26 best Christmas rock songs of all time

The final version of this song is the copycat original. Brenda Lee doesn’t use “rockin ‘” here lightly: the rockabilly singer and her band seem set to embrace the end of the year with a sweaty dance and an Old Fashioned or Five.

Brown wasn’t lying when he called his vacation collection Awesome christmas. But even with his silky groove and horn beating, he brings a serious social conscience to the lyrics of this unusual track that make it more than just another winter buzz.

Cash was not afraid to dive into seasonality in his day, and his signature gritty vocals bring a gravity to “Silent Night” that far surpasses the song’s other endless iterations.

The rock’n’roll pioneer wasn’t kidding with his rendition of “Run Rudolph Run”. Rarely do Christmas carols make you want to shake your ass, but this is a timeless exception.

There’s something about the boss’s humble Americana that’s just right for Christmas. He’s got a lovable dude who celebrates the bar energy in this live cut, with the distinctively loud E Street Band matching him every step of the way.

If you’re lucky enough to enjoy Christmas in the California heat (well, depending on your take on seasonality), there’s no better backing track than The Beach Boys. Their “Little Saint Nick” is a joyous oceanfront bonfire celebration waiting to happen.

If you think punk and Christmas don’t make sense together, good luck telling the Vandals. Their “Oi to the World” is both a trashy pub and genuinely uplifting. In other words, something for everyone.

Bless him, Petty has never been a snob about his particular omnivorous rock flavor. “Christmas All Over Again” has the power to pump up cranky toddlers, grandmothers and (maybe) even teens.

People who want a little more greenery to mellow this time of year need look no further than two classic cannabis fans. Kacey Musgraves joined her hero Willie Nelson for a charming Hawaiian-inspired ode to staying “higher than the angel on top of the tree.”

Everyone needs a little shake up after too many gingerbread cookies. Bob Seger more than effectively provides a thud to keep you awake.

Newish Christmas music doesn’t get much better (or admirably stranger) than Paul Simon’s 2011 single So beautiful or so. He walks on relaxed atmospheres and spoken background voices which constitute a charming company while waiting for the turkey.

Stevens doesn’t fuss about being a Christian, which is probably why his charming Songs for Christmas seemed out of left field. But his baroque pop interpretation of a religious hymn has a pleasant shine of modern grace.

Dylan croaks fiery Christmas music is even weirder than expected, but not necessarily in a bad way. He resigned himself appropriately to this sad holiday detour.

What is that? A very romantic New Wave Christmas-themed track by beloved alternative rockers that plays just as easily on college radio in April as it does when you look out a snowy window? Yes. Really, a miracle.

Nelson’s original solo “Pretty Paper” was already awesome, but this new duet version matches it with the plaintive yet reaffirming, still divine Dolly. So, of course, it’s a winner.

The Ventures have completely abandoned the project of pious lyrics and platitudes with their Christmas instrumental set. “Frosty the Snowman” gets a delicious’ 60s rock verve, opening up to handclaps and a stickier than sugarcane surf-rock riff.

Shaking the dust off the seasonal hokum, Elvis gives this unrequited love story a real heartbreak in his voice. Meanwhile, the swing sound has made celebrating a new generation a little differently.

You could land on any song from Phil Spector’s 1963 classic A Christmas present for you album and be more than satisfied. The producer has achieved his goal of making a Christmas record that bills itself as his own timeless work, applying his rich “Wall of Sound” technique to mostly lay standards. The highlight, however, is Darlene Love’s rendition of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home”), her intense voice making her passion for advocacy palpable.

The Christmas song to happily turn any emo heart into black, Fall Out Boy’s Christmas sneer is a deeply underrated one-off. If you got dumped while on vacation or just can’t be bothered, start her catchy, dismissive rant. “Merry Christmas / I don’t care”, indeed.

If you want to see the optimism flow from your kids ‘faces, play them this clever’ 90s track about a drunk and out of balance Santa. (Actually, don’t do that.) Weird Al laughs at the serious intentions of pop music like no one else, which makes it ideal for this time of year.

Add rap rock to your Christmas playlist. The song picks up on Christmas classics like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bells,” in case anyone says it’s just not Christmas enough.

This one is an underrated single from Blink-182 if we’ve heard it before. Parodying “I’ll be home for Christmas”, it’s about a guy who loses him on Christmas Eve and decides to attack the singers. Play it for the scooge in your life.

Accompanied by an equally wild music video, “Don’t Shoot Me Santa” is a violent holiday-themed song about a kid who sure should be on the villain list, and Santa makes sure he doesn’t. will do nothing mean. ..never.

Maybe they are not one real band, but Spinal Tap’s “Christmas with the Devil” is as real as any other Christmas song. Seriously, if you play this for someone who doesn’t know any better, they’d think it was just a regular metal band singing about the holidays with Satan.

Not officially released on a Queen album until the ’90s, you’d be forgiven for not knowing this holiday single existed. But after listening, you’ll want to keep playing for years to come.

This sizzling Christmas song is about wanting a woman for Christmas. It’s not really family-friendly, but hey, who said Christmas was just for kids?