While I Am Out and About, a Question to Keep You Occupied
Posted on December 13, 2013 Posted by John Scalzi 180 Comments
It is:
A musical artist/band of your choosing will cover a holiday song also of your choosing (that they have not, to your knowledge, already covered). Which musician and which song do you choose?
For me:
Robert Smith and the Cure, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Your turn.
John Lennon playing “Still alive”. Choice does not depend on Christmas or other time of year ;-).
Alison Krauss and Union Station, “Gabriel’s Message”
Metallica doing Little Drummer Boy
Megadeth- Jingle Bells. LMAO
Metallic doing a mashup of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Enter Sandman.” Preferably with the SFO backing them to make it really creepy.
Queen (in the ’70s; ’80s would also be acceptable): “Sleigh Ride”
Die Antwoord covers God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
O Tannenbaum in German to be sung by Matt Dusk
Alice Cooper doing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”. Incorporating a theremin solo.
F.U.N. – We Three Kings
Off the top of my head, Prince and Adele doing “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
Led Zeppelin with “Merry Christmas, Baby”
“Christmas Shoes” by Megadeth
The Electric Mayhem covering the Carol of the Drums. Or, really, The Electric Mayhem covering anything.
Alternate question: is there any song that would not be made more awesome if it were covered by The Mayhem?
Well, since you mentioned him…I could die happy if I heard Robert Smith of the Cure and Siouxsie Sioux from the Banshees do “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as a duet.
Alabama Shakes doing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Merzbow – “Silver Bells”
Death Cab for Cutie: the Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came. http://youtu.be/pliqObTHxUQ
Given the bang up job Nick Lowe does with “Children Go Where I Send Thee” on his new Christmas album, I’d like him to take a crack at “Last Month of the Year.”
I can’t think of any at the moment, but that is a top question anyway!
Everything is better when covered by The Electric Mayhem. Myself, I’d really love to hear them do Silent Night.
“Hooray for Santy Claus” (from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians) by the Dropkick Murphys.
Maggie and Terre Roche doing the Shane McGowan and Kirsty MacColl parts of “Fairytale of New York.
If we can’t get Kirsty back to do it herself, that is.
Moxy Früvous covering Good King Wenceslas. Possibly Good King of Spain Wenceslas. Or more seriously, Moxy Früvous covering pretty much any Christmas song.
@eviljwinter – Not exactly what you want, but Rock Sugar just released Don’t Stop the Santa Man, a Enter Sandman/Don’t Stop Believing/Santa mashup.
Just a chubby guy
A red suit and a beard so white
Flies round the world in a single night
going everywhereeerrrrrreeee
https://soundcloud.com/sugaroncloud9/dont-stop-the-santa-man-mix-2
Bonnie Tyler and Meat Loaf, produced by Jim Steinman, on “O Holy Night”.
Jann Arden on “Blue Christmas”.
Maybe Nick Cave on “We Three Kings”.
Tom Waits doing “The Little Drummer Boy.”
Father Christmas (the Kinks) covered by the Sex Pistols.
Nine Inch Nails, covering All I Want for Christmas is You
One of my favourite already did, last year: Mark Lanegan. The Cherry Tree Carol is fantastic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhgfLvqp-xI
(Mark Lanegan – Dark Mark Does Christmas 2012)
Black Sabbath – In the Bleak Midwinter
I like Mathew E’s Tyloer/Loaf/Seinman suggestion!
I would go for Rush covering Greg Lake’s “I Believe in Father Christmas.”
English progressive rock band YES doing the Hallelujah chorus or O Holy Night.
Nine Inch Nails doing “Away In a Manger.”
Massive Attack covering The Huron Carol
Pearl Jam doing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. :)
The Mermen, covering “Dreidel”, as an instrumental.
@Gary Willis: I think YES’s cover of the Hallelujah Chorus would end up being about as long as the entire Messiah. ;)
Marilyn Manson must do Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.
Also Concrete Blonde doing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
The Clash: Good King Wenceslas
Roni Size and Reprazent doing the Carol of the Drum.
So many choices…
So, the Red Hot Chili Peppers covering the excellent Tim Minchin’s White Wine in the Sun.
Venom’s Black Christmas already exists but maybe Deicide or Emperor and the audible torture that is Cliff Richard’s Mistletoe and Wine.
Because I’m Welsh, Bonnie Tyler singing Silent Night in Welsh (Tawel Y Nos). Also, Rammstein singing it in German would be good too.
N.W.A doing “White Christmas”
Keith R. A. DeCandido – “Tom Waits doing ‘The Little Drummer Boy.’ “
Holy Carp KRAD! I came here to post exactly that.
Seriously, would love to hear that gravelly “Pa rum pum pum pum.”
Funny, Dunder.
Iron Maiden – 12 Days of Christmas
I don’t think he’s a musical artist, but… Tom Mison, ‘Veni Veni Emmanuel’ a cappella. It -must- be the Latin. I have my reasons. >.>
Flavia: Thanks for the link! Mark Lanegan is fantastic.
Dunder: you win!
Foo Fighters doing *any* Christmas song would be pretty sweet, but I’d especially like to hear their take on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.
Faith No More reciting “The Night Before Christmas” to their song “Epic”. Trust me, the poem fits the verses. :)
George Michael, doing “Santa, Baby”
Venom White Christmas
And anything by Die Antwoord!
I’d want the Civil Wars to do “O Little Town of Bethlehem” as I think they could do a really haunting version of it.
Trent Reznor and Karen O doing “Do you Hear What I Hear?”
Pink Martini, “Ballad of the Christmas Donkey.”
Skinny Puppy doing “Oh, Holy Night”
Dimmu Borgir doing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Morrissey & The Smiths doing “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
I think Isis would do a really interesting cover of “Carol of the Bells.”
“Fairytale of New York” by Warren Zevon and Jill Sobule.
G.W.A.R. – “What Child is This”
O Holy Night, sung by Julia Fordham.
The Civil Wars doing God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.
@Jax good to see another Civil Wars fan; I think they could do any of the traditional carols beautifully.
Christina Aguleira (sic) – Oh Holy Night.
Abbey Park covered Jinglebells rather nicely and did a jolly original with ‘through your eyes on Christmas eve’ – both easily findable on youtube
Anything off the new Bad Religion Xmas album.
The Dropkick Murphys covering the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Jimi Hendrix doing an instrumental version of “Silent Night.”
People have already hit everything I have up, but still:
GWAR – 12 days of Christmas. I hate that song with a passion and need to hear what gets done with it.
Having said that, “A Musicological Journey through the 12 Days of Christmas” is – incredible.
For serious, though, Johnette Napolitano (with or without Concrete Blonde): The Coventry Carol. I don’t know why I’m drawn to the darker side of the Chrismas Story – maybe the view of redemption in it – I also have an attachment to “I Heard the Bells”.
Gonna go way out there and say:
In Flames doing an acoustic set of Carol of the Bells.
Well, I was going to go with GWAR “Silent Night”, but that ground is well-trodden at this point. So I’m thinking Insane Clown Posse, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.
Weird Al. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. Obviously.
Oingo Boingo doing Little Drummer Boy. Or Weird Al doing All I Want for Christmas.
Hmmmmm?
Perhaps Snog doing a remake of The Wiggles memorable Christmas melody “The Turkey Jumps Right Out of the Pie.”
Tom Waits covering “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
Well, we already got Heaven & Hell doing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen & Run Rudolph Run by Lemmy, so I’ll just have to go with Dream Theater doing “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)” by Trans Siberian Orchestra.
“Fairytale of New York” featuring Richard and Linda Thompson. Or the Captain and Tennille.
I’ve seen a few mentions of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” which can of course be taken in a particular way, so I’d go all out: Nick Cave and…oh, I don’t know, Pink.
For something a little different: the Bing Crosby/David Bowie “Little Drummer Boy,” with Bowie taking the Crosby part and Ryan Tedder, maybe, on the Bowie part.
I’m curious as to what a full-out Lady Gaga production of Carol of the Bells would be like.
Alison Krauss, “The Little Drummer Boy”.
@Jason I am counting on YES’s cover of the Hallelujah chorus being as long as the entire Messiah. Everything they do has such symphonic qualities.
I’d like to hear Steam-Powered Giraffe cover “Carol of the Bells” or “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”.
Metallica doing Good King Wenceslas; Mark Knopfler doing O Come All Ye Faithful; Jimmy Cliff doing Little Drummer Boy
Presley’s “Love Me Tender” sun by Enya.
Dragonforce doing Hark the herald angels or Tyr covering any carol
Mad Cobra performing White Christmas.
ELP covering Carol of The Bells
OK, now I just want a Murphys Christmas album. They would do strange and wonderful things with “Adeste Fidelis.”
Santa baby – Danzig
Sixpence None The Richer – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Hammerfall. (Or Sabaton, or Dream Evil; any collection of long-haired Swedes in black and rivets.)
I would shed a single metal tear, if I ever got to hear that.
Neko Case (Shane) and Tom Jones (Kristy) “Fairytale of New York.”
@VoodooDarling I was going to post that exact combination. It’s obvious, really.
Bright Little Field – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)
Richard Thompson – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
That will probably leave me depressed as all hell, so, as a palate cleanser:
Queen – I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas
Pearl Jam–Mahler 9 (Gustav Mahler’s 9th Symphony)
Alternatively, Pearl Jam–Beethoven 9.
:P
Jingle Bells by Fanfare Ciocărlia
or
Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa by Tiny Tim
Psykosonik – Silent Night
The National – either God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen or We Three Kings.
Tony Bennett and Taylor Swift doing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Miley Cyrus doing “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.”
Bing Crosby singing Tom Lehrer’s “I’m Spending Hanukkah in Santa Monica”
Carol of the Bells by Wu-Tang Clan.
O Holy Night performed by Delbert McClinton and Bonnie Raitt.
And I’ll just leave this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWG2dsXV5HI
The Who doing “Good King Wenceslaus,” because why not.
Daft Punk, “Carol of the Bells”.
Sinead O’Connor and Nick Cave dueting on “Fairytale of New York.”
@Johnny
How about Michael Bolton doing “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer?” lulz…
Queensryche, White Christmas.
Julianne Regan and Amy Lee – Battle of Evermore if they won’t do Fairy Tale of New York.
Van Canto – We Three Kings
Slipknot – “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”. Pressed to 180 gram vinyl.
Marshal Mathers (Eminem) and Tony Bennett doing the Bing and Bowie classic “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”
Proper!
Smash Mouth – “Wonderful Christmas Time”
Okay, now I want Tom Waits to do the Crosbie/Bowie Little Drummer Boy. Both parts.
Max Raabe and Palastorchester doing Santa Baby.
Megan Washington doing It came Upon a Midnight Clear.
I’d really like to hear Coldplay take a shot at The Blue Nile “Family Life” and Take 6 do John Renbourn’s “Wexford Lullaby”.
“Holly and the Ivy” performed by the Sparrow Quartet.
Brian Ferry doing “Marshmallow World”.
Devo, “I Wonder as I Wander”
The Beach Boys singing “Mary’s Boy Child”
Tyler/Loaf/Steinman doing an entire Xmas album. Ditto YES (it would have to be a double or quadruple album). And of course the Electric Mayhem.
I’d like “Fairytale of New York” done by any combo of treacly Christian or tween pop singers/groups. Just to watch the fan/media reaction. And Shane’s.
You know that a lot of those people with goody-two-shoes reputations only keep them up in public for sales reasons; some of them would LOVE to sing a proper grown up song about booze and sex and fookin’.
The Weeknd/12 Days of Christmas
So many cool ideas floating around!
I’ma go with Nick Cave’s take on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
…or a Rush version of “Little Drummer Boy,” because Neil Peart would own it and it would be glorious!
The Cocteau Twins doing “Frosty the Snowman”–oh, wait, they already did.
“FUH-rosty th’ Sno-MAAAN…”
Lt. Worf – The Friendly Beasts
Alfie Boe – No Presents For Christmas
Black Sabbath – Holly Jolly Christmas
Jonathan Coultan covering Tom Leher’s A Christmas Carol.
Several possible answers.
For funs, The definitive version of Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer could only be performed by Trailer Choir.
For reals, Dave Brubeck’s “Jingle Bells” is the only real Jingle Bells; all others are its pale shadows.
For something I think would just be awesome, Pink on “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” especially if it includes the “O ye beneath …” verse.
And for something that would be a bit beyond anything else ever heard, Bob Dylan sings “The Christmas Song” in electric-folk mode, so that all the images come out sounding like the hallucinatory/menacing/paranoid ones in “Highway 61 Revisited” or “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” (“Jack Frost nip-ping at YOUR NOSE!” “Folks dressed up like Eskimos!”)
Miles Davis. “White Christmas.”
Eivor Palsdottir singing “Christmas Time is Here” (The opening track from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”)
Okay, the Christmas song for me is “Jolly Old Christmas Time” by Weddings Parties Anything (which contains immortal lines such as “It’s pissing down rain and it’s thirty-two” and “I’m shit-faced on sherry and passionfruit-flavoured wine” and really does convey a lot of the little… joys of an Australian Christmas season) and I’d love to see it either performed by the Angels (good old Australian pub rockers) or Cold Chisel (ditto; they had their own not-so-happy Christmas song in “Home and Broken-Hearted”).
Alternatively, I’d love to hand it to Elvis Costello and the Chieftains, who did a wonderful job with “The St Stephen’s Day Murders”.
(I blame my Chrimble tune choice on ten years working retail).
Annie Lennox — I Saw Three Ships. Alternatively, The Pogues — the Wassail Song
The Clash – 12 Days of Christmas
Sara Barielles – What are you doing New Year’s Eve….
I’d have Tool do Jingle Bell Rock
King Crimson with Silver Bells
Judas Priest… What Child is This?
Nightwish… We Three Kings
Within Temptation… Ave Maria
Seanan McGuire (and whichever of her minions she wishes to acquire) doing anything, straight or filked, but especially December of Cambreadth (Kanafsky/Alexander).
(…actually, McGuire doing this with Alexander James Adams himself would be kind of awesome. Unless they dislike each other for some reason unbeknownst to me, of course.)
J.G. Thirlwell (aka Foetus) performing Carol of the Bells.
@ DigitalAtheist
Halford actually has covered “What Child Is This?”. . . albeit under his self titled band name rather than as Judas Priest. . .
also. . .We Three Kings by Blind Guardian and Little Drummer Boy by the Wicked Tinkers
Creepshow doing All I want for Christmas is you.
Duran Duran performing “Good King Wenceslas.” Or “I Saw Three Ships.”
I will get coal in my stocking for this but I just can’t resist……
Megyn Kelly singing “I Dreaming of a White Christmas”
They Might Be Giants doing the 12 Days of Christmas
“Stille Nacht” (Silent Night) and Austrian singer Nadine Beiler
Yo La Tengo doing Silent Night.
Leonard Cohen – A Fairytale of New York.
Bear McCreary and the BSG Orchestra – The Nutcracker.
The Ramones doing “Jesus was a Dreidel Spinner.” For something light, The Presidents of the United States doing “Christmas in Seattle.”
Jason Isbell doing “O Come Immanuel” or “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (though I liked the suggestion of Pink for the latter as well).
And totally agree with They Might Be Giants doing “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Hopefully they could work in some of their own ideas for gifts, like prosthetic foreheads (everybody wants one!)
Black Label Society with “Sleigh Ride.”
Also, I think Joe J just won the internet for the day. ; )
Jeff Buckley with Wonderful Christmastime/Jingle Bell Rock Medley
Ludo singing “The Christmas Song”
I’d be up for Miles Davis doing White Christmas too, but….
Michael Penn: What Child is This? (Particularly Verse 2.)
Aerosmith, singing Santa Baby
This list sounds far more interesting than many of the holiday CD’s I’ve seen for sale this year….
I would add Nickel Creek covering The Wexford Carol.
Johnny Cash singing O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
Grateful Dead performing “A Glorious “Dark” Star from Heav’n Appeared” then turn into St. Stephen…
I want to hear Bikini Kill do a take on “Santa Baby”. They should feel free to tweak the lyrics.
Motorhead doing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”.
“Let’s Have a Patrick Swayze Christmas” by The Old ’97s
Robert Plant and Patty Griffin sing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. It would simply BURN.
I would very much like to hear the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain cover Do They Know It’s Christmas.
Cat Power – Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel
I’m not even sure it would work but I think it suits her. At least it suits her pre-Sun.
Jeff Beck – O Holy Night;
Norah Jones – Santa Baby.
Trent Reznor and Betty White duet off Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Nirvana doing “Angels We Have Heard On High”. I’d LOVE to hear what Kurt Cobain could have done with the “gloooooria” bit!
In more general terms I must say I am quite impressed with the musical tastes of Whatever readers (with a few exceptions). And by ‘impressed’ I mean of course ‘closely resembles my own tastes’ :)
Madonna – Silent Night (Like a Round Yon Virgin). Hey, it’s been a while since Madge has done something to really annoy Christians. She’s overdue.
Tom Milsom covering “We Need a Little Christmas,” making it sound even more like bad handling of a brief manic episode emerging from a long depression.
Robyn Hitchcock doing “Frosty the Snowman;” the man has a way with songs about the inanimate becoming sentient.
Oh man, I travel for a week, and miss all the good stuff!
For the record, I hate Christmas music. Three submissions!
Gwar cover’s “Oh Holy Night,”
Meshuggah covers “Little Drummer Boy.”
The Dwarves cover “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause”
Fer the lulz…
Tom Waits doing Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song”
X doing “The Little Drummer Boy”
Carrie Underwood attempting The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.”
Since we’re wishing, I’ll just bring the Ramones back from the dead to play Feliz Navidad, with Dick Dale making a guest appearance for the guitar solo.
I could go for Nick Cave doing “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.”
Ken Nordine doing “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” could be deeply creepy in a good way.
Ooops, sorry I didn’t spot spam.
Dick Dale still tours! I caught him in Portland last year, completely on accident. It was great.
No Christmas songs, though.
The Fugitives, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (either the original or the neo-Pagan rewrite).
Stan Ridgway / Wall Of Voodoo covering “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Johnnie Lydon & P.I.L. doing “White Christmas”
Rammstein doing “You’re a mean one, Mister Grinch”