This was originally going to be a post comparing radio’s Christmas selection to that of other streaming and music options, but the one station I was going to use appears to be dead, despite still showing up on the Radio Pup app, so I don’t have a sample hour of that station. From what I remember of it though, it was much slower than your typical radio station at Christmas, but fairly typical of anything not available on traditional FM radio at the time. A sample hour might look something like this:
- Bing Crosby – White Christmas
- Nat King Coal – A Christmas Song
- Wham! – Last Christmas
- Josh Groban – Believe
- Johnny Mathis – Sleigh Ride
- Ronettes – Frosty the Snowman
- Susan Boil – Silent Night
And probably a lot more that I can’t think of right now. The point is, very slow, and usually old and traditional.
Now, let’s take a listen to some of the stations I have been listening to for the past few weeks. The average tempo here is a bit higher, and average year significantly newer than the sampling just listed. This year in particular, it seems there have been quite a few songs I haven’t heard before, noted with a * by them. I am not sure whether they are new or simply songs I haven’t heard before. First, let’s take a listen to KMGL, Magic 104.1 from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Here’s the station at 1:00 P.M. local time on Sunday, December 15.
- Mariah Carry – All I Want for Christmas Is You
- Amy Grant – Oh Come, All Ye Faithful *
- Wham! – Last Christmas
- Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me
- Martina McBride – Oh Holy Night
- Leann Rhymes – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
- John Legend – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- Ronettes – Frosty the Snowman
- Johnny Mathis – It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
- Debby Gibson – Sleigh Ride
- Idina Menzel and Michael Buble – Baby It’s Cold Outside
- Jewel – Winter Wonderland
- Garth Brooks – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year *
- Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
- Celine Dion – A Christmas Song
- Elmo and Patsy – Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
I’ve also heard the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s version of Winter Wonderland here, something I haven’t heard anywhere else, or before this season. Here’s WMXS from Montgomery, Alabama with a similar mix the next day at 2:00 P.M. local time:
- Mariah Carry – All I Want for Christmas is You
- Manheim Steamroller – Dance of the Sugarplum Ferries
- Michael Buble – Holly Jolly Christmas
- Carry Underwood – Do You Hear What I Hear
- Bearel Ives – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- Backstreet Boys – Last Christmas *
- Kelly Clarkson – Underneath the Tree
- Anne Murray – Silver Bells
- Thural Ravenscroft – You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
- Jimmy Buffet – Christmas Island *
- John Denver – Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer *
- Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me
- Bing Crosby – I Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Taylor Swift – Christmas Tree Farm
Not represented in that hour is that WMXS isn’t afraid to play novelty records. Surprisingly, the Chipmunk Song has been getting a lot of airplay this year, that’s one I sometimes have to wait for, but it doesn’t surprise me that WMXS was the first place I heard it this season. Even WLOV, whose softer approach to Classic Hits was featured in a column transferred from my old site, doesn’t feel old and slow in comparison to the mix I’ve heard on some internet and TV channels, though they seem very out of place this year when compared to the two stations mentioned above, which are more typical of the mix I’m hearing this year. Here’s the station at 2:00 P.M. on December 17:
- Bearel Ives – Holly Jolly Christmas
- Natalie Coal – A Christmas Song
- Kenny Rogers – Baby It’s Cold Outside * I also couldn’t get who he was teaming with on this song because the data on the player wasn’t working
- Henry Mancini – We Three Kings/Oh Come All Ye Faithfull/Joy to the World
- John Lennon – Happy Christmas War Is Over
- Jose Feliciano – Feliz Navidad
- Vince Goraldie – Christmas Time is Here
- Air Supply – Winter Wonderland
- Carpenters – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
- Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
- Ronettes – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause
- Perry Como – It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
- Stevey Wonder – Little Drummer Boy
- Josh Groban and Faith Hill – The First Noel
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