Music on Mondays — The little drummer boy wants it straight, no chaser
Merry Christmas Eve to everyone everywhere.
I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite Christmas songs, renditions, and videos for today, starting off with my favorite Christmas song, Little Drummer Boy. My favorite version of Little Drummer Boy is also my favorite Christmas song video, performed by my favorite all-female ensemble, Celtic Woman, accompanied by chorus and, of course, the Little Drummer Boy (who is anything but little):
Then there’s Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ version of Little Drummer Boy, substantially Joan Jetted up, from their 1981 album I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll:
One of the more interesting versions of Little Drummer Boy was performed by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Actually titled Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy, the counterpoint was written and performed by David Bowie specifically for Bing Crosby’s 1977 TV special Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas:
In surfing through the YouTube videos, I found this snare drum performance from Church of Southland in Anaheim, California. I’ve always been infatuated with snare drums and this reaffirms my infatuation. Take five minutes and watch this.
My all-time music favorite, Sir Paul McCartney, wrote Wonderful Christmastime back in 1979, and it’s become a staple of Christmas radio airplay to this day:
The first Christmas song I can remember hearing on rock radio was by The Beach Boys, Little Saint Nick, from 1963:
Lastly, we couldn’t possibly forget The 12 Days of Christmas. Let’s have a little fun with it with Straight No Chaser, a messed-up version as only Straight No Chaser could mess it up:
If you ever get a chance to see Straight No Chaser in concert, take it. You’ll have a lot of fun and come away absolutely amazed at what they do, how they can take beautiful songs and mess them up beautifully.
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Posted on December 24, 2012, in Music on Mondays and tagged bing crosby, bing crosby's merrie olde christmas, celtic woman, church of southland anaheim california, david bowie, joan jet and the blackhearts, little drummer boy, little saint nick, peace on earth/little drummer boy, sir paul mccartney, snare drums, straight no chaser, the 12 days of christmas, the beach boys, wonderful christmastime. Bookmark the permalink. 17 Comments.
Love Joan Jett’s version
Bing and David…my very favorite!
I only had time to listen to the first but she has a beautiful voice. I know what McCartney sounds like and I’m a long term fan. Merry Christmas to you, and good wishes for 2013.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
I’ve never been overly keen on Christmas music (probably as I prefer Classical) but, I really like the Bowie and Crosby version – partly as the coupling is so incongruous!
What about classical Christmas music? Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker is my favorite. I can’t get through the holidays without several listenings.
Love Tchaikovsky’s music, excepting his ballet scores. Adore Rachmaninoff’s choral music, though.
Happy Festive Season!
That was delightful, Russel. I watched every one and enjoyed each in it’s own way. Thank you for this wonderful gift.
That was great. Especially enjoyed the Bing and Bowie and Straight no Chaser was brilliant.
There is an Online Christmas Party at Marsha Lee’s Blog! Celebrating my birthday and Christmas! Feel free to stop by and celebrate! http://tchistorygal.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/renees-online-birthday-party/
Merry Christmas!
Renee
Thanks for letting me know. I went over there to leave a birthday video.
Your welcome! I loved the video, it is very cute!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Great music
I’ve always particularly liked the Crosby/Bowie pairing. It really speaks to the timelessness of Christmas.
Hi again Russel, I’ve been camping on your blog this morning. I loved all the videos, but the last one was definitely the best for me. I live in a vacuum sometimes, and I hadn’t heard of them. They were brilliant, as another reader put it! My second favorite was Bing and David. Thanks for posting these. Your website is a wealth, and thanks for posting a video present for Renee. That was sweet. Lots of love to you and yours, Russel.
Marsha 
My favorite was Bing and David Bowie…but I loved them all! Thanks for including them! Hope you had a very lovely holiday…I adore the pics of the lights! That’s my favorite thing to do during the holidays…
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