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Classics Covered & More – Our Holiday Playlist Suggestions

Debra Kate Schafer
Buzz

Seasonal songs? Seasonal albums? Seasonal greetings? We’ve got all of it.

Some songs are classic for a reason. Others are reimagined and become classic on their own. No matter what version of which songs are your favorite, it’s important to test them all out, especially during this time of year, even if its only to break up the monotony of what you are hearing just about 24/7 in supermarkets, drug stores, your car, any elevator, on television, and on social media. We compiled some not-totally traditional favorite covers of the more traditional holiday hits.

“Last Christmas”

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The Wham! classic is a staple. It even inspired a movie – the rom-com of the same name from 2019. However, there are more than a handful of renditions outside of the Brit-pop icons that are worth trying on for size, so to speak. And, we must admit, they are just as good, just as touching, and just as catchy.

  • Taylor Swift’s “Last Christmas” is standard in a good way, but something about her early years just adds to the girlie-pop nostalgia of the track and emphasizes the sort of diary-entry reflection of the lyrics. (Also, Tay, if you’re reading this, please do ‘Taylor’s Version’ of your holiday collection. We know you’re busy, but we needed it, like, yesterday.)
  • Ashley Tisdale’s “Last Christmas” is for the subtly sultry lovers and lusters. For a Disney Channel recording, her take is slightly R&B, slightly pop, slightly sexy, and slightly underrated… even if it did take her to the Macy’s parade.
  • Ariana Grande’s “Last Christmas” leans even further into the R&B style of Tisdale’s version, elevates it a bit, and also adds some personal reminiscing in the vein of Swift, even with a few new lyrics of her own interjected throughout. It’s a crisp, Gen Z-esque take on the song, but heartfelt overall.

“All I Want for Christmas is You”

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Could this Mariah Carey hit get anymore basic, expected, and overplayed? (We love it, we could sing it in our sleep, it’s a classic for a reason, the Justin Bieber duet is also acceptable, and few could get through the holiday season without hearing even just the chorus.) With that being said, there are a few covers of the MC smash that actually mix up the ‘expected.’

  • My Chemical Romance’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” – if you haven’t heard it, now is the time. Our friends in MCR re-imagined the holiday song in a way that only that could for the hour-long compilation, Gift Wrapped – 20 Songs That Keep on Giving, of which was released on iTunes in 2009 and also features Christmas covers by Jack’s Mannequin, The Used, Never Shout Never, and Relient K…. so it’s also a period piece, in a way. But, damn, it is good and ruckus-inducing.
  • Michael Bublé’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” actually marked the first time a cover song cracked the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2011, so, yeah, it’s good. He brings a throwback style and a soulful flair to the clearly radio-ready, notably uptempo track. It’s sensational in a way all generations can find a way to appreciate.

“Santa Baby”

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The best-selling Christmas song… of 1953. It’s a classic at age 71, but, to be honest, it was a classic upon release. A woman’s cleverly written wishlist for Santa Claus with an effervescent warmth to the melody masking the silliness and snakiness of it all? It’s memorable, of course, and painfully catchy, but it is also an eye-roll-inducer. The original is the original, and we wouldn’t have any other renditions without it, but a good chunk of the re-makes are arguably better and easier to .

  • Laufey’s “Santa Baby” is one of the newest, but we can already see it being played in living rooms on Christmas morning for years to come. It’s angelic, gentle, arranged beautifully (for those who have an ear for that sort of thing), and actually has a vintage, atmospheric pop quality to it.
  • Madonna’s “Santa Baby” amplified the mystic of the song, the sensuality of its adult-perspective and fun premise, and the tongue-in-cheek songwriting of it all. It’s cool – tantalizing, even. This version, and all of its late-eighties spice, was the reason the track became licensed for use in film and television, and because of it, we got iconic scenes in Elf, The Sopranos, and more. Thank you, Madonna.
  • Kellie Pickler’s “Santa Baby” takes the subtlety of Laufey and the sexuality of Madonna and stirs up something charming, flirty, and with evidently homegrown sass. Country music does that, and maybe more so than ever during the holiday season amid Hallmark movies and songs like these. (Trisha Yearwood’s 1994 cover of “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” has some of the same qualities and is also a secret favorite.)

“Feliz Navidad”

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More than a holiday classic, “Feliz Navidad” is a song with positive, earnest sentiment that broke boundaries upon its 1970 release and subsequent inter-continental success over the last 54 years. Lyrically, that warmth is there. As the most notable line in the song goes, “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad,” translates to “Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness.” Who could want more than that for themselves and each other? Especially when set to the colorful brass tones and guitar riffs that José Feliciano incorporated among his 19-word hit.

  • Bowling for Soups’ “Feliz Navidad” is exactly what you would expect, but maybe better. There is a choir of children that add a youthfulness and a nostalgia that cannot be understated. The drums and bass on this one are pretty hardcore and entertaining, too. The band definitely had some fun on this one and truly channel the spirit of the season… in a fun and funny pop punk way.
  • Kacey Musgraves’ “Feliz Navidad” might surprise you. It shook us up in 2016 when it dropped, but it hasn’t left our seasonal rotation since due to its creativity and intricacies. The standard tempo for the most part, with a slower narration, the addition of violins, a mariachi band, and an ever angelic voice… just wow. This is one of the best, most simple, but effective versions of the bilingual Christmas classic. It maintains the pop sensibilities of the original song and holds tight onto the retro, properly Mexican musicality; however, this version of Musgraves’ is a bit more gentle, a bit more reflective for the audience.

“What Christmas Means to Me”

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Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” is the quintessential holiday ‘bop,’ as the kids say. It has the melody, the buoyancy, the history, the groove, and (most importantly) the heart. This is the season of giving, the season of hope, the season of loving and sharing and caring – Wonder, who is a wonder in and of himself, believes the holiday to be nothing less than those things.

  • Hanson’s “What Christmas Means to Me” is well beyond their years. At the time, the brothers were tweens and teens, but they brought some southern rock’n’soul and some traditional pop to this song that still feels otherworldly. It is an unnecessary solid version of the beloved track and, as one YouTube commenter described better than we could, “[Hanson] took this song and completed it. Stevie’s, respectfully… felt incomplete after hearing this version.”
  • Cher’s “What Christmas Means to Me” is a vibrant cover from just last year that features the masterful original artist, Stevie Wonder himself, on the track. Both performers are in full voice and somehow, even with their differing styles of music and having some six decades under their respective belts, blend seamlessly. The song is beat-heavy and feels full circle. It could easily hit the charts today have it been released as a single alongside Cher’s No. 1-reaching “DJ Play a Christmas Song.”)

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

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Judy Garland was a treasure. Her voice – that range, that sweetness, that vibrato – was prized. The art she was part of glittered because of her. She was a glistening performer of the stage and screen, and the film Meet Me In St. Louis captured both.

  • Billie Eilish’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” was a Saturday Night Live performance that aired a year and one day ago. It was controlled, smooth, and nostalgic from the very first note to the very last. When Eilish sings, “From now, our troubles will be miles away,” holds onto the same gratitude and hope that the original does. However, it is uniquely refreshing and airy and honest in its own modern way.
  • Tori Amos’ “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is a soulful, alternative B-side performed acoustically that feels off-the-cuff for the oft composition-leaning, intricate musician. The immediacy of the recording, whether that be how it occurred in the studio or not, is heartbreaking, as if Amos had to get this hopeful, albeit loss-filled version out in the world for her own personal and musical growth, holiday season or not.
  • John Legend’s “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” featuring Esperanza Spalding is as comfortable and laidback as it gets. The singer-songwriter’s 2018 holiday album, A Legendary Christmas, was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys in 2020, and it is quite traditional. There’s a classiness to the EGOT’s version, though, and that nonchalant, jazz-y, harmonious sleekness found alongside Spalding sets it apart.

Bonus

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Here are 12 additional songs that we love and think are must-listens for this time of year. Not only that, but they are a nice change of pace, enjoyable to dance to or reminisce alongside, and are described below (fairly efficiently, we’d say) in a single world. Including, but not limited to, classic covers and should-be classic originals.