Before we begin, your ears are about to hear two hours of well curated holiday music, with a few surprises thrown in. If you don’t enjoy this type of music, or celebrate this holiday, or even like Christmas, maybe stop here and please return next week. I also don’t mean to exclude anyone, and anything you may be celebrating or not right now.
For those of us weirdos who do enjoy music from this season, let’s now enter a special “Merry Everything” edition of The Infinite Kaleidoscope.
My love of holiday music feels separate from the season. I’m that person who can listen to a Christmas song year round (and I do). So in light of the time of year and that there are only three Infinite Kaleidoscope shows left, I thought it would be fun to put together some of my favorite holiday songs.
So please, take off your shoes, turn on the yule log youtube channel, sip something lovely, and enjoy the sounds of the season.
"Merry Everything" playlist to listen to while wrapping presents is here!
Special thanks to all the artists who sent in greetings for this show:
Slade, "Merry Xmas Everybody" (Video of glam rockers doing Xmas right!)
Jingle Bell Rocks! Christmas music enthusiasts documentary
Wham, "Last Christmas" (Official Video)
Playlist:
John Williams, "Carol of the Bells"
The Gems, "Love for Christmas"
The Waitresses, "Christmas Wrapping"
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, "Winter Wonderland"
John Coltrane, "Greensleeves (Take 4)"
Louis Armstrong & The Commanders, "'Zat You, Santa Claus? (Single Version)"
Loretta Lynn, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"
Merle Haggard, "Santa Claus and Popcorn"
Eartha Kitt, "Santa Baby"
Big Maybelle, "White Christmas"
Slade, "Merry Xmas Everybody"
Jimmy Smith, "Jingle Bells"
Lester Williams, "Wintertime Blues"
Cocteau Twins, "Winter Wonderland"
Sy Mann, "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer"
Brenda Lee, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Single Version)"
The Sportsmen, "Reindeer Rock"
Louis Prima, "Shake Hands With Santa Claus"
Clarence Carter, "Back Door Santa"
Keith Richards, "Run Rudolph Run"
Iggy Pop, "White Christmas"
Patti Smith, "We Three Kings"
Solomon Burke, "Presents for Christmas"
Paul McCartney, "Wonderful Christmastime"
The Supremes, "My Favorite Things"
Wham! "Last Christmas"
The Cleaners From Venus, "Christmas in Suburbia"
Choir Boy, "I Feel How the Snow Falls"
Big Dee Irwin, "I Wish You a Merry Christmas"
Otis Redding, "Merry Christmas Baby"
The Beach Boys, "Little Saint Nick"
Elvis Presley, "Blue Christmas"
John Fahey, "Joy to the World"
Nico, "Winter Song"
Stevie Nicks, "Silent Night"
The Drifters, "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)"
Music under my voice: Joanna Brouk, "Winter Chimes"
Playlist
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Carol of the Bells by John Williams on Home Alone (25th Anniversary Edition) [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] (℗ 1990 Twentieth Century Fox, under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment) -
Love for Christmas by The Gems on Rockin' Little Christmas (This Compilation ℗ 1986 Geffen Records) -
Christmas Wrapping (Single Edit) by The Waitresses on Deluxe Special (℗ 2013 ZE Records) -
Winter Wonderland by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass on Christmas Album (℗ 2015 Herb Alpert Presents) -
Greensleeves (Take 4) by John Coltrane on Ballads (Deluxe Edition) (℗ 2002 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.) -
'Zat You, Santa Claus? (Single Version) by Louis Armstrong & The Commanders on Cool Yule - EP (℗ 2020 UMG Recordings, Inc. FP) -
'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Loretta Lynn on White Christmas Blue (℗ 2016 Loretta Lynn Enterprises, Inc. under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment) -
Santa Claus and Popcorn by Merle Haggard on Goin' Home for Christmas (℗ 1982, 1986 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.) -
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt on The Essential: Eartha Kitt (℗ This compilation (P) 2011 Sony Music Entertainment. All rights reserved.) -
White Christmas by Big Maybelle on Candy! (This Compilation ℗ 2001 Savoy Records, a division of Concord Music Group, Inc.) -
Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade (℗ 1973 Whild John Music Limited, under exclusive licence to BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited) -
Jingle Bells by Jimmy Smith on Christmas Cookin' (℗ 2013 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.) -
Wintertime Blues by Lester Williams on Merry Blue Christmas (℗ 2006 Fuel 2000) - Break
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Winter Wonderland by Cocteau Twins on Lullabies to Violaine, Vol. 2 (℗ 2007 Soleil Après Minuit) -
Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer by Sy Mann on Switched On Santa (Pickwick Records) -
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Single Version) by Brenda Lee on Classic Christmas Favorites (℗ 2021 UMG Recordings, Inc. FP) -
Reindeer Rock by The Sportsmen on Rockabilly Christmas (℗ 2008 Rockabilly Records) -
Shake Hands With Santa Claus (Mono Recording) by Louis Prima on Breaking It Up! (℗ Originally Released 1951, 1952, 1953, (P) 1998 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.) -
Back Door Santa by Clarence Carter on Soul Christmas (℗ 2010 Rhino Entertainment, a Warner Music Group Company.) -
Run Rudolph Run by Keith Richards (℗ 2018 Mindless Records LLC under exclusive license to BMG Rights Management (US) LLC) -
Little Drummer Boy (PeeWee Herman Christmas Special) by Grace Jones on Pee Wees (℗ 2015 Cleopatra Records) -
White Christmas by Iggy Pop on Punk Rock Christmas (℗ 2015 Cleopatra Records) -
We Three Kings by Patti Smith on A Very Special Christmas 3 (An A&M Records release; This Compilation ℗ 1997 UMG Recordings, Inc.) -
Presents for Christmas by Solomon Burke on King Solomon (℗ 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured and Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing) -
Wonderful Christmastime (Full Length Version) by Paul McCartney on McCartney II (℗ 2014 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd, under exclusive license to Universal Music Enterprises, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.) -
My Favorite Things (Stereo) by The Supremes on Merry Christmas (This Compilation ℗ 2013 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.) -
Last Christmas (Single Version) by Wham! (℗ 1984 Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.) -
Christmas in Suburbia by The Cleaners From Venus on Number Thirteen (℗ 2019 Mr Mule) -
I Feel How the Snow Falls by Choir Boy on Passive with Desire (℗ 2016 Dais Records) -
I Wish You a Merry Christmas by Big Dee Irwin on It's Christmas! (℗ 2017 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group) - Break
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Merry Christmas Baby by Otis Redding (℗ 1968 Atlantic Records. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company, a Warner Music Group Company.) -
Little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (℗ 2015 Capitol Records, LLC) - Break
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Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley on Elvis' Christmas Album (℗ 1957 Sony Music Entertainment) - Break
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Joy to the World (Instrumental) by John Fahey on The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album / Christmas With John Fahey, Vol. 2 (℗ 1993 Fantasy, Inc.) - Break
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Winter Song by Nico on Chelsea Girl (This Compilation ℗ 2012 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.) - Break
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Silent Night by Stevie Nicks on A Very Special Christmas (An A&M Records release; This Compilation ℗ 1987 UMG Recordings, Inc.) - Break
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The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire) by The Drifters on It's Christmas! (℗ 2017 Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group) -
Winter Chimes by Joanna Brouk on The Space Between (℗ 2019 Numero Group)