SWIK Holiday Classics

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Let’s face it, this time of year Christmas music is unavoidable. While a thousand different versions of “Silent Night” can be annoying, there is actually some good holiday music out there. I should know, as I seem to have made this an area of musical expertise. I created my first mix tape of holiday music in 1989 (ironic, considering last week’s post). I realized that many popular and alternative artists recorded holiday tunes. I began to compile them so I wouldn’t have to suffer through yet another year of Barry Manilow and Mannheim Steamroller. For example, one of my favorites is “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses, which manages to turn Christmas into a humorous dating saga.


I originally planned to take this week’s podcast into a more alternative route, which is my musical preference, particularly for holiday tunes. But last week I had a special guest in the Brooklyn studio and things veered off into a different direction. My mother was visiting. Since this is obviously where I developed my affection for Christmas music, I had to ask her to comment on my favorites and share some of her own. As you’ll see (or hear in the podcast), we have very different musical tastes. Yet, we came together around some surprising songs, for example Joan Jett’s version of "Little Drummer Boy." Following are some highlights from our holiday music podcast session, where there are extended comments and longer conversations.




In 2001, I returned to making holiday mixes and began giving them as gifts to friends. I think that I’ve complied four volumes of A Very Special K Holiday. I was inspired by the series of compilations A Very Special Christmas, which features artists from all genres and benefits the Special Olympics. The first volume of these came out in 1987 and included songs from Sting, U2, Run D.M.C. and Bruce Springsteen as well as The Pointer Sisters, Madonna, and Stevie Nicks. This was probably my favorite of all seven in the series, but the others have some great artists like the Mary J. Blidge, Smashing Pumpkins, Sinead O’Conner, and Norah Jones. My favorite holiday tunes from these compilations include SWIKs from numerous decades and genres. From the 1987 compilation The Eurythmics cover of “Winter Wonderland” and Alison Moyet’s “Coventry Carol” are my favorites.

Some of my other favorite seasonal songs may not have been intended as holiday tunes, yet they capture the spirit or some element of the season. The Throwing Muses’ song “Santa Claus,” from their excellent album Hunk Papa, is a stand out. This album was released in 1989 and it’s a crime that I missed on last week’s post. With lyrics like, “and I’m afraid you remind me of Santa Claus,” it should be a Christmas classic. My mother called this “scary Christmas music.” She was not a fan of the Waitresses either, commenting that they actually sounded like waitresses. Although, she did admit that the song was catchy and if someone played it at a party, she would get up and dance. That said, my mom won’t be singing “Christmas Wrapping” anytime soon.

Kate Bush’s “December Will Be Magic Again” is another 80‘s alternative holiday tune. Keeping to the slower songs, Shelleyan Orphan’s “Ice” is a beautiful, but sad song. And let’s face it, the holidays can be a miserable time for many people, so songs like this can help you get through. I also like “25th December” form Everything But The Girl’s album Amplified Heart. The Cocteau Twins EP Snow from 1992 is surprisingly joyful for this ethereal band. Their version of “Frosty The Snowman,” my mother said, “was different, but it wasn’t horrible.” She said the slower tunes were too sad for Christmas. “There’s too much sadness in the world,” she commented. Therefore, she doesn’t want any sad Christmas music. The saddest thing she wants to listen to over the holidays is Johnny Mathis or Elvis Presley singing “Blue Christmas.”

A few of my other favorites fall into the rock or folk category. While my mom agreed that Joni Mitchell’s “River” is beautiful and the Pretenders “2000 Miles,” “wasn’t bad,” she needed to be eased into these alternative songs. I thought this would be the case for another of my favorites. I’ve been a Joan Jett fan for a long time. Her first album, I Love Rock N' Roll, included a version “Little Drummer Boy.” It’s great to hear a woman singing this song. As expected, she knocks it out of the park with her raw vocals. Surprisingly, it turns out my mother actually LIKES Joan Jett and has some distinct memories of my Joan Jett years. We agreed this could be a Christmas Classic for the Kaszynski’s, particularly since my brother is a drummer.

There are plenty of pop tunes for the holidays as well. My love of cheesy music makes me a sucker for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” from 1994. I can’t help myself, this song is just soooo catchy and makes you want to dance. My mother, on the other hand, thought the song was awful. She said that it was a shame someone with Carey’s voice would record such a horrible song. She commented that I could come home for Christmas, but that we would NOT be hearing any Mariah Carey at her house. Another great pop tune is TLC’s “Sleigh Ride.” It captures their poppy hip-hop sound with a funky backbeat. This, of course, was far too "rappy" for my mom.

I asked her to bring some her favorite SWIK holiday tunes to share with my readers and listeners. She pulled out The Roches album We Three Kings. Three sisters who have been recoding since the 1960's, The Roches are known for their vocal harmonies. They sing a version of “For Unto Us A Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah. My mom, being a choral singer herself, loves this version. She also brought Joan Baez’s album Noel. She has long been a fan of Baez, who is mainly known for her protest songs from the 1960’s. My mom reminisced about seeing her in coffee houses in Boston years ago.

While I recognize the talent, The Roches and Joan Baez Christmas albums are not my preference. We did finally bond over an all time seasonal classic, one of my favorite holiday albums, Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas by Ella Fiztgerald. Everyone should have this album, whether you like Christmas music or not. It’s a fantastic jazz record and is Ella at her best. My mom shared a story about seeing her perform back in the 1960’s at cheesy club in Hampton Beach, NH. Apparently, on a date with some guy. We both love this album and agreed Ella’s version of “Jingle Bells” is a joyful classic.

Once we went a little further back in time, we found a lot of music that we both enjoyed. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is another catchy holiday classic. We both really like Earth Kitt’s very sexy “Santa Baby.” Many have covered this song, but her version remains the best. Finally, one of the songs that will remain a classic for me is Aretha Franklin’s version of “Winter Wonderland.” It’s warm and powerful. This song brings me back to my childhood. It was on one of my parent’s Christmas records, so it reminds of me of how great the holidays are when you’re a kid. While my mom loves the song as well, she couldn’t remember what we had done with the record and decided that it was most likely packed away in the attic.

Those are few of my holiday favorites. Clearly, I have a bit of a problem with my Christmas music addiction. I’ll be working on “A Very Special K Holiday’ Volume 5 this year. There are some new SWIK seasonal releases for 2009, but I’ve been too busy to listen to any of them. I listed a few below so you can check them out yourself. As the holiday season draws to a close, I wish everyone a very happy new year full of joy and wonder. Let me know your favorite songs of the season. Are they different from your mother’s holiday favorites?


~DJ Kyrawoman
December, 2009

Recent SWIK Holiday Releases
This Christmas - Aretha Franklin
Midwinter Graces - Tori Amos
Oh Blue Christmas - A Fine Frenzy
A New Thought for Christmas - Melissa Etheridge
Wintersong - Sarah McLachlan
A Midwinter Night's Dream - Loreena McKennitt
Christmas Songs - Diana Krall
Suckin' It for the Holidays - Kathy Griffin (comedy)
Christmas Tree - Lady Gaga

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