The Best Knoxville DJ Christmas Hits!

Christmas is right around the corner, and all those holiday weddings and company parties are amongst us.   We get a few chances to play Christmas songs every year before we put them on the shelf for another long 11 month hibernation.   It’s time to dust off your old favorites and discover a few more.

The Top 10 Christmas Songs (According to the non-curators of Impact Dj and Lighting)

10. Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC      

Released in 1987, it reached 78 on the Billboard Hot R&B songs 13 years later.   We’ll call it a late bloomer.  It’s one of the few good Hip Hop Christmas songs that exist.

9. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of The Year – Andy Williams

Maybe the name doesn’t ring a bell, but Andy Williams had quite the career.  He had his own TV show, released 44 albums and was nominated for 6 Grammy awards!

8. Run Rudolph Run – Chuck Berry

Toss of them shoes and get a sock hopp’in to this old hit.  Released in 1958, this song sounds a lot like his biggest hit, Johnny B. Goode.

7. All I Want for Christmas – Mariah Carey

You didn’t think we would leave this song out right?   A huge hit released in 1994,  this song has been everywhere.  It was a late bloomer too however, In December 2015, the song peaked at 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it its highest peak since its original release.  A worthy redo worth listening to is the same song but sang as a duet with Justin Bieber. Did you know there are 2 music videos for this song?

6.  Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys

Headed south for the holidays?   Well you got to put this one on your list.   First performed in 1964 this album reached number 6th on the US Billboard and was a popular hit for many years after.   It included five original songs and seven standards.

The Top 5!

5. Please Come Home For Christmas – Eagles

Covered in 1978 by the Eagles, they released the song as a holiday single. Their version peaked at #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the first Christmas song to reach the Top 20 on that chart since Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Paper” in 1963.

4.  Last Christmas – Wham

George Michael lead singer of Wham sang this one in 1984.  Ever listen to the words?   It’s the last Christmas he gets to spend with his lady friend.   It’s still one of those originals that most everyone knows.

3. Little Drummer Boy – Bing Crosby and David Bowie

This awesome original song was written in 1957, while the “Peace on Earth” tune and lyrics were added to the song especially for Bowie and Crosby’s recording. Bing passed away just over a month after recording the special.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer – Gene Autry

Gene Autry was popular back in the day.   He appeared in 93 films and 91 episodes of his own TV show.  Autry is still remembered for his Christmas holiday songs, “Here Comes Santa Claus”, which he wrote, “Frosty the Snowman”, “An Old Fashioned Tree”, and his biggest hit, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”.

Autry was a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance.  The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma was named in his honor.

1. A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives

Burl Ives didn’t write this sonf, but he re-recorded it most famously in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in which Burl Ives voiced the narrator, Sam the Snowman. Originally to be sung by Larry D. Mann as Yukon Cornelius, the song, as well as “Silver and Gold,” was given to Burl Ives due to his singing fame.  This version was also included on the soundtrack album for the special and later released as a single.

The song was re-recorded by Ives for his 1965 holiday album, Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. This version of the song has a somewhat slower than the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer version and features an acoustic guitar solo introduction.