Coaches' Favourite Christmas Songs
Coach Hanna, Bojana and Nisha share with us their favourite Christmas songs for the jolly season! 🎶
1. Rocking around the Christmas tree
Released: 1958
Written By: Johhny Marks
Coach Bojana: “I love this song because it has an old school sound to it and Brenda Lee was only 13 when she recorded the song, can you imagine that!”
Indeed, to have sung a hit song at such a young age, is truly a feat. Sold over 25 milion copies, it stands out as the 4th most digital download sold of any other Christmas single.
2. Winter Wonderland
Released: 1934
Written By: Felix Bernard, Richard Bernhard Smith.
Coach Bojana: “I like the version of Kylie Minoque because of her interpretation,which is seductive sassy and therefore slightly different than all other Christmas songs in that respect. Her appearance on the cover album of the song too is something I like. “
The vocals are very poppy and therefore contribute to a rather different genre thus makes this song sound like a pop song rather than a jazz standard.
3. My Favourite Things
This Christmas song was written for the famous musical “The Sound of Music” , and was first performed and recorded by Julie Andrews.
Following that, in 1961, the great Jazz Saxophonist John Coltrane, performed it his album in that same year. The tune has since then became widely accepted as a Jazz Standard.
Coach Bojana: “…this is one of the very first Jazz standards that I learned many years ago when I started singing and learning about Jazz music. It was also my very first Jazz standard I performed in front of an audience. So I will always remember this tune for sure!”
4. White Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald
Coach Nisha: “This song is one of my top three Christmas picks! It was released in the 1960’s, in it’s best Jazz rendition of the tune. It truly lifts my spirit, having both a Christmas tune and Jazz infusions in one song!" I picked this as one of the songs as we had our Online Performance Day at The Vocal Studio on the 12th of December and my students so beautifully performed this very song as a group and it made me so proud of them. Teaching Jazz to the younger generation is no easy feat but I loved their growth mindset towards the song and their dedication to want to sound great. It increased their awareness in singing any song and also empowered them, knowing that they sang a difficult song. A beautiful song, now partnered with a beautiful memory!”
5. It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas - Michael Bublè
Coach Nisha: “Michael Buble creates the best kinds of songs, Christmas or not! So, this song was released by Meredith Wilson back in 1951. She was a well known composer, playwright & author for various broadway musicals too, such as “The Music Man”. So, she truly created a beautiful tune, of which Michael Buble did his rendition on, in 2011. I absolutely love his rendition as it brings me back to the memory of sleepovers with my family, where we would snuggle up under the covers, close our eyes and listen to Michael Buble’s Christmas album. What a divine experience, especially with his great voice!”
6. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano
Coach Nisha: “My last Christmas pick for this list, but one of the highest on my chart is Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano! The original tune was released in 1970 on a cassette and from then on, played all around the world! This song is another beautiful Christmas memory for me, and still a reality in fact, that happens yearly at a local church in Singapore. Every year, right after the Christmas service has ended, we end off the day by singing this song which ensures that we leave on the happiest, most positive note! It truly brings around a Merry & Happy Christmas, just as the song says!”