Category: Music

Some say a star will rise again In the hearts of humankind Some say we have been in exile What we need is solar fire Tori Amos sung this version of We Three Kings on her Christmas album, Midwinter Graces. It’s a little Tori-ish, and heavy handed with the production, and I like it.

Snowflakes fall, cold winds blow Outside it’s winter white And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be tonight Diana Panton has a stunningly beautiful voice, and this is an original song of hers from her Christmas Kiss album.

Winter’s fine, a little bit of cold and ice And we’re stuck inside, with the drapes shut tight Said The Whale are an indie rock band from Vancouver, and Summertime in Australia is a short little track from their West Coast Christmas EP collection. It’s upbeat and sweet, and sometimes I like having songs on…

The church bells in town, all ringing in song Full of happy sounds, baby, please come home Melissa Etheridge’s version of Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) is a great rocking number, complete with guitar solo. (And a very clunky title, why not just call it “Baby, Please Come Home”?) It’s a 1963 pop song originally…

Gone away, is the bluebird Here to stay, is a new bird He sings a love song, While we go along Walking in a winter wonderland I haven’t actually included Emilie-Claire Barlow’s version of Winter Wonderland on a Christmas mix, but the Christmas songs of hers I have included don’t have YouTube videos. Barlow has…

I heard the bells on Christmas Day, Their old, familiar carols play Sarah McLachlan’s version of this carol is beautiful, one of my favourite versions. Wikipedia says I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day is a carol based on an 1863 poem “Christmas Bells”. I used it in the 2013 Christmas mix.

A child is born, born in Bethlehem Born in a cattle pen A child is born on the killing floor And still he no crying makes I really like Anais Mitchell’s slightly reedy voice, and Song of the Magi is from her Brightness album. I included it on last year’s mix.

By the time we got to Oslo, snow was gone, and we got lost The beds were small but we felt so young Most of Low’s Christmas album (I wonder how many Christmas albums are just entitled ‘Christmas’) is a little too slowcore for my taste, but Just Like Christmas is on the more upbeat…

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight; When it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night Rufus Wainwright has such a wonderful voice, and this version of the 1947 pop song was from The McGarrigle Christmas Hour album. I included it on last year’s mix.