Songs & Singles

This index lists the essential songs (not all the songs) contained on the albums reviewed in Hip Christmas, plus singles, album tracks, or one-hit wonders not otherwise included on those albums. Whenever possible, the artist's name is linked to my review of the best Christmas album (not necessarily the only or original album) on which to find the song.

Barring that, the names will be linked to a place where you may buy the song (usually Amazon). If there's no link, it means that, to my knowledge, the song is not available on CD or MP3. Of course, the list will expand as I write more reviews. And, nothing's perfect - especially me and my crazy list. Please send additions, corrections, criticisms, and suggestions via email .

• Take A Break Guys (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen) (Brian Setzer, 2007)
• Take Me Back To Toyland (Nat King Cole, 1955)
• Talking Christmas Goodwill Blues (John Wesley Harding, 1989)
• Teddi's Song (When Christmas Comes) (John Mellencamp, 1995)
• Teenage Christmas (Jacobites, 1996) [close]
  Despite a prolific career that spanned over 25 years, English iconoclast Nikki Sudden is best remembered for his early and brief tenure with Swell Maps ("Let's Build A Car"), an influential post-punk band he formed with his brother, Epic Soundtracks. His longest running alliance, though, was the Jacobites, a band Sudden formed in 1984 with Dave Knusworth, playing aggressive rock that owed more to the Faces or Rolling Stones than the angular pop of the Swell Maps. Sudden met Kusworth in 1980 while the latter played with the Subterranean Hawks. In 2004, Sudden recalled, "Dave and I agreed that if the Hawks ever broke up we'd get a band together. But when I turned up at Dave's house a few days after the Hawks had deceased, Dave said, 'I've already got a band together with Slim,'" meaning the Rag Dolls (who eventually disappeared without a trace) and Slim Cartwright (Kusworth's brother-in-law). Undeterred, Sudden convinced Knusworth to play in both bands. The Rag Dolls are only relevant to our present discussion because, in Sudden's words, "We stole two Rag Dolls' songs and made them our own," one of which was "Teenage Christmas" (now credited to Sudden, Kusworth, and Cartwright).
  
  Initially, the Jacobites recorded a number of singles and EP's, plus two full albums including the acclaimed Robespierre's Velvet Basement which also featured Epic Soundtracks (who died mysteriously in 1997). They didn't release "Teenage Christmas," however, until 1996 after they returned from a lengthy hiatus, and then only in an acoustic version as the b-side of a split 7" single given away with an issue of Presto Magazine. Eventually, this version of "Teenage Christmas" showed up on the 2002 CD reissue of Twin Tone Records' 1986 Jacobites compilation The Ragged School.
  
  The electric (and electrifying) version of "Teenage Christmas" came out in 1998, both on the band's final studio CD, God Gave Us Poor Sinners (Bomp, 1998), and as a limited edition 7-inch single on Chatterbox Records. Lyrically, I'll admit, "Teenage Christmas" is no great shakes (note that the words to the acoustic and electric versions vary somewhat). But this definitive electric recording is magnificent, if altogether obscure - a non-stop thrill ride of guitars and hooks.
  
  Nikki Sudden once said, "The Jacobites are Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth. The Jacobites will continue as long as we are both alive." Kusworth and Sudden did, in fact, play together on a semi-regular basis until March 26, 2006 when Sudden died in his sleep from a brain hemmorage after a solo gig at New York's Knitting Factory. The Jacobites were scheduled to play in Lonon just three days later. In writing of Sudden's sudden death, English writer Kirk Lake recalled, "He figured in one of my favourite rock moments of all time - storming the stage to join Dave Kusworth's Rag Dolls playing 'Teenage Christmas' at a club in Birmingham with the promoter and the bar staff holding on to the speaker stacks so they didn't topple over on to the tiny stage."
• Teenage Santa Claus (Babs Gonzales, 1959)
• Ten Tubas (Professor & Maryann, 2005)
• Thank God It's Christmas (Queen, 1984)
• Thank You Christmas (Stratocruiser, 2008)
• Thanks For Christmas (Three Wise Men, aka XTC, 1983)
• That Christmas Feeling (Bing Crosby, 1950)
• That Christmasy Feeling (Johnny Cash, 1972)
• That Makes Christmas Day (Rufus & Carla Thomas, 1973
• That Punchbowl Full Of Joy (Sonny Columbus & His Del Fuegos, 1983)
• That Special Time Of Year (Gladys Knight & The Pips, 1982)
• That Swingin' Manger (Bob Francis, 1961)
• That Time of Year Again (Sick Puppies, 2009)
• That's What I Want For Christmas
  • Nancy Wilson (1963)
  • Jackie Gleason (1967)
• There Ain't No Sanity Claus (Damned, 1980)
• There Won't Be Any Snow (Christmas In The Jungle) (Derrick Roberts, 1965)
• There Won't Be Any Tree This Christmas (Kitty Wells & Johnny Wright, 1969)
• There's A Star Above The Manger Tonight (Red Red Meat, 1996)
• There's No Lights On The Christmas Tree Mother, They're Burning Big Louie Tonight (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, 1972)
• (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays
  • Perry Como (1954)
  • Cyndi Lauper & Norah Jones (2011)
• There's No Santa Claus (Yobs, 1991)
• There's Nothing I Want More For Christmas This Year (Chubbies, 1995)
• There's Still Christmas (Clarence Clemons, 1981)
• There's Trouble Brewing (Jack Scott, 1963)
• They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose (Johnny Horton, 1959)
• Things Fall Apart (Christina, 1982)
• (Things That Make Up) Christmas Day (Ral Donner, 1962)
• Things We Don't Need Anymore (Jenny Owen Youngs, 2007)
• Thinking About You (This Christmas) (Paul Carrack, 2011)
• Thirty-Two Feet - Eight Little Tails (Gene Autry, 1951)
• This Christmas
  • Dismemberment Plan (2005)
  • Macy Gray (2000)
  • Donny Hathaway (1970)
• This Christmas (Shoes, 1991)
• This Christmas Time (Keri Noble, 2005)
• This Christmas Time (Ben Reel, 2011)
• This Time Of The Year
  • Brook Benton (1959)
  • Brenda Lee (1964)
• (This Year's) Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1954)
• Three Blind Mice Make It to Santa's Village (Bel-Airs, 1961)
• 364 Days (Murder City Devils, 1999)
• Three Wise Men & A Baby (Cavedogs, 1991)
• Through The Winter (Saint Etienne, 2006)
• 'Til Next Hanukkah (Velouria, 1997)
• Time Of The Season (Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, 2010)
• Tinsel And Lights (Tracey Thorn, 2012)
• 'Tis The Season To Be Lonesome (Jacob Lyda, 2011)
• Tit For Tat (Ain't No Taking Back) (James Brown, 1968)
• To Heck With Ole Santa Claus (Loretta Lynn, 1966)
• To Mother At Christmas (Jimmy Martin, 1980)
• Too Fat For The Chimney (Teresa Brewer, 1953)
• Toyland (REM, 1992)
• Trim Your Tree (Jimmy Butler, 1954)
• Trucker's Christmas (Lee Arnold, 1976)
• 'Twas The Night Before Christmas
  • Annette & Frankie with the Ventures (1981)
  • Louis Armstrong (1971)
  • Art Carney (1954)
  • Stan Freberg (1955)
  • Harry Kari, aka Yogi Yorgesson (1953)
  • John Leguizamo (2001)
  • Henry Rollins (1991)
  • Huey "Piano" Smith & The Clowns (1962)
  • Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg (1997)
• Twelve Days (Bitter Hearts, 2005)
• Twelve Days Of Christmas
  • Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters (1949)
  • The Bird & The Bee (2008)
  • John Denver & The Muppets (1979)
  • Bill Lloyd (2002)
  • Doug & Bob McKenzie (1981)
  • The Springfields (1962)
  • Yobs (1980)
• Twelve Days Of Memphis (Star & Micey, 2010)
• Twelve Gifts Of Christmas (Allan Sherman, 1963)
• 21st Century Christmas (Saint Etienne, 2006)
• 24 Decembre (Pizzicato Five, 2000) [close]
  The All Music Guide labels Pizzicato Five "kitsch-pop deconstructionists," and I can't think of a better thumbnail portrait than that. This iconoclastic duo (originally a trio) mashed up pop culture far and wide, translating the characteristically Japanese mania for pop (music, fashion, film, celebrity) into a uniquely postmodern idiom both ironic and heartfelt. Their holiday single "24 Decembre" came out just as the band was ending their career, having achieved stardom in their native country long before they built a sizeable cult following in the United States. Compared to Pizzicato's usual cheeky technique, "24 Decembre" sounds almost traditional, setting what I can only presume are holiday-themed lyrics (sung in Japanese) to a propulsive dance beat. Following a breakdown, singer Maki Nomiya chants in English, "We like music, we like the disco sound," and, if you listen very closely, whispers "We are listening to a Christmas song." That pretty much says it all.
  
  In Japan, "24 Decembre" was released as a CD single in a fancy, 7x5-inch box and, to my surprise, was still in print when I discovered it in 2008. The front cover art bears a close resemblance to their career-spanning compilation CD, Singles (2001), so I suspect the single was released as a promotional advance on the album. Anyway, different mixes of "24 Decembre" later showed up on Ca Et La Du Japon (2001), a cobbled-together final studio album, and R.I.P. - Big Hits & Jet Lags 1998-2000 (2006), the concluding volume of a series of anthologies.
  
• 25th December (Everything But The Girl, 1994)
• 25th Of Last December (Roberta Flack, 1977)
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Me (Supremes, 1965)
• Twistin' Bells (Santo & Johnny, 1960)
• 2005 (MXPX, 2005)
• 2000 Miles
  • Coldplay (2002)
  • Pretenders (1983)

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