This morning, I conducted a poll and the results are unanimous. I now have a solid list of the top 10 Christmas songs of all time. In the interest of full disclosure, the poll consisted of a sampling of one (me), which made getting that unanimity a slam dunk.
Before we get to the list, here’s the criteria. The song must be about Christmas but does not necessarily need to mention Christmas in the title or the song, and it must be a song with both lyrics and music. While Christmas carols are eligible, these rankings are not limited to carols.
So, here they are, the top 10 Christmas songs of all time, and my case for each.
“White Christmas,” as sung by Bing Crosby, is Number One.
Written by Irving Berlin in January 1940, with the thunder of war in Europe escalating and the prospects for America entering the fray increasing, this song captured the sentimental feeling Americans had for Christmas, for home, for their loved ones, and for the fleeting nature of life. Bing Crosby first sang it on the radio on Christmas Eve 1941, 17 days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The words and music are timeless. And while many have recorded this song over the years, none have matched Bing Crosby’s original vocal. Certainly, this is due to his talent, but maybe it also has something to do with the fact that Crosby felt this song in its time, the way it was written, because he was a man of the same time period.
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” as sung by Nat King Cole is Number Two.
Cole had one of the best male voices of all time, and it was perfect for the song. It’s impossible to listen to this song and not feel the warmth of a fireplace nearby. Mel Torme and Bob Wells co-wrote this song, as legend has it, on a hot July day. They were trying to get their minds off the oppressive heat, so they decided to think about winter. Torme sang a solid version of his creation, but nothing compares to what Nat King Cole was able to do with it. It’s one of the few Christmas songs you can listen to over and over, and still not get tired of it.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as sung by Frank Sinatra, is Number Three.
Sinatra, like Crosby, had a whole body of work devoted to Christmas music, but for some reason, this number is set apart. Maybe it’s because it actually sounds like something Sinatra would say. It’s written the way he spoke, and delivered as only Sinatra could tell a story through song. The song was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane for the 1944 motion picture “Meet Me in St. Louis,” which starred Judy Garland. She actually is credited for pushing to change the original lyrics, which were somewhat fatalist, into the version we know today as somewhat more hopeful.
“Run Rudolph Run,” as sung by Chuck Berry, is Number Four.
Berry is a rock-and-roll legend who co-wrote this song with Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. He released it as a single in 1958, and it was an instant classic. It feature’s Berry’s signature guitar riffs, his distinctive vocal, and it was one of the first to really give holiday music a beat. Marks owned the rights to the Rudolph character and had already written the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” While Berry essentially wrote all of the music and most of the lyrics, he had to credit Marks as a co-writer for legal reasons. Regardless, once this song comes on, your Christmas party will kick into high gear.
Chuck Berry '58. 🎶'Run Rudolph Run' pic.twitter.com/Ts9hugsopD
— bluesharp (@bluezharp) December 26, 2023
“Christmas Time is Here,” as sung by the cast of A Charlie Brown Christmas, is Number Five.
Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson wrote this song in 1965 for the release of the TV Christmas special called A Charlie Brown Christmas. Guaraldi had composed a simple, soft piano instrumental to run underneath the skating scene at the beginning. Legend has it that the producers liked it to the point that they demanded lyrics. Mendelson, one of the producers, is reported to have said, “We needed lyrics, and we needed them fast.”
So, he wrote the lyrics himself in about ten minutes on the back of an envelope. His words? “Christmas time is here…Happiness and cheer…”
My case for selecting this one is not because the song is so complicated or the lyrics so deep. Clearly, it's a simple tune with simple lyrics. That's the reason. It’s the simplicity of the song, but most importantly, how it captures the feeling of the season like few other Christmas songs.
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” as sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, is Number Six.
A year after that Charlie Brown special on CBS, Dr. Seuss got in on the TV special act. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was born in 1966. While the narrator and the voice of the lead character was provided by Boris Karloff, the special’s signature song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft. The song was written by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and Albert Hague. I like the song for its sound, the vocal, the cleverness of the writing, and how it has appeal across generations. Last Christmas, I watched a busy one-year-old stop in his tracks just to listen to this song when it came on. How many songs have that kind of power?
“Somewhere in My Memory,” as composed by John Williams, is Number Seven.
No specific artist or group is credited for the vocals, since this was a number created by John Williams for a movie. He created it to be the signature theme for “Home Alone” in 1990. Williams wrote the music. Leslie Bricusse wrote the lyrics.
Williams said he wanted to capture a sense of wonder, innocence, longing, and warm memories of Christmas’s past. To achieve this, in addition to his score, he wanted to feature a children’s choir and smooth harmonies. Bricusse’s words are not intended to tell a story, but rather to capture a feeling, not unlike that Charlie Brown song. Its goal is to evoke memories in the mind of the listener. I must confess, it does that to me every time. The cool thing is that every time I listen, it conjures up a different memory.
“Merry Christmas, Darling,” as sung by The Carpenters, is Number Eight.
Richard Carpenter and Frank Pooler wrote this song in 1970, and there is a clear ‘70s influence on the lyrics, which I do not love. But I always like to listen to this song, if for any other reason than it’s probably Karen Carpenter’s most notable contribution to America’s Christmas songbook. She had one of the purest and clearest female voices you’ll ever hear. The only other female singer I can compare Carpenter’s strength to is Ella Fitzgerald’s. While they were two different voices, from different eras in different genres, when their voices came on the radio, you knew exactly who you were hearing within nine-tenths of a second, and you knew it would be good. If you’re not familiar with this one, make sure to play it while you decorate your tree this year, and let me know what you think.
🎄🧸⁀⋱‿☆ 🍒🔔🍒⁀⋱‿🧸 🎋🎍
— ❥💃❤️🐕❥ (@Mily116) December 8, 2022
Absolutely beautiful!! Karen Carpenter 💫✨
No one can sing like Karen! Her voice was Magical!
"Merry Christmas Darling"pic.twitter.com/BZUk2R1uWD
“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” as sung by Michael Bublé, is Number Nine.
This song was sung by many before Bublé took it on, but once you’ve heard his version, it’s hard to find another one that comes up to it. Merridith Willson wrote this one in 1951. It’s perhaps Buble’s best-known Christmas song and one of the most listened-to Christmas songs in the world right now. Deservedly so. Perry Como made it famous, and I’ve always liked his version best, until I heard Bublé sing it.
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” as sung by Bruce Springsteen, is Number Ten.
And not without some trepidation. To be honest, I have trouble listening to any Springsteen music these days. His politics and wokeness color this. Given that celebrities hardly ever live up to their public personas, I recognize it’s possible he has always been “that guy,” but I preferred it when I didn’t know that. I liked some of his music, and this was always one of my favorite Christmas songs. So, for old time’s sake and in the Christmas spirit, I’m not going to keep this one off the list purely for my own political reasons.
Bruce Springsteen performing the classic "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in 2007. pic.twitter.com/TGAJDvvbL4
— 🎸 Rock History 🎸 (@historyrock_) December 19, 2024
The song was written in 1934 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie. It was intended to simply be a children’s song, but once Springsteen got hold of it, it became something more. Maybe part of its appeal was that those of my generation grew up on the song, and now, thanks to Springsteen, we were hearing it in the way we liked our music as young adults. It rocked, it featured the E-Street band’s saxophonist Clarence Clemons in a way that fused rock and Christmas. He played the sax, he provided Santa Claus’s “Ho, Ho, Ho,” and those sleigh bells. I think what made it was that it was a live track and wasn’t recorded in the studio, so every time you listen to it, you feel like you’re a part of a Christmas happening.
I know what Springsteen is like today with his wokeism, but I’m willing to suspend my thoughts of all that when this song comes on. What about you?
What are your top ten Christmas songs? Am I missing any?
