2012

Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney


No Christmas is complete without Paul’s lovely new wave gem.  There is such a timeless quality to it.  The blurping synths can’t even date it.  It’s just the rosy cheeked innocence of the holiday season, summed up on a 7 inch platter.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Winter – The Rolling Stones


Mick’s had a long and lonely winter.  There’s no home for the holidays here.  The Stones life on the road has kept them from the places they want to be, and this track beautifully captures that feeling.  You can feel the chill up your spine as the strings kick in.  And if Jagger’s vocals and Mick Taylor’s guitar don’t get a few tears from you, your heart might well have frozen over already.