iStock Images/GettyWith Christmas taking place on Tuesday, radio playlists are filled with classic holiday tunes, including covers of traditional songs and modern originals. Various well-known music artists have shared their favorite yuletide tunes with ABC Radio, focusing mainly on the non-traditional variety.
The Beach Boys‘ Mike Love says his favorite rock ‘n’ roll Christmas song is Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run,” but also notes that he loves The Everly Brothers‘ version of “Silent Night.”
“They were a big inspiration to [The Beach Boys] when we first started out,” Love points out. “[T]heir [vocal] blend was so cool, and [they had] fun songs too.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford also chooses “Run Rudolph Run” as his favorite non-traditional holiday song, calling it “a rockin’ little tune.” Clifford notes that his CCR spinoff group Creedence Clearwater Revisited recorded a cover of it for a 2009 benefit album for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, to which Love also contributed.
Foreigner‘s Mick Jones tells ABC Radio that Bobby Helms‘ “Jingle Bell Rock” would be his “wake-up call in the morning on Christmas Day.”
Moody Blues singer/bassist John Lodge is a fan of John Lennon‘s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” which he says, “summed up a whole period of time” for him.
Blues Traveler frontman John Popper also chooses “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” as a favorite, while also singling out the 1984 charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” credited to the star-studded collective known as Band Aid. Popper says he especially loves the line that U2‘s Bono belts out: “Tonight thank God it’s them instead of you!”
Doobie Brothers singer/guitarist Tom Johnston, meanwhile, is partial to Otis Redding‘s soulful rendition of “Merry Christmas Baby” as his favorite non-traditional holiday song, and also likes Lou Rawls version of the tune.
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