Sunday, December 10, 2006

Day 10: Christmas Music Inventory

On Saturday, I received a collection of Gunfighter's favorite Christmas tunes, including a CD of nothing but nine renditions of his absolutely favorite Christmas song. When he mentioned Mel Torme the other day, I thought he was probably referring to Torme's most famous Christmas song, called, strangely enough, "The Christmas Song." Boy, was I wrong. If you want to know what Gunfighter's all time favorite Christmas song is, you'll have to email him and ask for a copy of his CD. You won't be disappointed. Just one name: Jaymz Bee & The Royal Jelly Orchestra! Thanks, Gunfighter!

This got me thinking about my own collection of Christmas music. So, I took a little inventory.

According to my iTunes Library, I have 60 Christmas albums, representing 70 different artists.

My collection includes seven albums by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and eight or nine years of Hallmark albums, two Amy Grants, two Harry Connick Jrs., six albums of Johnny Mathis, and four Mannheim Steamrollers, not to mention German and Austrian versions of holiday music.

Throughout my collection, I have multiple versions of songs.

6 Angels We Have Heard on High
8 Away in the Manger
8 Carol of the Bells
3 Coventry Carol
4 Deck the Halls
7 Ding Dong Merrily on High
6 Do You Hear What I Hear?
12 God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13 Hark the Herald Angels
8 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
22 Joy to the World
17 O Come, All Ye Faithful
6 O Come, O Come Emmanuel
21 O Holy Night
11 O Little Town of Bethlehem
12 Silver Bells
18 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)
17 The First Noel
15 What Child Is This?
16 Winter Wonderland
66 German/Austrian Christmas Songs

And the clincher...

41 versions of Silent Night / Stille Nacht!

I have multiple versions of that loathesome Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, but only one version in my iTunes Library. It's a version the Mormon Tabernacle Choir did several years ago where they use a different music genre for each verse. It's hilarious and the best version I've ever heard or that's even worth listening to.

So, there you have it. Christmas music. Can you ever have too much?

Image courtesy of Acclaim Images.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As there is Christmas music playing in virtually every shop, office and street corner from November onwards, and each TV commercial is Christmas themed, the very last thing I want to play at home is a Christmas song!

I do remember Billy Connoly's '12 Days of Christmas' in which he substituted gold rings for Gin and tonics, and every other group of things for alcoholic drinks. By the end of the song he was totally incoherent! I may just try and track that one down....

Anonymous said...

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

Is a beautifuk song... it is one of my favorites!

Janet Kincaid said...

Ms. U: I would love to hear that. Every time I hear the 12 Days, I want to cut my ears off. It is truly THE worst Christmas song EVER (with the one exception I mentioned previously.)

Gunfighter: I like that one, too. I have two versions by the Mo' Tab', one by a church choir a friend of mine use to sing in, one by Yolanda Kondonassis, one by Mannheim Streamroller, and one on an album I bought at the grocery store years ago titled "Winterlude." I like the Mannheim Streamroller version best.

Janet Kincaid said...

Wait. I take that back. The worst Christmas songs ever are the ones sung by the Chipmunks.

Oh dear God! When I hear those, I literally want to kill myself.

Sister Mary Lisa said...

How about that stupid "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"...I hear that at least daily, and it pisses me off royally every time.

Mary Ellen said...

My parents gave me "All I Want for Christmas Is my Two Front Teeth" the first Christmas after I knocked out my two front teeth. Nice.

I married into Mike's Mo Tab Christmas music. Other than one CD of instrumental music, the only other Christmas CD I have is the one our congregation's choir did a few years ago.

My faves from the Pasadena 2nd ward choir:

Mary Did You Know?
In the Bleak Midwinter
Nativity Carol
Angel's Carol
Whence is That Goodly Fragrance Flowing?
Baby, What You Goin' To Be?
and What Sweeter Music

I can't stand Gesu Bambino.

Cheesy fave: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.

Janet Kincaid said...

SML: I actually like that song, just because it's so stupid and some where in America is some guy who's living fat and happy off the royalties. I'd like to do that one day--write a Christmas song that pays me every time it's played.

ME: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas?!? I'm going to have to check that out. Is that another Pink Martini song? I like the PasII Choir CD, too. I was just listening to it last night, in fact. You guys were/are good!