Hi my name is Brennan and I love Christmas…
I love it so much that every year my band, King Cardinal, writes and releases an original Christmas song. To get a song from inception to your ears takes a long time. Paul McCartney wrote Wonderful Christmastime on a ‘boiling hot day in July’ just to get it out by winter. I’ve found that the only way to get in the mood to write a Christmas song in July is to listen to a lot (and I mean a lot) of Christmas music. Needless to say, I’ve become well acquainted with everything from Sufjan Stevens 100 Holiday songs, to the Beach Boys Christmas album, to the Home Alone Soundtrack (still my go-to).
However, some of my favorites are from our great state of Colorado.
Here’s my list of the best Colorado Christmas tunes…
Christmas in Oblivion – The Yawpers
As you’ll come to learn while reading this list, I’m a huge fan of sad Christmas songs. The Yawpers’ Christmas in Oblivion is no exception.
From Bloodshot Records’ compilation album 13 Days of Xmas. A Springsteen’esque song about the loneliness that gets magnified during the Holiday season. It’s a song of despair – but, hey, there are jingle bells!!
Check out the 13 Days of Christmas if you want some solid Americana Holiday songs. Ron Gallo, Murder by Death, and Kelly Hogan have some killer contributions.
Baby It’s Cold Outside – Nathaniel Rateliff
What would a Colorado list be without Natedawg?
This duet with Nathaniel’s longtime collaborator, Julie Davis, is a gender reversal that revamps the Bill Cosby style tune. Julie always elevated Nathaniel’s sparse earlier work, so it’s great to see her get some spotlight. Also, Nathaniel is hitting some serious low notes on this one.
Just like Christmas – Esme Patterson and Craig Finn
This song has all but been scrubbed from the internet, but don’t you worry! As always, Yahoo Sports has got ya!
One of my favorite non-traditional Christmas songs by the band Low. Esme and Craig bring a bouncy and cheerful angle to Low’s usual “slowcore” songwriting.
Kyle’s Xmas – I Don’t Mind Getting Coal
If there’s anyone that flaunts their love for Christmas more than me, it would be Kyle Gray of the band Rubedo.
Over the years, Kyle has made 3 Christmas EPs, several Indie 102.3 performances, and a truly, truly bizarre Xmas Special.
If you’re going to listen to just one song, check out Kyle’s Christmas magnum opus, “Santa Claus, I Don’t Mind Getting Coal.” It makes an appearance on all 3 albums. However, he really hit his stride with the live performance at the Indie 102.3 studio sung by a one eyed, cowboy puppet named P. Miller.
John Denver – Please Daddy
Although there’s a lot of sad songs on this list, this one is the saddest. That’s right! The guy that did the Muppets special put out a devastating song about a 7-year-old boy begging his alcoholic father to refrain from ruining Christmas this year. It’s dressed up as a cheesy country song, but the lyrics can really land a punch. Check out Alan Jackson’s version if you want to go full bore on the cheese.
King Cardinal – Holes in My Sweater
Now for what is, in my unbiased opinion, the best Christmas song of the year. My song; Holes in My Sweater. It’s a song about a Scrooge waiting for his love interest at a bar. We wanted to combine the live, party vibe of the album “Beach Boys Party!” and the silliness of Weezer’s “Pinkerton.” If this one doesn’t do it for you, we’ve got 5 more Christmas songs to choose from. So, go ahead and take a stroll through our Christmas discography.
Purchase King Cardinal Christmas List on Bandcamp
Get all 12 King Cardinal releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%. Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Bluebird Day, Long Goodbye, Sing, Sing, Sing,Christmas List, Winter Waltz, Great Lakes, Metronome, Seventeen, and 4 more.