The hits and misses of holiday pop music according to columnist Grant Smith.

The Misses:

Wham!, “Last Christmas” (1984)

Covered by everyone from alternative rock group Jimmy Eat World to Disney stars Hilary Duff and Ashley Tisdale, this 1980’s pop ballad has been reducing the joy of Christmas to a pitiful story about scorned relationships for generations. It would be expected that after all those covers, someone would have managed to improve on the song, but alas, this song still totally fails to capture the Christmas spirit.

Bobby Helms, “Jingle Bell Rock” (1957)

Another over covered holiday staple, “Jingle Bell Rock” combines the distinctive—and annoying—twang of rockabilly, a hybrid of rock and country, with infuriating lack of originality—an almost jokey parody of “Jingle Bells”—and far too much repetition. If you listen closely, the song is actually just a very early example of one of those terrible dance songs that is a lyrical instruction booklet—“Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ feet / That’s the jingle bell rock”.

The Hits:

Mariah Carey, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (1994)

It’s an obvious choice, true, and overplayed for sure, but classics are classics for a reason, and this infectious pop tune is considered by many as one of the last modern Christmas songs. Its parent album, “Merry Christmas,” has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and also worth checking out for any Mariah or Christmas music fan.

Bing Crosby, “White Christmas” (1942)

This Irving Berlin-penned song reminisces about a classic Christmas setting, conveying a message of the simple joy that the holidays can bring to all. Although the Crosby-sung is still the favorite among holiday listeners, the classic tune has been covered by dozens of pop artists from when it was first released in the 1940s to Idina Menzel in 2014.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Grant Smith at [email protected].