All I Want For Christmas Is You Covered
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The mandatory Christmas list!
Now, recently, the song '
All I Want For Christmas Is You' was voted as the best modern Christmas song by a couple of magazine surveys. For what it's worth, I disagree, but that is by the by. But I wondered why that song would be so popular? And so that got me thinking, and, hence, this column was born.
Before I start, I will get this out the way – I dislike the Mariah Carey version. Her voice grates on me and it annoys me in a way that is hard to describe. When I hear it, I will switch the channel. I will include it here – very reluctantly – because she wrote it and her version is the original. But I do not recommend it. And then she made it somehow worse by doing a version with Justin Bieber! And, no! That will not be appearing here. Having said that… Carey's original is popular, and many do like it. Oh well. It takes all sorts. I just don't see it myself. At all.
However, last year, I included a version in
another list that I really prefer. Then, this year, a TV host and country legend released a version I enjoyed, and while hunting for videos for a
recent column , I found another cool version. This told me something: my distaste for the song comes down very simply to me not liking Carey's voice. Her lyrics, while simple, are clearly fine as others singing them don't bug me, and the tune must work because when it is done in other styles, I like it. Therefore, I decided to look at a bunch of different versions of this alleged classic.
To start… Sorry, Mariah Carey fans, she is my issue. However, as I have already said, I am sort of obligated to include her version, as she wrote it and did the original. Now, remember – in my opinion, this is the least version here.
Okay, so let's start with one I mentioned earlier. It's a straight forward rendition, but the singing is better. From
A Holly Dolly Christmas, here's Dolly Parton and Jimmy Fallon. This is the 2020 Christmas album
du jour, by the way.
Okay, now some-one you knew had to have done a version. Cool modern pseudo-jazz in all its cheesy glory. Yes, from 2019, let's go full Michael Bublé.
CeeLo Green is an interesting singer, who made some traction with a song that had to be heavily edited and re-recorded. In 2012 he released a standard version, but I really like his voice, so I'll let it pass.
Alex Melton is not a huge recording artist, but he came up as a recommendation from another video a little later on in this list. However, I enjoyed it. He decided to play it this year (2020) in a minor key as an emo track.
We're starting to drift away more and more from Carey's original. So, how about The Dark Orchestra's Gothic organ instrumental version for something wildly different?
Let's stick with instrumentals and go for David Josade and his cool jazz piano stylings. This is more like jazz than I would consider Bublé, for what it's worth, but jazz is a musical style I really enjoy yet know very little about.
Okay, we need a country version here! Morgan Evans can give us that.
Regular readers are probably wondering where the acapella version is. Well, I struggled to find one, but
Jared Halley included it in this Christmas medley (at 3:15), so that will do because, well, he's awesome.
Hang on, I hear you ask, what about emo punk-pop? What? You're not asking that? Oh, but you know you want My Chemical Romance to give you a version from 2004, right?
How about a parody response song? Yes, some comedy to break things up a little. Gabbie Hanna and Jon Cozart can give us that. And they add a ukulele, which makes it automatically better.
Language warning.
Let's go back to jazz. Flash Mob Jazz did a really cool swing version, which is my favourite jazz style.
All right, the last three are the rock versions. Come on, you knew there were going to be rock versions! Why else would I even do this list? The first is by Dreadlight, a pair of hard rocking women. This is only the second track by them I had heard; thanks to this I am now listening to everything I can find on YouTube. And this version really does rock.
Level 42 were a 1980s New Wave/Pop group that had a few great songs, then faded from public sight. Well, in 2016 this song emerged, a version done in a rockier style than their usual music, dominated by that amazing bass. I only found it looking for a video of a song for another column, by the way.
And let's finish with my favourite version, from Australia's own Polish Club, from 2017. Aussie rock, not taking it too seriously, with a video clip filled with cameos and it's just a load of fun. Last year, I convinced a local shop to use this version instead; already they are playing Christmas music this year and, yes, they have kept this version.
And there we are – 15 versions of one Christmas song. Considering the original came out in 1994, the fact is that, in less than 30 years, it has clearly garnered a passionate following. This many cover versions shows how much the song connects to people.
I can say after listening to all of these that, yes, I do like the song. The
song. I just really do not like Mariah Carey's original version. And that's hardly unique. I know people who love Dylan's songs except when Dylan sings them. Well, same deal for Carey.
I'll stick with Polish Club, maybe Dreadlight, possibly MCR. Just anything else…
Have a Merry Christmas, y'all!
#christmas
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#music
#performing_arts
#pop_culture
#quirky
%wneverywhere
84529 - 2023-06-11 06:55:38