1. "What Child Is This" Dar Williams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A3i0GATnRI I first heard this song on a charity CD named "A Home for the Holidays" that I was given to review when I was the Features Editor of my college newspaper, and it quickly became my favourite track off the album. There are many versions of the classic "What Child Is This," but Dar Williams' haunting take is probably one of the best. Her soulful voice is perfectly paired with the angelic anthem, as she serenades the newly born Jesus. Towards the beginning, her sultry vocals almost break as she poignantly recounts the story of Christ's birth: "This, this is Christ the King/whom shepherds guard and angels sing." This song can melt any cynic's heart. It seems aimed at people like me who feel Christmas has been completely commercialized to an insane degree, e.g., Black Friday has now become Black Thursday, in essence taking over Thanksgiving. The commercialisation of Christmas was a semi-novel observation when "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first aired 48 years ago, but now it's gone way past the point of parody. (Even last week's "South Park" episode seemed exhausted dissecting Black Friday.) This song reminds me to slow down and at least attempt to contemplate the reason for the season. To me, this song really is "what Christmas is all about," to quote Linus from the aforementioned Peanuts special; it seamlessly juxtaposes Jesus' divinity with his humanity: "Raise, raise your song on high/while Mary sings a lullaby." Just beautiful. So which quirky Christmas carols capture your fancy? If you're manor womanenough, reveal your guilty pleasures in the comments below.
Michael Perone
Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
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