Best Non-Santa, Non-Jesus Winter Solstice Song...

[arwalden]

My votes: "Sleigh Ride" and "Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

[Occulus]

1. My vote is for

a choral piece called "Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind", text from (I believe) As You Like It. It's a sad piece.

"BLOW, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh ho! sing, heigh ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remember'd not.
Heigh ho! sing, heigh ho! unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly. "

[supernova]

4. Linus & Lucy theme

instrumental by the Vince Garadi Trio. It always makes me smile and I never tire of it. :D

[Rowdyboy]

2. "Deck the Halls!"

I love donning my "gay apparel"

[name not needed]

22. tis the season to be jorry

fa ra ra ra ra ra ra ra ra

heheh

[trof]

3. where the hell have YOU been?

Been waiting for your best nostalgia shots at my dime store and department store threads.
"Winter Wonderland" and "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire)".
Both by Johnny Mathis whose Christmas Album will (IMHO) NEVER be surpassed.

on edit: are you still full?

[Mikimouse]

6. The Christmas Song-Johnny Mathis?

I thought it was Nat 'King' Cole.

[supernova]

8. They've both done it

There's a Nat King Cole version and a Johnny Mathis version, IIRC.

[trof]

10. Yes, you do RC!

[supernova]

12. Thanks, I think I like the NKC version

best of all, even over the Johnny Mathis version. Ole Nat somehow sounds more touching and less treachly to me.

[Zomby Woof]

13. but it was written by Mel Torme

nt

[HEyHEY]

16. zibidy zoobidy bop!

[supernova]

20. I know Mel wrote it

but sorry, I can't get into scat singing. Never could. It just doesn't ad anything to the song for me.

[Zomby Woof]

26. I wasn't judging one way or the other

I don't care who performs it better - I hate the song, and I hate christmas music.

[supernova]

37. So why are you

answering a thread about favorite secular xmas music?

[HEyHEY]

5. white christmas...oh wait..it may have xmas in the title

but....does that count...if not we'll say that winter wonder land song

[arwalden]

7. I'd Say It Counts... It's About CHRISTMAS... Not About Christ.

Survey SAYS!? Ding-ding-ding!

[HEyHEY]

9. good than I go with that one

I have loved that song since I was a small kid, you know back when you're supposed to hate crooner music....too bad it's soiled by BIng being a vicious child abusing bastard.

[Captain Absolut]

11. Hands Down

Carol of the Bells.

I've loved it since I was little.

---

Hark how the bells,
sweet silver bells,
all seem to say,
throw cares away

Christmas is here,
bringing good cheer,
to young and old,
meek and the bold,

Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale,

Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here,

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas,
On on they send ,
on without end,
their joyful tone to every home
Dong Ding dong ding, dong Bong

[arwalden]

15. Remember The Andre Champagne Commercials?

... they always used that song. I always loved it.

-- Allen

[arwalden]

17. P.S. I Also Love The "South Park" Version Sung By Mr. Mackey

[Philostopher]

18. I remember how much fun that one was to sing

in high school choir. We had a good choir, we used to do lots of those really intricate, multi-part songs. Then, because we were good enough to handle some of it, our choir director got a bug up his ass about stuff from Handel's "Messiah." He lost half the choir in one holiday concert season, and some never went back. Idiot -- he didn't understand that high school kids will learn anything if it's fun to sing, even if it's really difficult. "Messiah" isn't fun for high school kids to sing.

[pasadenaboy]

21. I'm sorry,

but that is one of my least favorite songs of all times. I can't get it out of my head for days after I hear it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Good one! nt

[supernova]

14. Silver Bells

Carol of the Bells is lovely, and I've always adored the lyrics and meloday to Silver Bells.

Silver Bells

City sidewalks
Busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling like Christmas

Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle you hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

[Lady Freedom]

19. First Christmas, now winter!

It's FALL people!FALL!!!!

[camero]

23. Let it Snow

Bing Crosby, I think.

[trof]

28. Oh, the weather outside is frightful.

Inside, it's so delightful.
So, since we have no place to go,
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

from memory, no less!

[maxanne]

24. River

by Joni Mitchell

It’s coming on christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don’t snow here
It stays pretty green
I’m going to make a lot of money
Then I’m going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I’m so hard to handle
I’m selfish and I’m sad
Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye

It’s coming on christmas
They’re cutting down trees
They’re putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on


Christmas always makes me wish I could skate away...

[VelmaD]

25. Woulda voted for "THe Holly and the Ivy"

if words about Jesus hadn't been added by the church. x( Silly christians putting Jeebus into a perfectly good pagan carol. ;-)

[kckc]

27. Baby It's Cold Outside

But ONLY the version by Dianne Reeves and Lou Rawls. If it doesn't get your juices flowin, then there is definitely a problem! Any other duo is totally unacceptable!

[LWolf]

30. Some of my favorites:

Winter wonderland
Ring out Solstice Bells--Tull
Greensleeves--Liz Story from Winter Solstice album
Winterlong Neil Young
A Charlie Brown Christmas--Vince Guaraldi
Snowdance David Arkenstone

"12 days of christmas" sung by the muppets, with Miss Piggy belting out "five golden rings"

And of course, if you can stomach them, there's the Bob Rivers "twisted christmas" parodies. A few of my favorites:

"Visit from st. nicholson"
"O come all ye grateful deadheads"
"chimney song"
"the 12 pains of christmas:"

<snip>

The twelfth thing of Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Singing Christmas carols
Stale TV specials
"Batteries Not Included"
No parking?!?
WAAAAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAH!
Charities!
Gotta make 'em dinner!
Five months of bills!
I'm not sendin' them this year, that's it!
Shut up, you!
FINE! YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU RIG UP THE LIGHTS!!!
And finding a Christmas tree

[randr]

31. A change at Christmas(say it isn't so)

The Flaming Lips on their newest album "Ego tripping at the gates of hell". http://www.flaminglips.com/main.php

[KittyWampus]

32. Here We Come A-Wassailing & The Holly and The Ivy

as done by The Watersons

I am an ancient & traditional folk music freak :)

[ronzo]

33. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Awww pa, that one always makes me cry.



*sniff*

[Ksec]

34. White Christmas and Here comes Santa Claus

I always loved those two.

[Ellen Forradalom]

35. Any wassailing song

Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree
With a wassailing bowl we'll sing to thee.

[FloridaJudy]

36. "Rise Up, Oh Flame!"

A lovely old Yule round:

Rise up, oh flame!
By thy light glowing
Bring to us beauty
Vision and joy!

Libana did a great recording of this.

[MrBenchley]

38. Ring Out Solstice Bells

by Jethro Tull, of course...

Now is the solstice of the year,
winter is the glad song that you hear.
Seven maids move in seven time.
Have the lads up ready in a line.
Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.

Join together beneath the mistletoe.
by the holy oak whereon it grows.
Seven druids dance in seven time.
Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming.
Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.

Praise be to the distant sister sun,
joyful as the silver planets run.
Seven maids move in seven time.
Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming.
Ring out those bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.
Ring on, ring out.
Ring on, ring out.