The 7 Best Christmas Songs You Should Listen To More
By: Eric Carlson
Tags: Christmas, Music, Playlist, Culture, Pop Culture

Christmas music is a funny thing. It can either inspire waves of nostalgia when you hear your favorite childhood song, or pure hatred when you hear tracks that really get on your nerves.

At this point I often find myself on the latter side, cringing as I hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” for the billionth time. You can’t walk around a supermarket or mall without hearing tracks like these ad infinitum.

These songs were good the first few times I heard them, but after a few thousand listens I’m ready for different kind of Christmas playlist.

For this reason I’ve compiled a list of some great Christmas songs that haven’t been played a bazillion times over the holiday season. So, without further ado, her are the seven best Christmas songs you need to hear a little more of.

1. Wonderful Christmastime — Paul McCartney

This Paul McCartney Christmas tune is admittedly pretty popular already, but it’s not at the level of being overplayed just yet. To be honest, it’s schoolyard poppiness and futuristic synth chords are a nice break from the overdone schwarminess of most Christmas music.

This song is McCartney at his playful best, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.

2. Cool Yule — Donny Burns

A Christmas song unlike any other, “Cool Yule” plays out like a spoken-work Christmas poem laid over a rockabilly guitar track. It’s just the kind of thing to put on at your Christmas party to spice things up a little bit and remind everyone that the season can be cool again.

3. Angels We Have Heard On High — Sufjan Stevens

All your hip friends will approve of this indie-darling Christmas pick. It’s no secret that Sufjan Stevens is obsessed with Christmas, and this Christmas classic is featured on one of his lengthy Christmas albums of both classic covers and zany new tracks dedicated to his favorite holiday.

4. Just Like Christmas — Low

The band Low strikes the perfect balance between Christmas cheese and booze-soaked sad music on Just Like Christmas, a traveling-folk style song that has just enough of a hook to stay in your head. Chances are good this becomes a indie Christmas classic one day.

5. It’s Christmas Time — Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo somehow blends retro vibes and lo-fi dorkiness perfectly on this song. It’s not the best the band has sounded, but it’s a nice break from the ear-splitting Christmas pop songs we have to hear all season long.

6. Christmas Celebration — B.B. King

Okay, so it’s basically a blues song about Christmas. And it’s B.B. King, so it’s good. It’s actually sort of refreshing to have a Christmas song that doesn’t try to incorporate some sort of gimmick into the song (Here’s looking at you, sleigh bells), so put this on and melt away into the sound of the king.

7. Christmas Tears — Freddie King

This is another bluesy track that’s not only Christmas-themed, but too good to pass up any time of the year. It’s a slow burner, capturing that melancholy spirit of blues that fits so well into the darkest time of the year.

Are there any Christmas tracks that you love that you feel more people should hear? Feel free to share them in the comments.