Favorite Christmas Songs From A Gay Baby Boomer's Point of View
A few days ago I came across a post on Billboard.com titled 15 LGBTQ Songs for a Holiday Kiki. It was a fun read, and there were even a few songs I knew, but for the most part it was created with young gays in mind. And to be honest, from my silver-haired perspective, most of the songs didn't have a very Christmas-y vibe and were often tacky or a bit sleazy. This inspired me to draw up my own list, reflecting the sensibility of a Gay Baby Boomer. My selections range across eras, from the mid-1940s all the way to the 21st century; some of the artists are gay, others are gay icons of my generation. The songs are a mix of standards and musical styles, with a twist of camp thrown in. Here they are, in no particular order ...
MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING - The Carpenters (1970)
I was in 8th grade when this song was released, and like many gay boys of my generation I fell in love with Karen Carpenter's voice. In the course of four months at the end of 1970 the Carpenters released Close to You, We've Only Just Begun and then this beauty. To this day I still find myself replaying the end of the song, with its beautiful layering of voices. Category: Icon
JOY TO THE WORLD - Joan Sutherland (1965)
Soprano Sutherland's bombastic delivery suits this grand song like a red-velvet glove. Julie Andrews also has a beautiful, more delicate rendition of this song. Category: Icon (of Opera Queens).
JINGLE BELLS - Jim Nabors (1970)
Nabors' hearty baritone gives this lightweight chestnut a unique (and amusing) power. Category: Gay performer (RIP)
STEP INTO CHRISTMAS - Elton John (1974)
This is the only rocker on my list. Category: Gay performer
MY FAVORITE THINGS - The Supremes (1965)
A nice use of sleigh bells in the background. Category: Icons
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS - Judy Garland (1944)
This song is from the movie Meet Me In St. Louis. Another classic Judy Christmas memory is the Christmas telecast of her eponymous variety series from 1963-64. Category: Icon
LAST CHRISTMAS - Wham! (1986)
A beautiful, adult-oriented classic. Sadly, 2017 was the first Christmas season without George Michael, who died last Christmas (no pun intended). And while the song is very pretty, its accompanying video is awful (as most '80s videos are); still, it's been viewed more than 300 million times. Category: Gay performer (RIP)
JOY TO THE WORLD - Whitney Houston (1996)
This version is from the movie The Preacher's Wife, which starred Houston. Category: Icon (RIP)
SANTA BABY - Madonna (1987)
While Eartha Kitt's version from the early 1950s is certainly a hoot, Madonna's has a processed smoothness along with her Betty Boop voice. Category: Fading Icon
HAPPY HOLIDAY - Peggy Lee (1960)
This has Miss Peggy Lee's signature cool jazz styling. Category: Camp
CHRISTMASTIME IS HERE - Billy Porter (2001)
Porter appeared on this benefit CD twelve years before he won the Tony for Best Actor for his performance in the musical Kinky Boots. (Unfortunately, I could find no YouTube link.) Category: Gay performer
WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS - Cast from Glee (2010)
This is upbeat, fun version from the TV show, Glee, first appeared in the Broadway production of Mame, starring Angela Lansbury, in 1966. And Lucille Ball played Mame in the 1974 movie (the 1958 movie with Rosalind Russell, titled Auntie Mame, wasn't a musical). Category: Iconic TV series
THE CHRISTMAS SONG - Donna Summer (1994)
This is a beautiful version, especially the plaintive piano ending, which brings to mind the beginning of Summer's Last Dance. Category: Vilified Icon
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL - Denise Montana & the Salsoul Orchestra (1976)
This selection has a very chill vibe - very urban gay. Category: Tom Ford
WINTER WONDERLAND - The Andrew Sisters w/Guy Lombardo & Orchestra (1946)
This version was featured in The Polar Express, and played in the vast emptiness of the North Pole gift operation, which gave off a reverb-effect sound quality, which is different from its original version. Category: Camp
IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR - Diana Ross (1993)
This performance aired during the 1993 PBS holiday special, Christmas in Vienna (other years featured Natalie Cole and Kiri Te Kanawa). Ross looks exquisite. This is a great song made even better by her breathless delivery. Category: Icon
KISSING BY THE MISTLETOE - Aretha Franklin (1962)
A fun song from the very early years before Aretha's rise to Queen of Soul-dom (she was 20). Category: Icon
THE MAN WITH THE BAG - Kay Starr (1953)
No, she's not talking about condoms (or perhaps she is and I was too dim to catch the secondary meaning). This song has a great, upbeat Big Band-ish tempo. Category: Camp
PAT-A-PAN - David Archuleta (2009)
The adorable Archuleta stole the hearts of girls, their moms and gay boys when he competed on American Idol in 2006 at the age of 16, ultimately finishing second. (He officially came out in 2021.) Category: Cute as a Bug
And not one of these selections included the song with the lyric, "Don we now our gay apparel"!
Here are links to a few more Christmas-themed posts:
The Hunks of TV's Cheesy Christmas Movies
"The Land of Misfit Toys" - An Early Gay Anthem?
K-Mart's Charmingly Risque Christmas Ad
Bette Midler Stars in Christmas-Themed Holiday Ad
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