Out of all the musicians that have put out Christmas-related music in the last few decades, Sufjan Stevens' collection of such tunes stands out as being one of the most unique offerings. Whether it's traditional hymns, brand new songs, standard folk, or alternative electronica, Sufjan Stevens created a wide variety of sounds in just 100 recorded songs...and yes, some of them are repeats of songs from earlier EPs.
To help you (and myself) sort through this potpourri of holiday music, I have assembled 10 lists. Each of these lists is a breakdown ranking of 5 songs for their respective category of song/ music style.
This is to give everyone a quick guide to specific kinds of songs that Sufjan Stevens created. This way, you and I will be able to quickly find the kind of songs we're looking for from Sufjan without shuffling past 10 non-related songs. At the very end, I will provide my overall opinion ranking of the songs featured on these 10 lists.
Top 5 New Takes on Classic Songs
1. Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
2. Joy to the World (Vol. 4)
3. Little Drummer Boy
4. Carol of St. Benjamin the Bearded One
5. Coventry Carol
Sometimes people think of "traditional" things with a sort of disparaging concept of things that are stuck in the past, meaning that they are automatically bad. Yet, Sufjan has found a way of taking traditional hymns or classic songs and reworking them in a way that is both respectful and beautiful. I like the simple guitar strums in Little Drummer Boy, the restructured familiarity of Joy to the World, and the phone message simplicity of Bring a Torch.
Top 5 Sufjan Originals
1. Lumberjack Christmas/ No One Can Save You From Christmases Past
2. Only at Christmas Time
3. Get Behind Me, Santa!
4. Sister Winter
5. Christmas Unicorn
Not all of the songs on Sufjan's Christmas EPs are traditional hymns and modern pop hits. Some were composed specifically by him to capture the current Christmas experience and feeling. The more emotional, folk song Sufjan style is found in Sister Winter and Only at Christmas Time. Then there's some fun songs like Get Behind Me, Santa! (I just love that re-worked reference) and Lumberjack Christmas. And of course, there's the enigma that is Christmas Unicorn.
Top 5 Banjo Songs
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel (Vol. 1)
2. I Saw Three Ships
3. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
4. Auld Lang Syne
5. Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming (Vol. 1)
I love me some banjo in my music. It's got a simple yet distinct acoustic sound. These five songs are dominated by that twangy sound. It's not even complex picking as far as I can tell. It's just simple rhythmic strumming that controls the pace, tone, and style of the song.
Top 5 Medieval Sounding Tunes
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel (Vol. 1)
2. Once in Royal David's City (Vol. 2)
3. Morning (Sacred Harp)
4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Vol 10)
5. All the Kings Horns
When you think of the Renaissance Faire, or Medieval times in general, what instruments and musical sounds do you hear? To me, they include the shawm, recorder, flutes, harp, lute, crumhorn, and other bizarre wooden instruments. These 5 songs, to me, capture those sounds, though I think most of those sounds are recreated using electronic keyboards. A part of me wishes to be reassured that the music really was recorded with someone blowing into a recorder or a shawm.
Top 5 Instrumentals
1. Morning (Sacred Harp)
2. Hark the Herald Angel Sing (Vol. 2)
3. Angels We Have Heard On High (Vol 2)
4. Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)
5. Make Haste to See the Baby
Sometimes songs do not need words. Other times some songs are best known for their lyrics and yet can sound just as beautiful just using instruments alone. Some songs have that Christmas time atmosphere with bells, xylophones, and pianos. Others are just hauntingly beautiful, great for contemplation. These 5 reflect that beautiful range of purely instrumental music.
Top 5 Group Jams
1. O Holy Night (Vol. 3)
2. Auld Lang Syne
3. Jingle Bells (Vol 7)
4. Ding-a-ling-a-ring-a-ling
5. Put the Lights on the Tree
This Top 5 list has a companion Top 5 selection that seems similar, but is ultimately different:
Top 5 Choir Songs
1. Idumea
2. The Sleigh in the Moon
3. Ah Holy Jesus
4. How Shall I Fitly Meet Thee
5. Ave Maria
There is a difference between group jam and choir, at least in my mind. Group jam has more of a disorganized feel. It's casual. You can get some friends together for drinks, have a few instruments on hand, and just blaze through some songs in a fun, loud, carefree way.
Choir music, on the other hand, is more focused and controlled. The volume and tone changes depending on the music, there are multiple levels that have to be unified, and really there's more of an art and a beauty to choir sounds than the simplistic fun of group jams.
Top 5 Electro Technobabble
1. Star of Wonder
2. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Vol 8)
3. X-Mas Spirit Catcher
4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
5. Do You See What I See?
Sufjan seems to love experimenting with autotone and techno sounds in the backgrounds, and that's what these songs reflect. They are dominated by gadgetry and computerized sounds.
Top 5 Advent Songs
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel (Vol 1)
2. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
3. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (Vol 1)
4. Ave Maria
5. How Shall I Fitly Meet Thee
Advent often gets overlooked this time of year, but it's a beautiful period of time for contemplation and anticipation, patiently waiting for Christmas while keeping it as a separate celebration. These 5 traditional songs help reflect these ideas. They also ultimately reflect on the ideas of what Christmas really means, and are great tunes to maintain that patient mindset.
Top 5 Songs About Jesus
1. Ah Holy Jesus (with reed organ)
2. Once in Royal David's City (Vol 2)
3. Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light
4. What Child Is This Anyway?
5. Silent Night (Vol 6)
We wouldn't even have Christmas if we didn't have Jesus Christ, so it's only right that there should be music that celebrates Him at this time of year. These songs put the focus on Our Lord and the wondrous jubilation of His birth. Here, lyrics were as important as instruments and titles. Some other Sufjan songs had wonderful titles and beautiful instruments, but didn't ultimately mention Jesus in the song itself, so they didn't make the cut here.
Overall Ranking of Listed Songs
Some of the selection is based on how the songs were ranked in the above lists. After all, I obviously favor some over others in particular circumstances.
However, ranking ultimately is based on my immediate desire to listen to the song as well as how often I would choose to skip the song. The middle section is the most flexible and therefore the hardest to really choose in that listen/skip comparison.
41. What Child Is This Anyway?
40. Sister Winter
39. Do You See What I See?
38. All the Kings Horns
37. Christmas Unicorn
36. Silent Night (Vol 6)
35. Make Haste to See the Baby
34. Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)
33. Coventry Carol
32. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Vol 10)
31. Auld Lang Syne
30. Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming (Vol. 1)
29. Carol of St. Benjamin the Bearded One
28. How Shall I Fitly Meet Thee
27. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
26. Ding-a-ling-a-ring-a-ling
25. X-Mas Spirit Catcher
24. Ave Maria
23. Angels We Have Heard On High (Vol 2)
22. Jingle Bells (Vol 7)
21. Ah Holy Jesus
20. Put the Lights on the Tree
19. Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light
18. Joy to the World (Vol. 4)
17. Little Drummer Boy
16. Get Behind Me, Santa!
15. O Holy Night (Vol. 3)
14. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
13. The Sleigh in the Moon
12. Ah Holy Jesus (with reed organ)
11. Morning (Sacred Harp)
10. Hark the Herald Angel Sing (Vol. 2)
9. Only at Christmas Time
8. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Vol 8)
7. Star of Wonder
6. Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
5. Once in Royal David's City (Vol. 2)
4. I Saw Three Ships
3. Lumberjack Christmas/ No One Can Save You From Christmases Past
2. Idumea
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel (Vol. 1)
