Christmas songs fascinate me. Hundred of thousands of songs are recoded and played for 30 days straight, and then disappear until the next year to do it all over again. I like Christmas songs. There are good ones and bad ones, originals, and poor covers of songs. For today's Three for the Road, I choose three that you probably know, but are not radio mainstays. Don't get me wrong, Springsteen, Sinatra, Andy Williams,Vince Guaraldi, and even the Waitresses are special, but I thought, why not look at three that I would be glad to sing along with in the car.
"I Wish it Was Christmas Today." - Julian Casablancas
Originally written and performed on Saturday Night Live by Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, and the dancing styles of Tracy Morgan, this song has been a reoccurring skit that has been done live several times. The Strokes voice, Julian Casablancas obviously got the joke and covered it. Something about it is catchy.
"Mele Kalikamaka" - The Puppini Sisters
An odd holiday song, but the cover by the "Swing Punk" trio (they are not really sisters) is clean and peppy. Their influences range from the Andrew Sisters and Fred Astaire to the Smiths and Tom Waits. I couldn't even tell you how I found them.
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" - Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan
There is something pure and simple in this version from our neighbors up North that I really like. Funny, for neither the group of the founder of the Lilith Fair do much for me otherwise, but this version lakes me back to, what I imagine, are simpler times.
