Parsons Playlists: Holiday Mix

Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a selection of holiday music curated by Eli (class of 2024).

Tired of hearing the same few Christmas songs over and over? I’m not! But in case you do wish to branch out, here are ten Christmas songs you may not have heard.

Bumble Snow Monster

David Phelps – “Catching Santa”

Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters – “Mele Kalikimaka”

Stevie Wonder – “Someday At Christmas”

Sia – “Santa’s Coming For Us”

Mariah Carey ft. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson – “Oh Santa!”

Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Christmastime”

Victor C. Johnson – “Stars I Shall Find”

Louis Armstrong – “Zat You, Santa Claus?”

Leslie Odom, Jr. – “The Christmas Waltz”

Stevie Wonder – “What Christmas Means To Me”

Here’s a link to the full playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU94rco57ZewOxwXb5rdEE4pWs3vYSaue

Arachnophonia: The Polar Express

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item(s) in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Allison (class of 2022) and features a suite of music from the soundtrack to The Polar Express film released in 2004. Thanks, Allison!

The Polar Express

Polar Express movie poster

In 1985, Chris Van Allsburg wrote the children’s book The Polar Express. His story was released as an animated children’s film in 2004 and was wildly successful. The soundtrack, composed by Alan Silvestri, received much well-deserved praise, including a 2006 Grammy for the song “Believe.”

Although my parents definitely read the book to me previously,my first tangible memory of The Polar Express was in first grade when my class had “Polar Express Day.” On that day we came to school in our pajamas, drank hot chocolate, and watched The Polar Express. As a result, I have always had a certain fondness for the movie.

In 2017, I played “The Polar Express Suite” with my youth orchestra as a part of our annual Christmas concert. Even with our packed program, “The Polar Express Suite” still stuck out as one of my absolute favorites. The suite highlights the main themes from the polar express soundtrack and creates the same majestic feeling the songs have in the movie. The suite is often overlooked but I find it to be just as much of a holiday classic as the movie itself.

Polar Express book cover

Spider Sounds: Holiday Music Special Edition – Part 2

Editor’s Note: Our Spider Sounds holiday music extravaganza continues today (you can check out part 1 here). We asked folks who work in the Parsons Music Library, Boatwright Memorial Library, and the Music Department to share some of their favorite music to listen to during the holiday season. Any holiday and all genres of music were fair game and we got quite a fun selection — so much so that we split everyone’s picks across two posts! Links will take you to either the library catalog or to other relevant information. Do you see any of your favorites on this list? If there are favorites or overlooked classics you’d like to add, please share them in the comments to this post! We at the Parsons Music Library wish you all a peaceful and enjoyable Winter Break.

reindeer

A list of holiday favorites (familiar and otherwise) — part the second:

Cate Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2019

The Waitresses“Christmas Wrapping”

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping (1982 single cover)

Barenaked LadiesBarenaked For the Holidays

Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays

Malorie Olivier Administrative Coordinator, Boatwright Memorial Library

Eartha Kitt“Santa Baby”

Eartha Kitt - "Santa Baby"

Kasey Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

Paul McCartney“Wonderful Christmastime”

Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime

Elvis Presley“Blue Christmas”

Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas

James Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

“Pie Jesu” from Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Requiem

Joanna Love Adjunct Professor of Music

Mariah Carey“All I Want For Christmas Is You”

mariah_carey-574

Gayla Peevey“I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas”

Gayla Peevey - I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Susie Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2019
Bernice Johnson Reagon“Seven Principles”

Sweet Honey In the Rock

Wesley Whatley – “Habari Gani (What’s The News?)”

cover-large_file

Sally Albrecht – “Light the Kinara for Kwanzaa”

Kinara

Iria Jones Operations Manager, Boatwright Memorial Library

“Carol of the Bells”

Holiday Bells

Samantha Guss Social Sciences Librarian, Boatwright Memorial Library

Evie“Come On Ring Those Bells”

Evie - Come On Ring Those Bells

Ray Charles“That Spirit of Christmas”

Ray Charles - That Spirit of Christmas

Alexandra Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

Band Aid“Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Band Aid -  Do They Know It's Christmas?

Colette Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

Vince GuaraldiA Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Jennifer Cable Professor of Music & Coordinator of Voice Studies, Music Department

Leroy Anderson“Sleigh Ride”

Currier & Ives - Sleigh Ride

We’ve shared lots of holiday music in the past couple of posts. What are some of your favorites? Let us know in the comments on this post (or the first post in the series). Some of the selections shared stream on UR’s audio subscription services and some are available as CDs. Stop by the Parsons Music Library to pick up some holiday tunes for listening — or even some scores and do some music making of your own this season!

Spider Sounds

Spider Sounds: Holiday Music Special Edition — Part 1

Editor’s Note: Spider Sounds presents a special holiday edition today (it’s so special we’ve broken it into two parts!). We asked various folks who work in the Parsons Music Library, Boatwright Library and the Music Department to share some of their favorite music to listen to during the holiday season. Any holiday and all genres of music were fair game and we got quite a fun selection. Links will take you to either the library catalog or to other relevant information. Do you see any of your favorites on this list? If there are favorites or overlooked classics you’d like to add, please share them in the comments to this post! Tune in this Friday for part 2 of our Holiday Music Special!

Lights and piano

A list holiday favorites (familiar and otherwise):

Emily Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017:

James Taylor at Christmas

James Taylor at Christmas

Handel’s Messiah

Handel's Messiah

Claire Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2020

“Silent Night”

Silent Night Chapel

Mary Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2018

Stevie Wonder “I Just Called To Say I Love You”

Stevie Wonder single

Linda Fairtile Head, Parsons Music Library

John Rutter“What Sweeter Music”

John Rutter Christmas Album

Any arrangement of “In The Bleak Midwinter”
“The Little Drummer Boy”
“O Holy Night”

Little Drummer Boy

Gabriela Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2020

Julian Casablancas“I Wish It Was Christmas Today”

Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today

Liza Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Kim Wolfe Resource Sharing Specialist, Boatwright Memorial Library

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings“Big Bulbs” from their It’s A Holiday Soul Party album.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings

Also “8 Days (Of Hanukah)” from the same album!

Menorah

Zach Music Library Student Worker, Class of 2017

Samuel BarberAgnus Dei (Adagio for Strings) (the choral version)

Barber - Agnus Dei

Melanie Armstrong Music Library Associate (and blog editor!)

Duke Ellington‘s version of The Nutcracker Suite

Duke Ellington - The Nutcracker Suite

Benjamin Britten‘s A Ceremony of Carols

Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols"

Darlene Love“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

For the 17th year on the broadcast, singer Darlene Love, who was recently chosen for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2011, perform her classic, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, Dec. 23 on the CBS Television Network.  Photo: John Paul Filo/CBS ©2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Singer Darlene Love performs her classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, Dec. 23 2010 on the CBS Television Network.
Photo: John Paul Filo/CBS
©2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

All of the music (written by Paul Williams) from the Muppets special Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

Don’t forget the second part of this holiday music extravaganza will be out on Friday and feel free to share your own holiday favorites in the comments!

Spider Sounds