X-claim: hail

A pedestrian hallelujah, hail can be just an old hello. But, coupled with Christ, HAIL means a great deal more.

The Decca Chorus sings “Hail to Christmas” as a selection from the operetta ‘Babes in Toyland.’ This oldie timey symphonization comes off almost as ragtime. Have fun with it!! (Or take succor in the early ’60s version on Golden Records. It’s safer.)

Elektra Women’s Choir & Alicia O’Brien bring the solstice Wiccan power to “Hail, Christmas Day!” Piercing, man.

Call back to Teen Titans Go! with their “All Hail the Jolly Fat Man” as a smart march intro for the mean Santa.

Who else–? Oh that’s right, Mother Mary gets a hail now and then. Many take the prayer/penance and sing it. Few swing it. So let’s turn the light on Joy Riding, whose “Hail Mary” is an alt-pop trip to the beach. But it’s about Christmas (i suspect), and being out of place. Youngsters!

X-Claim: hallelujah

Praise God, it’s Christmas! Right? Well, that’s hallelujah. As exhortations go, that’s right up there. So let’s get serious. (Many songs hail the hell out of God, but we’re narrowing our play to Xmas tie-ins.)

Offering up a gratuitous hallelujah, We Grow Up offer the alt-rock “Office Christmas Party.” Pretty song, pretty odd song, so we’ll take this walk here.

Just as millennial, House Bat hollers out “Holiday Hallelujah.” It’s inclusive (see the Hanukkah reference at its end).

Leonard Cohen’s ubiquitous number gets the Xmas facelift with Cloverton’s “Christmas Hallelujah!” Likes it.

Doug Welborn means well, but “Hallelujah Christmas” comes off a bit clumsy. Could be country, could be blues….

.38 Special pops with an odd “Hallelujah It’s Christmas.” It is childlike in its reverence and guitar licks.

Folky bluegrass consumes The New Christy Minstrels with “Sing Hosanna, Hallelujah.” That first exclamation, btw, is a pious cry for help. Peppy!

Look Out, here come’s Dolly! “Hallelujah Holiday” is the slick corn pone you’d expect from the first lady of the big top.

“Hallelujah, It’s Christmas” gets around, but Roger Whitaker’s laid back awe and reverence is what excites me.

Leona Lewis raises from orchestral to gospel in “Your Hallelujah.” This is all about the Lord, but i’m reading boyfriend subtext here. Is that just me?

X-claim: yay

Let’s take the diminutive out of hooray, and leave it yay/yea.

3JS jolly out the Celtic with “Yay, It’s Christmas.” It’s a song, a dance, a drinking challenge, an exaltation.

“O Yea It’s Christmas” is nearly unintelligible soft pop from Tony Memmel. Little enthusiasm.

Now for a hard right turn.

Many jokesters make the case that ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie by posting musical numbers about the holiday based on the plot points. In order:

Weak tea from Triple A whose “Yippee-Ki-Yay It’s Christmas” stumbles from lack of talent, timing, and wit. Next.

Paltry parody from Dave Goody “Have Yourself a Yippee-Ki-Yay Christmas.” But it ‘addresses’ the sequels.

Cutesy and bleeped, “It’s a Die Hard Christmas” from Bob and Tom show’s Bob Kevoian maintains it’s not Xmas until that exclamation is heard.

Teen Samurai has some ironically soft rock limning “Christmas Time at Nakatomi Plaza.” Nice, not naughty.

Nathan Messina’s “Yippee Ki Yay, Merry Christmas” suffers from living room dad jokes and a lack of production values. Better than i could do.

Blaise Guld’s valiant attempt “Yippe Ki Yay, Mother fucker, Merry Christmas” wins merit with more summary and some nice tunesmithing. Oh, BLUE ALERT.

Better songs begin with White Hot Secret’s “Yippee Ki Yay Merry Christmas.” Emerging rock, but it’s not about John McClain at all.

Nearly perfect, the raw blues number “Yippee-Ki-Yay” from Fortress of Attitude is the best song here. It’s just not the best ‘Die Hard’ Xmas song by a hair.

Jonnie Common’s “Yippee-ki-yay, Father Christmas” might be the most clever/best song along these lines. Make fists with yo’ toes, boy. The title is not sung, however, yet the wicked wordplay overqualified it to be here. Thanks

X-claim: hurray (pt. 3)

Vocal chords weakening… can barely shout HOORAY for Xmas… one more time….

Kidsong twaddle from Twin Sisters (Kim Mitzo Thompson) allows wee ones to clap hands to bring Santa faster with “Hooray, It’s Christmas Day.” It’s English learning time!

Everybody raise your hands–if you’re afraid. Sweet Samaritans praise the Lord in “It’s Christmas — Hip Hip Hooray!” They do specifically ask you not to be afraid, but their affectless harmony sounds brainwashed.

Now Milton De Lugg and The Little Eskimos’ “Hooray for Santa Claus” gets a lot of mileage for being from ‘Santa Claus vs. the Martians.’ And The Fleshtones do it up right (and Carla Jimenez murders it). But have you met my friend “Hooray for Santa Claus” by Richard Stepp? This washboard jug band fun-a-doodle is right up my alley. He’s a friend to everyone down the line.

What to make of The Hit Crew’s “Hooray for Chanukah“? Meandering kidsong with some rattling ragtime piano… Sounds like a kick line.

Giving kidsong a good name, Agwabom modulates slightly with some golden retro pop in “Hip Hip Hooray It’s Christmas Day.” I like how matter of fact he cheers.

X-claim: hooray (pt. 2)

Hurray for the holly and the ivy. Cue the music.

Hidee ho and a diggidee doo seems to stand in for Hooray in “Hooray Hooray It’s a Holiday” from the so-called Mistletoe Singers. This kidsong smacks of Aussie-ness, but it’s fervent. Kids like that. Apologies to Boney M. who started this so-called song.

Then Mishelle Bradford-Jones twists it up with “Hooray Christmas Holiday” in which the poppy kidsong celebrates the school break. Hey! Hey!

What the hell might be the chorus for “Hooray for Christmas” from the Red Army Choir. Of the recordings I’ve uncovered, 3.5 minutes seems to be silence (encoded???).

Philip Gallen takes his rockin’ time developing “Hurray! For Christmas Day!” an earnest progressive piece of emotionality.

Derek Griffiths, Carole Boyd, Denise Bryer, Nigel Lambert, Steven Pacey, Claire Hamill, and Tom Newman are all credited for bringing “Hurray for Christmas” to life. The finale to the third Christmas Story Teller book from The Little Storyteller series it goes on and on in a rousing fashion.

The Irish Rovers raise the rafters (and their voices) with the antic “Hurray for Christmas Day.” Celtic reel. Woo hee.

X-claim: huzzah (pt. 1)

Xmas being celebratory in nature, shoutings might include explosive ejacuations of exclamations. Huzza becomes hurray and other variations, it being a clamor populi.

“Hurray Hurrah” is some of the most Carrib fun we can have here on the blog. Singing Francine leaves nothing behind with her hand-clapping, ululating folk synth party.

Whitening up the locale, “Hurray for Christmas” from Steve DeDoes & Don Sebesky (feat. April Tini) recall The Lawrence Welk Show with their carefree jazz simplifications and jolly harmonies.

Greg Helmer gets quietly personal with his 2016 USA woes and the blues in “Hurray Hurray for Christmas.” Mixed message, dude. But mightily talented.

Hooray Heroes change up the spelling and countryfication of the concept with the sassy “Hooray, It’s Christmas Time!” Like you don’t care!

Retro jazz from Janet Seidel continues our new spelling with “Hooray for Christmas.” Heavy on the drums, light on the interjection.

X-claim: ay/oi

Hey is terribly useful, so it has been adopted by many languages. I can’t be bothered to pursue the etymology, so we’ll assume other languages borrowed our grunt.

Ricky Martin pairs with Rosie O’Donnell (flashback!) to bemoan how bad a shopper we is in “Ay, Ay, Ay, Its Christmas.” This wants to be corrida, but it’s tequila pop. Close Harmony Friends jazz this up with a cappella boss nova. Trust me, it’s better. (Jipsta gets gender fluid with his mad rave rendition. Ai, papi.)

No Doubt’s “Oi to the World” is the punk cure to The Vandals. It’s a fun musical journey, not like the offending scratch of real punk (which neither are–sell outs!).

“Oi Oi Oi! It’s Christmas Time” is a folk/blues blend on the dregs of punk. Sorts lays it out like a reflective wintertime carol. But there’s hope in it. Deal, wankers.

X-claim: hey (pt. 7)

Saved the HEY! best for HEY!! last. HEY!!! ‘Cause shouting HEY in Christmas songs never gets too annoying.

Call me a softie, but Wells Cathedral School Records put all their overachievers together for a mishmash of holiday glitz “Hey Ho, It’s Christmas I Know.” It’s a mess, but a special episode of Glee mess.

Backroom Stereo band rocks the laid back alt fun out of “Hey Ho Ho Ho.” It’s that kind of party.

1960s scat pop revives in Merrill Nisker’s “Hey Ho Christmas.” Wired shenanigans.

1980s soulful syncopop from York Patrick expresses a breathy cheer “Hey Soon It’s Christmastime.” It should repel, but the insistent backbeat gets to me. Cuddling, hmm-mmm.

“Hey! Look! It’s Christmas (Christmas has Finally Gone Away)” had me at existential dread. Handclapping and ironic, mechanical pop shove the sentiment out of the way. That, Kimo Nevius, is that.

X-claim: hey (pt. 6)

Hey! I said, Hey! Sometimes, the interjection is just an excuse to slip in the weird. Even about Xmas.

“Hey-Ho, Let the Holly Jolly in” is the BLUE ALERT finale of ‘Another F*cking Christmas Play: A F*cking Musical’ in which the original cast rouse themselves from their cranky torpor and celebrate the holiday. Who Ray?

Amy Rutherford and Amy Stewart from their A Very Special Christmas Time with Amy and Amy rock the show tune poorly (on purpose, come on) with “Hey, C’mon! Merry Christmas!” Whew, out of breath time.

Filksinging from Green Matthews makes medieval merry of “Hey for Christmas!” Is it weird to want these auld soules to shake their bums?!

Patrick Sawers has bypassed Big Assembly by writing his own recital number for the grade schoolers as “Hey Ho It’s Christmas.” Better than most of that cornball crap, ya ask me.

Holiday time = drunk time, according to TheHeyHos. Gnarly rock (almost punk, but not quite) in “Hey Ho It’s Christmas.” Need a little hair of the Yule log there.

More nearly punk is the ‘billy “Hey! Hey! Buy! Buy! (It’s Christmas Time)” from Bathwater Babies. Boy, they’re mad. But they’ll tell you when the song is through.

Getting self-aware weird, Captain Tudmoke belabors rhymes with “Hey Everybody, It’s Christmas Time.” Can you spot the recurring theme?

Kyle Dunnigan (feat. Craig) goes the South Park route with “Hey Everybody It’s Christmas!” Celebrity voices poorly imitated, you know the BLUE ALERT drill.

King of weird for our current purposes is the petite comedy/rock from Mad Monkey: “Hey! Ho! Merry Christmas!” Get it? The ambiguity of the English language, man, i’m telling you.

X-claim: hey (pt. 5)

Hey is a rock ‘n’ pop staple in songs to get us to sing-along. Altogether now.

Red State Update want us to all touch each other (until the song gets ruined) with “Hey It’s Christmas.” They tried.

Just Crackers (family friendly this time) try the pop “Hey Hey It’s Christmas” for all of us to join in. You go ahead.

Eva-Maria Kramer goes full symphonic hymnal with “Hey, It’s Christmas.” Klunk.

Lift those voices! “Hey Hey It’s Christmas Day‘” is watered-down Pacfica-beat for the (churched-up) family as posted by Melissa Lesealii. Itchy, i mean catchy.

Sing along with Stephen Weeks, or not. The polka-tastic “[Hey Ho] Tell Me What You Want for Christmas” requires participation to be family fun. Consider me a conscientious objectifier.

“(Hey Everyone) It’s Christmas Time Again” is that rock song that sounds suspiciously like that other rock song. But Chris James is fully earnest and energetic, so–what’s next?

Leaning into Brit-pop, Brett Vargo’s “Hey Christmas!” comes in loud and proud (DON’T BE LATE!!). You can shout if you want to– i’m good.

“Hey Christmas” is Lucas Hoge’s countryfied pop ballad that expects the crowd to wave lit phones. Couple hallelujahs for good measure. But my cell’s dead. So….

O.K. You want the goose to loosen your chair-sittin’ muscles? Here come The Mavericks with some blues rock (watch out, Jerry Lee Lewis) to push and pull y’all in every which way: “Hey! Merry Christmas!” (’till the cows come home).