22 Under The Radar Songs For Your Christmas Playlist
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22 Under The Radar Songs For Your Christmas Playlist

You Probably Haven't Heard These Yet

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22 Under The Radar Songs For Your Christmas Playlist

Thanksgiving has just passed and most families celebrating Christmas have taken their family trek to the Christmas tree farms to pick out the perfect pine for this special holiday. The line for taking pictures with Santa Claus is a mile long, and radio stations have switched to their 24/7 streaming of holiday cheerful tunes. Except this year, you want something a little different than the usual "last Christmas I gave you my heart" by forty different artists, and I know for a fact you're craving a playlist that's a little more eclectic than usual. So here David Patterson and I are taking on the roles as music gurus, bringing you 22 Christmas songs that you probably haven't heard yet. We've indicated each of our picks by putting our initials next to each song (DF - Danielle, DP- David, both = we both love it). So get your Spotify or iTunes playlists fired up because we are ready for some different and heartfelt holiday cheer.

1. His Favorite Christmas Story- Capital Lights (DF)

Props to my lovely dad on finding this one. A tale about a 1937 man and woman who share a dance at a Christmas party, but depart without exchanging names. The man goes on to tell the wonderful story of when he "finally got the courage to ask her to dance," a story many gather around for year after year until he is old and gray and facing his last breaths. Will the two ever meet up again? You'll just have to listen to the song to find out. It'll surely make your heart melt.

2. I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day - Casting Crowns (DF)

Originally a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow after a man just found out about his son's death, the speaker is angry at the world for his loss. "And in despair I bowed my head // there is no peace on earth I said // for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men." Anger and despair are overwhelming, but with the sound of some bells, we can hear in our hearts that there can be peace on earth. Some versions of this song most definitely have hit the radio waves, but the orchestra and narrative style will have you emotionally invested.

3. Christmas Must Be Tonight - Train (Both)

A beautiful tale of the importance and the miracle of the Christmas baby himself, Jesus Christ. It is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of shopping, holiday treats, and Christmas lights, but it's important to remember the son of a carpenter who has brought so much light and love to this world.

4. Christmas is Coming - The Payolas (DP)


A lot of alternative musicians get caught up in trying to subvert people's expectations for Christmas music. They write really edgy, anti-holiday songs - and sometimes, yeah, they are clever. But usually that cleverness turns into pure cynicism and becomes obnoxious. This song had every opportunity to be one of those songs, but rose above it. The narrator has fallen on hard times ("Been down on the welfare/ With holes in my shoes/The kitchen's still leaking/ With floods on the floor"), but retains a certain optimism. There's a great breakdown where the other instruments fall away in the last verse, leaving only the pulsating bass. It's the kind of intimate moment most Christmas songs don't give you, and it lets you in on the singer's despair - but it is a hopeful despair. The Xmas music formula is too often about just unadulterated joy. The reality is that the Christmas season isn't all bliss. How could it be? For most people, it lasts a month. Commercially, it runs two. In exposing this, the Payolas reveal an even more touching truth about Christmas. It's not a cure-all. It doesn't just erase people's problems. Yet, it always finds a way to lift you up - even if it's just a little bit - and that's special.

P.S. Special thanks to my good friend Gavin for introducing me to this, now one of my abslolute favorites

5. Father Christmas - The Kinks (DP)


With their tongues so firmly in their cheeks, The Kinks might be the last band you'd expect to write an Xmas tune. Just listen and it will all make sense.

6. Perfect Gift - JJ Heller (DF)

A perfect reminder of how too often we forget about the perfect gift of Jesus, who is the true reason we celebrate this glorious holiday. JJ Heller's beautiful voice brings joy to your heart, hinting at the beauty and grace of the "baby who came to recall us back to life." He was a perfect gift, indeed.

7. Merry Merry Christmas Everyone - Jon McLaughlin (DF)

Jon McLaughlin's soothing voice is perfect in this song, singing about all of the joys that come along with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: snow, neighborhood kids running around, fire burning, family and friends together, etc. A perfect song to wind down Christmas Day with, along with a glass of wine, and reflect on all of the things you are grateful for.

8. This Christmas - Donny Hathaway (DP)


Christmas hit radio plays an unfortunate lack of black performers. They'll play the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Nat King Cole, a handful of female Motown singers, and that's about it. Most stations don't even play Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means To Me", but some cover version of it. This song proves what a shame that absence of musical diversity is. It's just got a great warm-yourself-by-the-fire, fall-asleep-stuffed-with-food vibe.

9. Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys (DP)

This one gets some airplay, but does it get as much as "Santa Baby"? Or that painful Alvin & the Chipmunks song? No chance. Well that's why it's on here. The Beach Boys childlike harmonies were perfect for this niche genre. They just make you feel greedy for more, similar tunage. This song is off of their Christmas album, but unfortunately the album is mostly covers. Still, this song does its job well enough that we should just appreciate it for the rare treat that it is.

10. Day After Christmas - Matthew West (DF)

Yes, you read it right. Day After Christmas is one of my FAVORITES, as Matthew West reminds us that we have AN ENTIRE YEAR to celebrate after one of our favorite holidays is over. "Merry day after Christmas, merry rest of the year // even though Christmas is over, the light of the world is still here."

11. Home for the Holiday - Sugar & The Hi Lows (DF)

A good one to play for your bae. "You're my home on the holidays // coming home to your sweet face // I'm already seeing lights" Yup, Sugar & The Hi Lows, you've called your loved one a radiant Christmas tree and that's about all that anyone could ever ask for. Truly, a beautiful song about spending Christmas with the ones you love.

12. Thanks for Christmas - XTC (DP)


A lot of songs in XTC's catalog sound like they're just a few notes and a lyrical rewrite away from being Christmas songs. There's just a sunniness and quirkiness in the music that lends itself perfectly to the genre. It's the slight strain in the lead singer's vocals. It's the synthesized twinkle sound after every repetition of "that's snowing down". It's a bunch of things, really, and they're all good.

13. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love (DP)


If you like any Ronettes Christmas songs (i.e. "Sleigh Ride", "Winter Wonderland"), this is built for your enjoyment. The muffled, fuzzy production - what is known as producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" - calls up instant nostalgia, even though the album's been out for 50 years. Dean Martin has a pretty popular version of the song, and it's fine, but it's also croony and slurry in that Dean Martin way. Where Dino's rendition is lazy, Darlene's has off-the-wall energy.

14. Baby It Ain't Christmas Without You - Kris Allen (DF)

One to sing to bae. What is a holiday without the ones you love? American Idol winner Kris Allen rocks this one, making us long for those cozy nights with the people who mean the most.

15. Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More - Relient K (DF)

A classic that my dad plays when his kiddos are back home from college for Christmastime. Relient K harps on someone who feels very alone this time of year, but finds the strength to push through the year and find a greater force who keeps them going. Strength, perseverance, and family love are all messages in this one.

16. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto - James Brown (DP)


A killer tune, and unique in that it musically sounds nothing like a holiday song. Without the lyrics, it would just be a cool James Brown funk jam. The sax solo at 1:20 represents the song as a whole pretty well. Everything is just a little bit off. A little deliberately un-catchy. That's what's so great about it, though. It still celebrates Christmas, but it very cleverly leaves you thinking about urban poverty than chestnuts roasting by an open fire.

17. Christmas Lights - Coldplay (DF)

A more somber tune that may tug on some heartstrings, as this British band sings about the love that they lost around Christmas time, the lights that remind them of that special someone, and the hope that they come back to them. This is sure to give you all the ~ feels ~.

18. Christmas in Jail - The Youngsters (DP)


So the concept is a bit of a downer, but it's delivered so un-seriously that it takes on a kind of pleasantness. It's a lot like the Payolas' "Christmas is Coming" in that way; it's about a person who's in a bad spot who is longing to be able to enjoy the holidays. That longing, though, is not depressing, but in its way, charmingly positive. (Good anti-drunk driving PSA, too - even if it's completely accidental and predates the era of the PSA.)

19. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl (Both)

DISCLAIMER: This one is NOT for everyone. To be honest, the Pogues voice can drive me up the wall on some days, but when you listen to the lyrics, you cannot help but laugh, and yes, dad (if you're reading this), this song has most definitely grown on me, but since I'm stubborn I'll still tell you I hate it. Written during a time where many from Ireland emigrated to the USA, a man heads to America with high hopes and expectations that there is an abundance of opportunity. Promising his girl so much, his lady follows, but he ends up being nothing more than drunk in the tank.

20. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty (DP)


My favorite opening to a Christmas song. Machine gun drumming into big, full-sounding guitars into Petty's happy, lilting voice. This is a song that might have been big in the 90's. It was featured in Home Alone 2 and on the hugely successful compilation album "A Very Special Christmas Album 2". Somehow, it has since fallen off Xmas radio's radar. Beats me how that happened.

21. Give Love on Christmas Day - Jackson 5 (DP)


Little MJ's enrapturing singing voice. Tasteful, minimal snare-and-hihat drumwork. Outstanding harmonies. Slow but sing-along chorus. No, it's not as familiar and cute as their "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", but it's every bit as good.

22. Thank God for Kids- Kenny Chesney (DF)

There is nothing more incredible than seeing a child's eyes light up at Christmastime. The lights, the presents under the tree, and their pure joy is indescribable. "Thank God for kids there's magic for a while // A special kind of sunshine in a smile // Do you ever stop to think or wonder why // The dearest thing to Heaven is a child." Kenny Chesney perfectly highlights the beauty and love for children's infinite questions and ultimate happiness in this country Christmas tune.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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