by Benjamin Rogers

Created on: February 11, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

Yuletide Yodelling of Yesteryear

What do Elvis, Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Jet, Barbara Streisand, Phil Spector, Toots and the Maytals, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kermit the Frog, Smashmouth, Ella Fitzgerald, The Ramones, Cindi Lauper, Chris Isaak and Bob Seger all have in common? That's right Christmas Records.

Most Christmas songs performed during Australian Carols by Candlelight events date from well before the 1950s, We Wish You a Merry Christmas (16th century England) Jingle Bells (1857), Winter Wonderland (1934), White Christmas (1942), Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (1943) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949). Yet despite the inclement references to snow, the familiarity that has led to excruciating "diva-isation" of tunes like Silent Night and the dubious relevance or origins of some of these tunes, (Jingle Bells was written for Thanksgiving and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a poem created by an American advertising executive, specifically designed to appeal to children to then be given away by the Santa Claus employed by Department Stores at Christmas) these tunes remain the stagnant staple of Christmas sing-a-longs in this country. While I don't dispute that these are lovely tunes, there are hundreds of other wonderful Christmas songs recorded from the 1950's onward that deserve wider recognition.

Ever since the blues tune, "Merry Christmas Baby" was first done by Charles Brown for Decca in 1947 (widely covered by artists including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen and Otis Redding) record companies have seen the potential for seasonally themed records with crossover appeal. Bobby Helms' Jingle Bell Rock (1953) was the first record to overtly cross Rock'n'Roll with Christmas and is still a solid staple, while Chuck Berry's far superior Run Rudolph Run is seldom trotted out. The Turtles' "Santa and the Sidewalk Surfer" is hard to resist, as is Oscar McLollie's "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus."

Every Christmas between 1963-69 The Beatles released special Christmas singles through their fan club. These rare sides are highly sought by collectors and featured humorous Beatley banter, poems, mini-plays, and various original tunes like"Happy Christmas to Ya List'nas," "Christmas Time is Here Again" and "Please Don't Bring Your Banjo Back." The Fab Four themselves inspired some novelty Cristmas singles including "All I Want for Christmas Is a Beatle" by Dora Bryan, "Christmas with the Beatles" by Judy and the Duets, "I Want the Beatles for Christmas"

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