The top 10 Christmas songs you never hear on the radio (but should)

Forget Michael Buble. Josh Groban? Tired. The radio is in need of some fresh tunes. If you absolutely can’t bear to hear George Michael lament over “Last Christmas” one more time, check out some of these hidden gems.

The+top+10+Christmas+songs+you+never+hear+on+the+radio+%28but+should%29

10. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – She & Him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCd23Jrc0M

It doesn’t get much better than Elf actress Zooey Deschanel and hipster demigod M. Ward singing Christmas songs. One of the best off their holiday album, A Very She & Him Christmas, is a remake of Brenda Lee’s 1958 classic, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” If anything, it’s a bit gentler than the original, not straying too far from Lee’s sound. But it’s a prime example of a conservative cover done well – 50s drive-in rock guitar mesh perfectly with Deschanel’s vintage pipes. “Rockin’” is tailor made for this indie duo.

9. “Mistletoe And Holly” – Frank Sinatra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H42Edy587hc

Play. Instructions: listen with steaming mug of hot chocolate in hand and window of nighttime snowfall nearby. That’s the type of mood this song exudes – holiday comfort, pheasant dinners, mistletoe, holly and all things quintessentially Christmas. Sinatra is usually on the radio this time of year singing upbeat carols like “Jingle Bells” and “Let It Snow,” but this soothing semi-ballad (mixed with stunningly sonorous vocals) is about as Christmas-y as it gets. Repeat.

8. “Thank God It’s Christmas” – Queen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCON07r908g

Good ol’ late-80s Queen. They’re not as well-liked (or well-known) as late-70s/ early-80s Queen, but they’ve got the same soul. Lead singer Freddie Mercury’s gritty-pretty voice is just as strong in 1985’s “Thank God It’s Christmas,” a synthesized, fueled power ballad. It charted fairly as a single in the United Kingdom back in the day, but the lack of a music video hindered any future airtime on music TV channels, and over the yearsm it has become relatively lost in the shuffle. It doesn’t deserve to be. “Thank God It’s Christmas” is meant to be blasted from rooftops, let alone radios.

7. “Santa Baby” – Eartha Kitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7T0IK99ELs

You probably know her as Madam Zeroni in the movie Holes, but believe it or not, Eartha Kitt was quite the crooner in the 50s. Try to wipe out any recollection of Madonna’s “Santa Baby” (the one that frequents all the Christmas stations).  Madonna sounds like a toddler with a head cold in that recording. Ms. Kitt, in addition to originating the 1953 tune, adds class and poise to her song; her voice is gentle, uniquely calm and far more alluring. In the case of “Santa Baby,” be a traditionalist.

6. “Wonderful Christmastime” – The Shins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qReziqBwEr4

The Beatles saw the songwriting dream team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Lennon brought the cool factor, the edge; McCartney brought the pretty melodies. Without Lennon, McCartney’s solo work, and his original “Wonderful Christmastime,” was just that: pretty (and a little bit cheesy). The Shins removed the overwhelming synthesizers and brought the cool back. Lead singer James Mercer’s chill, happy vocals guide this version into a refreshing take on a Christmas staple.

5. “All I Want For Christmas Is You/Creep” – Peace

https://soundcloud.com/1to5reviews/peace-all-i-want-for-christmas

British band Peace gets the award for most inventive cover for their super-underground, gorgeously random mashup. Using the chord progression and rough guitars of Radiohead’s 1992 hit “Creep” and the vocal melody and lyrics of Mariah Carey’s Christmas smash “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Peace creates a whole new vibe. It’s moody and yearning, atmospheric and emotional, capturing the true lyrical meaning better than Carey’s pop masterpiece.

4. “Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!” – Sufjan Stevens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UX8VZgPBp0

Michigan native and indie king Sufjan Stevens is kind of everywhere (the hit show The O.C. and the current Olive Garden commercial, to name a few places); we just don’t notice him that much. In 2006, he released a whopping 42-song Christmas album, including many great covers and some original jams. “Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!” is a Sufjan original, and it’s one of those beautifully gentle rock songs that makes you feel special and fuzzy inside, completely at peace. Why? “Because it’s Christmas Time.”

3. “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gml-nAJGRbY

“White Winter Hymnal” showcases everything amazing about folk darlings Fleet Foxes: unexpected musical turns, intricate harmonies and good ol’ fashioned strumming guitar. The lyrics are cutesy, wintery; the harmonies resemble that of a boy’s choir singing on Christmas morning in a snowy town square. This song feels like winter, and good folk music is all about the atmosphere. Lend an ear and let the song do the talking.

2. “Christmas in Hollis”-RUN-DMC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8

One major thing missing from Christmas radio? Rap. Why not resurrect the best of the best: 80s hip-hop crusaders RUN-DMC? In 1987, they released arguably the most danceable original holiday single, “Christmas in Hollis.” Sampling 1968’s “Back Door Santa” by Clarence Carter, RUN-DMC’s hysterical portrait of urban  Christmas (in Queens, New York, to be exact) is painfully catchy and super listenable. It’s a hit that got lost in the big hair of the 80s, to be sure – but our hair is much flatter now. It’s time to bring back this track. (That rhymed.)

1. “Hallelujah” – Jeff Buckley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8AWFf7EAc4

If you’ve never heard Jeff Buckley’s voice, or if you’re a doubter of Jeff Buckley’s voice, this near-perfect recording will make you a believer. A stark contrast to Leonard Cohen’s original, monotonic performance of “Hallelujah,” Buckley’s version is dripping with Christmas’ main ingredient: soul. He pours his heart into the lyrics, starting off barely audible, crescendoing into a pleading, passionate, pretty yawp, and finally cooling off once more. His vocal runs are unfathomable. Sadly, Buckley did not live to see his stunning portrayal succeed; some 10 years after his tragic death in 1997, the track began to chart throughout Europe and reached No. 2 in the U.K. Singles Chart in December 2008. So where is it now? Why didn’t it make it to Christmas in America? Well, that’s about as mysterious as the song. Regardless, the radio could use a little mystery (and a little Buckley) right now.