The reason why I like “Happy Xmas (War Is Over) is because it is an anti-war song, mainly protesting the Vietnam War and it was written by one of the Beatles. Although there have been many versions, I’d have to say my favorite version is the original, written and performed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Released in 1971, the song started as a demo in October of that year, recorded in a suite at the St. Regis Hotel in NYC, with Ono singing along, Phil Spector producing and children from the Harlem Community Choir contributing backing vocals. From this mash-up came a traditional tune that has filled the airwaves at Christmas ever since.

A fun fact about this song: at the beginning of the song, you hear Lennon and Ono whispering to each other. What they are doing is whispering season’s greetings to their respective children at the time–Ono whispers, “Happy Christmas, Kyoko”, and Lennon whispers, “Happy Christmas, Julian.” Although consensus says it sounds like they are whispering greetings to one another.

…is to punch him right in the SHITHOLE mouth.

With all due respect to Gene Autry, my favorite version of this song is the one sung by Elvis. He just gives it that extra bluesy and rock n’ roll feel that the original lacks. I do like the rendition with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra but nothing beats the Elvis 1957 version. Not that the original Autry version isn’t great in its own right. It is.

The song was written by Autry, Oakley Haldeman and Harriet Melka and when Autry originally sang it, he pronounced Santa Claus as “Santy Claus”.

The song idea came about when Autry, one of those original cowboys, was riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles. Spectators chanted, “Here comes Santa Claus” and a light bulb went on.

“Here Comes Santa Claus” (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)”, which is what the song is originally known as, has been covered by many since Autry, most recently in 2023 by Seth MacFarlane and Elizabeth Gillies and was even played in National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation” near the end of the movie when all hell breaks loose. Yeah, Griswolds!

When it comes to iconic Christmas classics, the song “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” comes to mind.

Although the 1963 song, written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector, has been covered by many artists—U2, Mariah Carey and Michael Buble, to name a few—nothing compares to the original sung by Darlene Love.

In 1986 Love sang the song live on the NBC broadcast of Late Night with David Letterman. Then in 1994 she most notably began a tradition of singing the song on the show every year right before Christmas. She did that for twenty years. Since 2015 she has been performing the song on The View.

What I like about it is the simpleness of the song. It exudes that old girl group sound that so many of the songs in the sixties were made of. Love sings the song with a true passion, like she really is begging for her baby to please come home for Christmas.

As has become a tradition on here for the past few years, I’ve “counted down” the days leading up to Christmas. One year it was Christmas shirts, last year it was movies. This year it’s music!

Stay tuned starting tomorrow for the first write-up of my favorite versions of 25 Christmas songs!

Because there’s more than one artist who has sung “Jingle Bells”…but which one is my favorite and why?