Ever since I got an iPhone several months ago, I quit taking my iPod to college with me. My iPod's battery life had been getting short - the only time I could use it was when it was plugged into my laptop. When I returned home for Thanksgiving break, it was different. My iPod took about an hour of being plugged into the wall outlet to wake up. It wouldn't charge in my laptop anymore. It had been dying for the past several years, but now, we're at a point where it depends on being plugged into the wall.
I got my 5th generation iPod in 2004 for my birthday or Christmas. I didn't use it for a while, because I had no interest in buying music with money I didn't have. This was the case until I got iTunes gift cards and saw that Alter Bridge's second album, Blackbird, was to be released in late 2007. I wanted to give it a try, and almost three years after getting it, I used my iPod for the first time.
Since then, my iPod has not only played the music I bought, but also got me interested in different genres of music besides Christian radio music and the old - and great - stuff my mother played in the car. I can credit any music knowledge I have to two sources: my years of playing the piano and the exploration of other types of music I did as a result of checking out artists similar to my existing favorites. Some of their songs joined my iPod in later years. Others didn't - I liked them, but I wasn't willing to pay for them.
Now, with my iPhone doubling as a music player and several Spotify playlists having been made, my iPod is not only on life support but also obsolete. But, in a corny and weird tribute, I decided to give my iPod a full charge and make a playlist for it - 10 songs that will be the last 10 my iPod plays (unless I decide to do this again sometime down the road).
First, a few songs that barely missed the cut:
- "My Last Breath", "My Immortal", "Imaginary", "Tourniquet" by Evanescence.
- "Crashed", "It's Not Over", "All These Lives" by Daughtry.
- "Franklin", "My Heart" by Paramore.
I loved their first albums: Fallen, Daughtry, and All We Know Is Falling, respectively. Another thing they have in common for me is that I found their next albums disappointing (Riot! was alright). I'm not sure what it is - maybe I didn't like how the lyrics seemed toned down in their second albums. I got back on the Paramore bandwagon - I loved Brand New Eyes, and Hayley Williams is the best female vocalist in mainstream music. That's right, I said it. I've more or less moved on from the other two bands. Still, their debut albums served as a gateway to much more.
- "Ocean Avenue", Yellowcard. I also loved the album Ocean Avenue, while not liking some of their subsequent releases nearly as much. The title track gets its own shoutout because 1) I can tell you the lyrics for only this song out of the album and 2) I totally should've played this song during my last night in San Diego and didn't, and this is one of my biggest regrets from project.
- Anything by Meredith Andrews. I own Alter Bridge's entire discography. I can say something similar for Meredith Andrews, my favorite Christian music artist by far. Pensive worship lyrics. Beautiful voice. I own all the albums she's released on iTunes. The reason I left her off The Last 10 is because I didn't know which one of her songs to pick.
- "My Own Prison", Creed. Praying for you, Scott Stapp. You introduced me to the post-grunge genre with Creed. Have faith in God and get your life back together, buddy.
- "Somebody", Bridgit Mendler. I don't think Disney Channel pop is all terrible. Miley Cyrus had some okay stuff while with Hannah Montana, and Sabrina Carpenter from Girl Meets World is batting .250 with me right now. That isn't awful for the overproduced, lyrically bankrupt music that Disney pop sometimes is, and I look forward to giving Sabrina's album a run on Spotify. Anyway, this song was from a DCOM, and while it's very simple musically, the lyrics made me love it. Add that to Bridgit's strong and unique voice, and it led me to check out her debut album... which I didn't like. The diversity of styles was very impressive, but the lyrics and topics covered couldn't have been more one-dimensional. I'm babbling. I'll still give her next album a try.
On to the Last 10, in order...
1. "Undeniable", Mat Kearney. Spoken word from a man who has made it work in several of his songs. This song introduced Mat Kearney to many of his current fans, including myself. There isn't really an artist I know of who's like him, so he isn't a gateway, but songs like this made me want to continue listening to his stuff. He's one of my most played artists on Spotify.
2. "Down To My Last", Alter Bridge. This is my favorite band, by far. Their music has progressed so much since their debut album, which included this song. While these guys have gone from a post-grunge band to instrumental geniuses, this song has a simplicity that I can always go back to when I want to hear some of their happier, more optimistic stuff compared to the heavier material they've released as of late. This may be my favorite song by them that nobody has heard, as well as one of the first songs to join my iPod.
3. "Rush", Aly & AJ. The only Disney artists to crack the playlist! The Michalka sisters' debut album, Into The Rush, was my guilty pleasure for a while. The lyrics in some songs are striking, not completely about boys like Bridgit Mendler's album, and they don't overdo the instruments and production while finishing with two decent covers of well-known songs. I'm not ashamed to admit that it's one of my favorite albums. It helped me give Disney pop a chance. Unfortunately, I didn't like their next album, Insomniatic. Their music - and the girls themselves - changed so much. They went from songs like "No One" to "Like Whoa". It makes me sad thinking about it. It also makes me appreciate this song and album that much more.
4. "I'm Alive", Celine Dion. The Last 10 is a celebration - there had to be at least one song that's overtly happy! This definitely isn't one of Celine's best songs, but it's one that I discovered on my own after my mother introduced me to so much of her stuff. It's a bouncy song with decent enough lyrics of thanks and, if you interpret it this way, praise and worship. The impact of music on me will always be alive.
5. "Healing Rain", Michael W. Smith. The playlist on Spotify I've put the most time into is called "Gone From Christian Radio", a playlist of songs I loved on the radio but don't get played often, if at all, anymore. Many of them were from before I took my walk with Jesus seriously - God reached me through music even then! This one has stuck with me in a special way. Through times of doubt, tough relationships (none of them romantic, just to clarify) and friendships, and a lack of involvement in a Christian community, this song was and remains one of my favorites when I have no other choice but to let my burdens out. Guys, please. Tell somebody. Others will point you to the message of this song in their own special way.
6. "Summergirl", The Mayfield Four. Before Myles Kennedy became the lead singer for Alter Bridge, he was the lead singer in a lesser-known band, The Mayfield Four. His voice, friends. His voice. Click on this sentence to listen to the song - I can't do it justice at all.
7. "If Today Was Your Last Day", Nickelback. Remember how Sabrina Carpenter is batting .250 with me? Nickelback bats about .100. I don't like the vast majority of their songs, but I'll freely admit that some of their stuff, while perishable, is okay. I don't love this song, but it makes The Last 10 because I used it for a class project once - interpretation of a music video. The assignment was the start of me thinking more about the meaning of the music I listened to and the accompanying videos (many of which go over my head). This song indirectly changed the way I listened to music, and for the better.
8. "So Small", Carrie Underwood. I love Carrie Underwood's voice so, so much. She's one of the best aspects about Sunday Night Football and I actually liked her first two albums, mainly because she puts her heart into what and how she sings, no matter what it is. But, some of her recent stuff is so... overdone. Not even her voice can save them for me. Things are looking up, if "Something In The Water" is any indication. I'm hoping it is, because I long for songs like this from her again.
9. "Starlight", Slash feat. Myles Kennedy. Slash, of Guns N' Roses fame, released a solo album where he was the lead guitarist, with a bit of singing from him as well. However, most of the singing came from other artists. The list was diverse - there was Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead along with Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. Out of everyone, only one man got two songs with Slash: Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge and The Mayfield Four. This guy's everywhere in my library. He's by far my favorite vocalist. I love both of the songs that feature Kennedy, but I like "Starlight" slightly more than "Back From Cali" because of the bridge. The bridge, to me, can turn a good song into a great one, and that's what happens with "Starlight".
10. "The End Is Here", Alter Bridge. This is the closer to Alter Bridge's debut album, One Day Remains, and it wouldn't have worked anywhere else. Despite the fact that this song only works as a closer as well as the fact it's one of their weaker songs - even Mark Tremonti's guitar parts seem forced - I added it in because it shows that life, as well as my journey in exploring music, continues until the end arrives. Even as my iPod becomes a relic, life continues. So will my appreciation for music.
After the last song ended, I set my iPod down for a well-deserved rest. I'm not sure what the future holds for it - if I somehow get married and have kids, it'll probably be something I show to them, if they haven't seen it already in museums. It's just weird to think that something that helped me appreciate the beauty of music so much is as good as gone now. That being said, I believe that God brings meaningful people and things into our lives. With time, we eventually leave all our possessions and most of the people in our lives behind while keeping the impact and meaning with us. I guess that's exactly what's happening here.
Showing posts with label Playlist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Playlist. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Music Playlist!
(This was copied and pasted verbatim from my other blog, which I recently deleted.)
One thing I've always loved about the Christmas season is the music. I like the music because some of the songs have withstood the test of time and passed with flying colors. Other songs dive deeper in ways that you don't see in other music, especially 2010s music. Considering that I've grown weary with even K-LOVE and other Christian music radio stations over the past year, being able to hear my favorites, old and new, was a real refresher.
This year, I decided to look into the music a little more and find out exactly why I like these songs so much. It's a different way to reflect not only the season, but also the reason. I believe the reason is lost on 21st Century America as a whole. 7 out of 10 Americans evidently prefer "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays" (1), but do 7 out of 10 Americans even think about Jesus on that very busy holiday?
(1) My stance if you're curious: it's arbitrary. I prefer "Merry Christmas" myself, but there are better ways to keep Christ in Christmas than, as Christians, whining about and trying to regulate December greetings. As for the data, look it up yourself. The sample size is small, but as I said, I don't necessarily see this debate as groundbreaking.
I don't think that's the case. And there are reasons. I think it's because we get tired of hearing the Christmas story year after year after year, and consequentially, we get less out of it year after year after year (2). That's a problem in and of itself that I won't go into here. Having thought about that, I'm reflecting more on Christmas music partially for myself, because some of the songs, as I said, dive deeper than most songs do into the birth of Jesus Christ and its implications. And some of the other songs are just happy - never a terrible thing.
(2) Speculation = bad science, I know. Here, it's all I got.
I'm going for my Top 20, with a few that didn't make the cut to start. You've probably heard most, if not all of these before, but if you want to keep reading, you'll get to find out why I like them.
Inspiration for this was stated above. In addition, Simmons did a post like this about his favorite pro wrestling entrance songs, of all things.
"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", Elmo and Patsy
Okay, fine. I'm talking about how I love music that digs deep into the story about the birth of Jesus Christ, and I start with this. C'mon, though - it's funny! At least it is to middle schoolers... right? At the very least, it's... different.
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", Various
This is Francesca Battistelli's cover. I particularly like her version because it's a jazzy take on a classic, and I appreciate the occasional jazzy rendition of a song that got old for me several years ago. The piano is top-notch too - something the pianist of 14 years in me loves.
"Last Christmas", Various
Britt Nicole was getting on this playlist somehow, and I didn't particularly like her cover of Jingle Bell Rock, so here she is. She doesn't have a lot of Christmas music that I know of otherwise. If you ask me, it's an improvement over the original by Wham!. Then again, I think Kim Wilde (3) covering this would be an improvement over the original by Wham!. Either way, I'm not really saying much because I don't really like this song.
(3) I say Kim Wilde because I hated her original "Kids in America". It's one of the few songs where I'll take practically any cover over the original. Cascada and MxPx > Kim Wilde here.
"Do You Hear What I Hear", Various
This song irritates me a bit because it's appalingly inaccurate - yeah, yeah, yeah, I know lambs can't talk, but on top of that, King Herod wasn't as receptive toward the birth of Jesus as the king in this song is. Of course, I could be missing a reference to something different. As for Third Day's cover of the song, I think they did a great job with it. They got away from the well-known melody of the lyrics to make it their own, and I like this rendition better than the rest because of it. It's a risk that doesn't always pan out, but it worked for me here.
"All I Really Want for Christmas", Steven Curtis Chapman
"Give This Christmas Away", Matthew West & Amy Grant
Both of these are have similar messages. The first one's more about adoption, but both of them are about giving hope to others during the Christmas season. I especially love the line "if there's love in your heart, don't let it stay there". I know everybody has love in their hearts - it's just that I know I've been guilty of keeping it in and not sharing it.
"Joy To The World (A Christmas Prayer)", Nick Jonas (yes, THAT Nick Jonas)
The radio decided to play this after touching briefly on the shooting in Newtown. I forgot about it after so many years of not hearing it, but I recognized it immediately upon hearing the first line, and I was surprised to hear, first, that Nick Jonas once sounded like this, but more importantly, that he put out a song that probably digs deeper than his other music combined. The lyrics are idealistic, but c'mon - it's a Christmas wish for others rather than for himself. Not only that, it's a prayer to an all-powerful God who sent the savior of the world into the world as an infant. This was my toughest cut.
20) "Carol of the Bells, Sing We Now of Christmas", BarlowGirl
"Carol of the Bells" got old to me so long ago, it's now ancient in my mind. That being said, I loved how BarlowGirl rearranged it with "Sing We Now of Christmas". It gave "Carol of the Bells" new life, which I didn't think was possible before I heard this. While I'm not a huge BarlowGirl fan, their voices are awesome, and that certainly didn't hurt. Yep - all of that helped "Carol of the Bells" make it into my Top 20.
19) "He Has Come For Us (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)", Meredith Andrews
Meredith Andrews added a bit of a spin on a classic that I feel didn't need an extra spin. Still, the parts she added sums up the Christmas message decently well. On top of that, her voice is amazing. If you think her voice is good here, check out her other stuff. Seriously. Meredith Andrews is probably my favorite artist in the Christian scene and this is a snippet of why (4). So, yeah, I didn't love this song, but her vocals gets it in the Top 20, and I'll be honest - she was getting into this playlist somehow. As for versions of the song that were left relatively alone, MercyMe's version is probably my favorite.
(4) The first song of hers I heard on the radio was "You Invite Me In", and I liked how genuine and deep the lyrics were along with strong instrumentals in the background, including, of course, the piano. And that was on a song I heard on the radio. I have her first album, and I would have her second if iTunes wasn't rendered practically useless by Spotify and Co. Still, I might grab it anyway.
18) "The Christmas Song", Various
Nat King Cole is very tough to beat, and I don't necessarily think Dave Barnes does that here, but I really like the touch and finesse he puts on his cover. And the piano - in the middle of the song, it sounds like something you hear in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Besides, I had to give Dave Barnes some love considering that I liked Blake Shelton's cover of "God Gave Me You" over Barnes' original. I don't need to go into detail about the song - it's a classic that everybody knows.
17) "Christmas Canon", Trans-Siberian Orchestra
This isn't the full song - the video starts with Pachabel's Canon in D, omitting the "Merry Christmas" round in the beginning. I geeked out when I first heard this song several years ago because I've played the Canon in D on the piano before, but year after year, I get more out of this song and how masterful an arrangement this really is. The reason I posted the video without the first part was because it's a performance, and I had to actually see it once - remember, I did this partially for myself! The full song isn't hard to find at all.
16) "Joseph's Lullaby", MercyMe
This one has a lot of tearjerker potential when you realize exactly what God was doing when he sent Jesus down for. He sent Jesus down for our sake - to die for our sake. It's tough to imagine exactly what Joseph was thinking at the time or if he even knew God's plan for Jesus' life, but what really gets me is, in the song, when Joseph asks God to let Jesus just be a baby for a moment.
15) "A Strange Way To Save the World", 4HIM
This is probably my mother's favorite song. It isn't mine, but any song that looks at Joseph's point of view is unique, and I usually end up liking it. "Joseph's Lullaby" looked at Joseph as if he did know God's plan for Jesus' life, and this song looks at Joseph as if he may or may not get it, but is in complete awe. The chorus sums it up - the elements God used for the birth of Jesus seemed random, but the story just glorifies him in a way unmatched. If the singer sounds familiar, it's Mark Harris - a guy who, for some reason, I never hear on the radio anymore.
13b) "Angels We Have Heard On High", Various
13a) "Joy To the World", Various
No link here - for one, there are so many versions between both songs that I'm torn between to call my favorite. These are my favorites for the songs that every fourth grader (or even younger) knows. Simple, and they don't necessarily touch much on the story of Jesus' birth, but I gotta give these classics - and ones I didn't include on this playlist - love. I grew up with these. These two are just my favorites of that group.
11b) "Sending You A Little Christmas", Kristy Starling
Easily the most somber song on the playlist, just to recognize the fact that Christmas isn't always perfect. I hate to call it bluesy - it's not really a blues song by any stretch, but it can be a downer if you decide to take it that way. There are people we miss during the Christmas season, I'm sure. But in the end, even if we don't see them - can that not be overcome with love? The love of God overcame sin through Jesus - that's what Christmas is all about. Kristy Starling's vocals are solid, too.
11a) "Merry Christmas, Darling", The Carpenters
My mother introduced me to The Carpenters by occasionally playing cassettes of them in the car, but little did I know that the music for this song was composed before even she was born. This one's more of a love song than a song about Jesus, but I believe that if there's real love in people's hearts, then they aren't too far at all from the meaning of Christmas. As for the mechanics, I love the key changes throughout the song, and Karen Carpenter hits them all without missing a beat. Her voice is perfect for this one.
10) "One Silent Night", Jaci Velasquez & Burlap to Cashmere
This one gets on my playlist for its creativity. I don't like Burlap to Cashmere much as a band, and Jaci Velasquez's John 3:16 chorus actually comes from a different song of hers. For me, though, this song brings up an interesting point - I've never heard John 3:16 referenced in church to the Christmas story. And to that, I have to ask... WHY?!?
9) "What Child Is This", Various
This is MercyMe's version - actually, I've liked practically every Christmas song they've touched, although I'm not a huge fan of theirs otherwise. What I like about this version is the Hallelujahs making the bridge, followed by the second chorus of the song that practically nobody knows.
8) "Grown-Up Christmas List", Amy Grant
See "Joy To the World (A Christmas Prayer)". This one gets in my Top 20 because Amy Grant's voice is angelic, and because the bridge hits the nail on the head (5). This actually isn't the original, but it's probably the best-known version of the song.
(5) One thing for me that separates a good song from a great song is the bridge. This particular one not only flows with the song well, but it adds its own exclamation point to it.
6b) "Be Born in Me", Francesca Battistelli
6a) "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", Amy Grant
No matter how much or little you may revere Mary (6), there's no doubting her role in the Christmas story and the importance of it. The fact is, she accepted God's plan for her life, which involved having a child out of wedlock (in a place and time where she could've gotten stoned for this) as a teenager without having sex. Yeah. The two songs are awesome lyrically, and they're focused on different points of Mary's pregnancy. They're two of my favorites overall, too. "Breath of Heaven" has withstood the test of time, and I wouldn't be surprised if the more recent "Be Born in Me" does as well.
(6) Okay, why be coy. This is a Catholic/Protestant reference. It's one of the many topics where I don't get why there's so much debate about it - was Mary born with the sin of Adam or not? I guess I don't understand why something like that would affect the Gospel in any way. I'd like your ideas if you have any.
5) "Welcome To Our World", Chris Rice
I can't explain the lyrics without going on about them for years. The lyrics alone to an otherwise plain song makes it one of my favorites. Take a listen for yourself, and maybe reflect a bit. It's a short song, so it won't take forever. One line I will go on about is "make yourself at home" - have the 7 out of 10 Americans who apparently prefer "Merry Christmas" said that to Jesus and believed that in their hearts? Or do we want to keep Christ in Christmas but leave him out for the rest of the year?
4) "O Holy Night", Various
No link here. I'm torn between Celine Dion and Josh Groban. Their voices are ELITE (7). And I don't use the word ELITE often, thanks to the NFL overusing that word when talking about the ELITE quarterbacks. You know how the song goes, but their voices are majestic, and it adds to the power of the song for me. You might say that their voices make the song more about themselves than Jesus, but I disagree. I don't think they'd be able to sing the way they do if they didn't believe what they were singing.
(7) Credit for the obnoxious capitalization of the word ELITE goes to DJ Gallo of ESPN's Playbook, formerly Page 2.
3) "While You Were Sleeping", Casting Crowns
I don't like Casting Crowns much at all - let me just get that out there. I can listen to the radio for a week and hear enough of them for two months. But, this song is amazing - and convicting as well. My little intro about how 21st Century Americans, as a whole, are lost on the true meaning of Christmas is addressed directly in the final part of this song. Are we spiritually asleep in our daily lives? Going back to the Chris Rice song - do we really let Jesus make himself at home in our hearts, or do we have no room for him?
2) "We Are The Reason", Avalon
Don't tell my mother that I credited Avalon for this song - she doesn't like this rendition at all because of the extra dressing at the end. The original's by David Meece. The reason I like this song so much is because not only is it about the Christmas story - it's about the Jesus story. It's about why God sent his son to earth as a baby and what Jesus' fate would eventually be. The bridge of the song adds an exclamation point that might be one of my favorites in music. Why isn't this song played throughout the entire year?
And my favorite Christmas song is...
1) "When Love Came Down", Point of Grace
I was in grade school when I first heard this, and I was immediately hooked. The structure of the song is unique - it starts with the chorus then goes to two verses, then the bridge, then another verse, then the chorus. All the lyrics resonate with me, even though the verses are very different lyrically. The first one's all imagery, the second is about the world and our hearts, and the third is a Christmas wish. The bridge is celebratory, while the chorus delivers the most succinct summary of the Christmas story I've probably heard in music. The instruments build and build and build to their climax before leaving the last chorus to the singers' wonderful voices. I am seriously geeking out here.
This song's a fairly old one for it not being one of the super-well-known Christmas classics. This particular lineup of Point of Grace is long gone - they're more or less a Christian-ish country band now with some different singers. But the meaning of Christmas will never go away, no matter how much America may try to phase it out. Jesus is more than the culture and the politics and always will be.
Feel free to tell me some of your favorites, or comment on why I have such horrible taste in Christmas music. I may have forgotten one or two that I really like - after all, I didn't think about doing this until yesterday.
Merry Christmas, everybody. Take some time to remember the reason for the season, and take the coming year to live it out in your hearts.
One thing I've always loved about the Christmas season is the music. I like the music because some of the songs have withstood the test of time and passed with flying colors. Other songs dive deeper in ways that you don't see in other music, especially 2010s music. Considering that I've grown weary with even K-LOVE and other Christian music radio stations over the past year, being able to hear my favorites, old and new, was a real refresher.
This year, I decided to look into the music a little more and find out exactly why I like these songs so much. It's a different way to reflect not only the season, but also the reason. I believe the reason is lost on 21st Century America as a whole. 7 out of 10 Americans evidently prefer "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays" (1), but do 7 out of 10 Americans even think about Jesus on that very busy holiday?
(1) My stance if you're curious: it's arbitrary. I prefer "Merry Christmas" myself, but there are better ways to keep Christ in Christmas than, as Christians, whining about and trying to regulate December greetings. As for the data, look it up yourself. The sample size is small, but as I said, I don't necessarily see this debate as groundbreaking.
I don't think that's the case. And there are reasons. I think it's because we get tired of hearing the Christmas story year after year after year, and consequentially, we get less out of it year after year after year (2). That's a problem in and of itself that I won't go into here. Having thought about that, I'm reflecting more on Christmas music partially for myself, because some of the songs, as I said, dive deeper than most songs do into the birth of Jesus Christ and its implications. And some of the other songs are just happy - never a terrible thing.
(2) Speculation = bad science, I know. Here, it's all I got.
I'm going for my Top 20, with a few that didn't make the cut to start. You've probably heard most, if not all of these before, but if you want to keep reading, you'll get to find out why I like them.
Inspiration for this was stated above. In addition, Simmons did a post like this about his favorite pro wrestling entrance songs, of all things.
Honorable Mentions
"Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", Elmo and Patsy
Okay, fine. I'm talking about how I love music that digs deep into the story about the birth of Jesus Christ, and I start with this. C'mon, though - it's funny! At least it is to middle schoolers... right? At the very least, it's... different.
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", Various
This is Francesca Battistelli's cover. I particularly like her version because it's a jazzy take on a classic, and I appreciate the occasional jazzy rendition of a song that got old for me several years ago. The piano is top-notch too - something the pianist of 14 years in me loves.
"Last Christmas", Various
Britt Nicole was getting on this playlist somehow, and I didn't particularly like her cover of Jingle Bell Rock, so here she is. She doesn't have a lot of Christmas music that I know of otherwise. If you ask me, it's an improvement over the original by Wham!. Then again, I think Kim Wilde (3) covering this would be an improvement over the original by Wham!. Either way, I'm not really saying much because I don't really like this song.
(3) I say Kim Wilde because I hated her original "Kids in America". It's one of the few songs where I'll take practically any cover over the original. Cascada and MxPx > Kim Wilde here.
"Do You Hear What I Hear", Various
This song irritates me a bit because it's appalingly inaccurate - yeah, yeah, yeah, I know lambs can't talk, but on top of that, King Herod wasn't as receptive toward the birth of Jesus as the king in this song is. Of course, I could be missing a reference to something different. As for Third Day's cover of the song, I think they did a great job with it. They got away from the well-known melody of the lyrics to make it their own, and I like this rendition better than the rest because of it. It's a risk that doesn't always pan out, but it worked for me here.
"All I Really Want for Christmas", Steven Curtis Chapman
"Give This Christmas Away", Matthew West & Amy Grant
Both of these are have similar messages. The first one's more about adoption, but both of them are about giving hope to others during the Christmas season. I especially love the line "if there's love in your heart, don't let it stay there". I know everybody has love in their hearts - it's just that I know I've been guilty of keeping it in and not sharing it.
"Joy To The World (A Christmas Prayer)", Nick Jonas (yes, THAT Nick Jonas)
The radio decided to play this after touching briefly on the shooting in Newtown. I forgot about it after so many years of not hearing it, but I recognized it immediately upon hearing the first line, and I was surprised to hear, first, that Nick Jonas once sounded like this, but more importantly, that he put out a song that probably digs deeper than his other music combined. The lyrics are idealistic, but c'mon - it's a Christmas wish for others rather than for himself. Not only that, it's a prayer to an all-powerful God who sent the savior of the world into the world as an infant. This was my toughest cut.
My Top 20!!!
20) "Carol of the Bells, Sing We Now of Christmas", BarlowGirl
"Carol of the Bells" got old to me so long ago, it's now ancient in my mind. That being said, I loved how BarlowGirl rearranged it with "Sing We Now of Christmas". It gave "Carol of the Bells" new life, which I didn't think was possible before I heard this. While I'm not a huge BarlowGirl fan, their voices are awesome, and that certainly didn't hurt. Yep - all of that helped "Carol of the Bells" make it into my Top 20.
19) "He Has Come For Us (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)", Meredith Andrews
Meredith Andrews added a bit of a spin on a classic that I feel didn't need an extra spin. Still, the parts she added sums up the Christmas message decently well. On top of that, her voice is amazing. If you think her voice is good here, check out her other stuff. Seriously. Meredith Andrews is probably my favorite artist in the Christian scene and this is a snippet of why (4). So, yeah, I didn't love this song, but her vocals gets it in the Top 20, and I'll be honest - she was getting into this playlist somehow. As for versions of the song that were left relatively alone, MercyMe's version is probably my favorite.
(4) The first song of hers I heard on the radio was "You Invite Me In", and I liked how genuine and deep the lyrics were along with strong instrumentals in the background, including, of course, the piano. And that was on a song I heard on the radio. I have her first album, and I would have her second if iTunes wasn't rendered practically useless by Spotify and Co. Still, I might grab it anyway.
18) "The Christmas Song", Various
Nat King Cole is very tough to beat, and I don't necessarily think Dave Barnes does that here, but I really like the touch and finesse he puts on his cover. And the piano - in the middle of the song, it sounds like something you hear in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Besides, I had to give Dave Barnes some love considering that I liked Blake Shelton's cover of "God Gave Me You" over Barnes' original. I don't need to go into detail about the song - it's a classic that everybody knows.
17) "Christmas Canon", Trans-Siberian Orchestra
This isn't the full song - the video starts with Pachabel's Canon in D, omitting the "Merry Christmas" round in the beginning. I geeked out when I first heard this song several years ago because I've played the Canon in D on the piano before, but year after year, I get more out of this song and how masterful an arrangement this really is. The reason I posted the video without the first part was because it's a performance, and I had to actually see it once - remember, I did this partially for myself! The full song isn't hard to find at all.
16) "Joseph's Lullaby", MercyMe
This one has a lot of tearjerker potential when you realize exactly what God was doing when he sent Jesus down for. He sent Jesus down for our sake - to die for our sake. It's tough to imagine exactly what Joseph was thinking at the time or if he even knew God's plan for Jesus' life, but what really gets me is, in the song, when Joseph asks God to let Jesus just be a baby for a moment.
15) "A Strange Way To Save the World", 4HIM
This is probably my mother's favorite song. It isn't mine, but any song that looks at Joseph's point of view is unique, and I usually end up liking it. "Joseph's Lullaby" looked at Joseph as if he did know God's plan for Jesus' life, and this song looks at Joseph as if he may or may not get it, but is in complete awe. The chorus sums it up - the elements God used for the birth of Jesus seemed random, but the story just glorifies him in a way unmatched. If the singer sounds familiar, it's Mark Harris - a guy who, for some reason, I never hear on the radio anymore.
13b) "Angels We Have Heard On High", Various
13a) "Joy To the World", Various
No link here - for one, there are so many versions between both songs that I'm torn between to call my favorite. These are my favorites for the songs that every fourth grader (or even younger) knows. Simple, and they don't necessarily touch much on the story of Jesus' birth, but I gotta give these classics - and ones I didn't include on this playlist - love. I grew up with these. These two are just my favorites of that group.
11b) "Sending You A Little Christmas", Kristy Starling
Easily the most somber song on the playlist, just to recognize the fact that Christmas isn't always perfect. I hate to call it bluesy - it's not really a blues song by any stretch, but it can be a downer if you decide to take it that way. There are people we miss during the Christmas season, I'm sure. But in the end, even if we don't see them - can that not be overcome with love? The love of God overcame sin through Jesus - that's what Christmas is all about. Kristy Starling's vocals are solid, too.
11a) "Merry Christmas, Darling", The Carpenters
My mother introduced me to The Carpenters by occasionally playing cassettes of them in the car, but little did I know that the music for this song was composed before even she was born. This one's more of a love song than a song about Jesus, but I believe that if there's real love in people's hearts, then they aren't too far at all from the meaning of Christmas. As for the mechanics, I love the key changes throughout the song, and Karen Carpenter hits them all without missing a beat. Her voice is perfect for this one.
10) "One Silent Night", Jaci Velasquez & Burlap to Cashmere
This one gets on my playlist for its creativity. I don't like Burlap to Cashmere much as a band, and Jaci Velasquez's John 3:16 chorus actually comes from a different song of hers. For me, though, this song brings up an interesting point - I've never heard John 3:16 referenced in church to the Christmas story. And to that, I have to ask... WHY?!?
9) "What Child Is This", Various
This is MercyMe's version - actually, I've liked practically every Christmas song they've touched, although I'm not a huge fan of theirs otherwise. What I like about this version is the Hallelujahs making the bridge, followed by the second chorus of the song that practically nobody knows.
8) "Grown-Up Christmas List", Amy Grant
See "Joy To the World (A Christmas Prayer)". This one gets in my Top 20 because Amy Grant's voice is angelic, and because the bridge hits the nail on the head (5). This actually isn't the original, but it's probably the best-known version of the song.
(5) One thing for me that separates a good song from a great song is the bridge. This particular one not only flows with the song well, but it adds its own exclamation point to it.
6b) "Be Born in Me", Francesca Battistelli
6a) "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", Amy Grant
No matter how much or little you may revere Mary (6), there's no doubting her role in the Christmas story and the importance of it. The fact is, she accepted God's plan for her life, which involved having a child out of wedlock (in a place and time where she could've gotten stoned for this) as a teenager without having sex. Yeah. The two songs are awesome lyrically, and they're focused on different points of Mary's pregnancy. They're two of my favorites overall, too. "Breath of Heaven" has withstood the test of time, and I wouldn't be surprised if the more recent "Be Born in Me" does as well.
(6) Okay, why be coy. This is a Catholic/Protestant reference. It's one of the many topics where I don't get why there's so much debate about it - was Mary born with the sin of Adam or not? I guess I don't understand why something like that would affect the Gospel in any way. I'd like your ideas if you have any.
5) "Welcome To Our World", Chris Rice
I can't explain the lyrics without going on about them for years. The lyrics alone to an otherwise plain song makes it one of my favorites. Take a listen for yourself, and maybe reflect a bit. It's a short song, so it won't take forever. One line I will go on about is "make yourself at home" - have the 7 out of 10 Americans who apparently prefer "Merry Christmas" said that to Jesus and believed that in their hearts? Or do we want to keep Christ in Christmas but leave him out for the rest of the year?
4) "O Holy Night", Various
No link here. I'm torn between Celine Dion and Josh Groban. Their voices are ELITE (7). And I don't use the word ELITE often, thanks to the NFL overusing that word when talking about the ELITE quarterbacks. You know how the song goes, but their voices are majestic, and it adds to the power of the song for me. You might say that their voices make the song more about themselves than Jesus, but I disagree. I don't think they'd be able to sing the way they do if they didn't believe what they were singing.
(7) Credit for the obnoxious capitalization of the word ELITE goes to DJ Gallo of ESPN's Playbook, formerly Page 2.
3) "While You Were Sleeping", Casting Crowns
I don't like Casting Crowns much at all - let me just get that out there. I can listen to the radio for a week and hear enough of them for two months. But, this song is amazing - and convicting as well. My little intro about how 21st Century Americans, as a whole, are lost on the true meaning of Christmas is addressed directly in the final part of this song. Are we spiritually asleep in our daily lives? Going back to the Chris Rice song - do we really let Jesus make himself at home in our hearts, or do we have no room for him?
2) "We Are The Reason", Avalon
Don't tell my mother that I credited Avalon for this song - she doesn't like this rendition at all because of the extra dressing at the end. The original's by David Meece. The reason I like this song so much is because not only is it about the Christmas story - it's about the Jesus story. It's about why God sent his son to earth as a baby and what Jesus' fate would eventually be. The bridge of the song adds an exclamation point that might be one of my favorites in music. Why isn't this song played throughout the entire year?
And my favorite Christmas song is...
1) "When Love Came Down", Point of Grace
I was in grade school when I first heard this, and I was immediately hooked. The structure of the song is unique - it starts with the chorus then goes to two verses, then the bridge, then another verse, then the chorus. All the lyrics resonate with me, even though the verses are very different lyrically. The first one's all imagery, the second is about the world and our hearts, and the third is a Christmas wish. The bridge is celebratory, while the chorus delivers the most succinct summary of the Christmas story I've probably heard in music. The instruments build and build and build to their climax before leaving the last chorus to the singers' wonderful voices. I am seriously geeking out here.
This song's a fairly old one for it not being one of the super-well-known Christmas classics. This particular lineup of Point of Grace is long gone - they're more or less a Christian-ish country band now with some different singers. But the meaning of Christmas will never go away, no matter how much America may try to phase it out. Jesus is more than the culture and the politics and always will be.
Feel free to tell me some of your favorites, or comment on why I have such horrible taste in Christmas music. I may have forgotten one or two that I really like - after all, I didn't think about doing this until yesterday.
Merry Christmas, everybody. Take some time to remember the reason for the season, and take the coming year to live it out in your hearts.
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