Top 5 Obscure Christmas Songs of All Time
Over the course of my career I've been involved with stations that go All-Christmas during the holiday season. Here in Shreveport that station is 96.5 KVKI. One of the questions that we're invariably asked each year is, "There's so much new Christmas music that comes out every year; how come you never play any of those songs?"
The short answer is, "Most people don't care that much for the new stuff." In study after study, research clearly shows that most people want to hear the tried and true standards like songs from Bing Crosby and the Carpenters, along with a few relatively new classics like "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey.
That being said, we always filter in a few new songs every year to see which ones will catch on and become classics for later generations. These include "Underneath The Tree" by Kelly Clarkson and "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Idina Menzel and Michael Buble.
No doubt we all have our own personal favorites, and some are probably more obscure than others. I know I have mine, so I decided to put a list together of my Top 5 Obscure Christmas Songs.
- 1
I Believe In Father Christmas by Greg Lake
This rare gem was released in 1975 as Emerson, Lake, & Palmer were nearing the height of their fame. Lake wrote the song as a form of protest to the rampant commercialism he perceived was subverting the true meaning of Christmas.
- 2
Run Rudolph Run--Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons, & Dave Grohl
This rocking remake of the classic Chuck Berry tune was included on the compilation album We Wish You a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year which was released in 2008. Lenny and Billy know how to raunch up a great rock song and when you add Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters you get a hidden classic.
- 3
I Saw Three Ships by Sting
Sting's version of this traditional English Christmas carol was included on A Very Special Christmas 3 which came out in 1997. The former Police frontman has a way with these provincial songs that makes them eerily tantalizing.
- 4
Father Christmas by The Kinks
This 1977 nugget tells the story of a department store Santa who gets beaten up by a gang of hoodlums. It's since been covered by bands as diverse as Green Day, Warrant, and Smash Mouth. But there's only one Ray Davies--nuff said.
- 5
White Christmas by Guns 'N' Roses
One can only imagine what Irving Berlin would think about this incarnation of his Christmas standard. Since there was no such thing as rock-n-roll in 1942 when he wrote it, he'd probably be pretty freaked out. Being that he once sang a duet with David Bowie, Bing Crosby would probably dig it.