With just a few days left before the holidays, I thought I’d give you a few of my lists of top holiday songs. Obviously, there are thousands of great tunes from which to choose, though you wouldn’t know that from listening to Q99. Seriously, how many times can you hear Paul McCartney’s “A Wonderful Christmas Time,” Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas,” and Wham’s “Last Christmas” in one day?

That said, my first list is going to be quite different from the songs just mentioned above. I’m still a sucker for the classics, and my first list will be of classic holiday tunes sung by classic artists, generally the artist that made the song a hit back in its day. (And, by the way, you might ask what I consider classic. Well, it has to be at least as old as me!)

Without further ado, here is my list of 10 Classic Songs by 10 Classic Artists.

“Auld Lang Syne” by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians
We’re starting off the list with a New Year’s tune. And because Guy Lombardo started the tradition of ringing in the New Year with this song, his version is the standard—the one that brings back memories of yesteryear and hope for good luck in our modern world.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Dean Martin
This song isn’t really even a holiday tune. The lyrics never mention the holidays. But it has become a seasonal classic over the years. It debuted in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter but really became famous with the Dean Martin version. Making it half a classic, I guess, the song was remixed in 2006 with Martina McBride singing the female part to go with Martin’s 1959 vocals on the album Christmas With Dino.

“Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley
The song became a popular country & western tune recorded by the likes of Ernest Tubb in 1948 before the Presley spun his gold with the song in 1957.

“The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé
I love this tune. I have versions by 10 different artists including the fantastic version by Nat “King” Cole, but Mel Tormé, as the song’s writer (along with Bob Wells), gets the nod from me.

“Christmas Time Is Here” by Vince Guaraldi Trio
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965 pushed this tune into the limelight and it has since been covered by scores of artists.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland
Having this song make the list was a no-brainer. It’s definitely among my top three holiday songs. But which version should make the list? It’s hard to not give the nod to one Francis Albert Sinatra. Wow, what a great version. But something about Judy Garland with George Stoll & His Orchestra just gives me chills, plus she made the song famous in the 1944 musical Meet Me in St. Louis.

“Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives
This song was around before Burl Ives made it famous in the 1964 TV special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” but the popularity of “Rudolph” has kept this version in the limelight for more than 40 years.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby
I tried to avoid putting two songs by the same artist on this list, but hey, Crosby’s World War II-era version is the standard. With so many soldiers away for the holidays at the time of the song’s release, this song took on special meaning, making the top 20 on the charts in 1943 and 1944. Lots of artists in the past decade or two have recorded great versions of this, so look for it to appear in one of my other holiday tunes lists.

“Silent Night” by Ella Fitzgerald
This song has been recorded so many times by so many artists, that no particular version has ever stood out as the definitive recording. I’m partial to the Ella Fitzgerald version released in 1967.

“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
A lot of folks think this is from the 1954 musical White Christmas, which starred Bing Crosby, but it actually predated that movie by more than a decade. The song “White Christmas” made its debut in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn, which also starred Bing Crosby. The song became so popular that Crosby was called back into the studio in 1947 to re-record it after damage had occurred to the master recording because of its high usage, and that 1947 version is the one that we typically hear. Crosby’s version alone has sold more than 50 million copies, while the song in general has sold more than 100 million copies.

So there you have it—10 classic holiday songs by 10 classic artists. Don’t agree with the list, or perhaps you want to share your own? Give us your comments!!
Tim W. Jackson loves music and enjoys his vast collection of holiday tunes. He’s the Editor of the New River Voice.