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This index lists the essential songs (not all the songs) contained on the albums reviewed in Hip Christmas, plus singles, album tracks, or one-hit wonders not otherwise included on those albums. Whenever possible, the artist's name is linked to my review of the best Christmas album (not necessarily the only or original album) on which to find the song.

Barring that, the names will be linked to a place where you may buy the song (usually Amazon). If there's no link, it means that, to my knowledge, the song is not available on CD or MP3. Of course, the list will expand as I write more reviews. And, nothing's perfect - especially me and my crazy list. Please send additions, corrections, criticisms, and suggestions via email.

  • Nå Tennes Tusen Julelys (Twang-O-Matics, 2019)
  • Nappy Holidays (Stay A While) (Nappy Roots, 2010)
  • Naughty Naughty Children (Better Start Actin' Nice) (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, 2011)
  • New Baby For Christmas
    • Ted Daigle (1959)
    • George Jones (1957)
    • Johnny Preston (1960)
  • New Merry Christmas Baby (Bobby "Blue" Bland, 1984)
  • New Snow (Sunturns, 2022)
  • New Star Shining (Ricky Skaggs & James Taylor, 1986)
  • The New Year (Death Cab For Cutie, 2003)
  • The New Year (Jimmy Jules & The Nuclear Soul System, 1977)
  • New Year, New Ring (Paul & Paula, 1963)
  • New Year's Day
  • New Year's Eve (Cameos, 1957)
  • New Year's Eve (Snoop Dogg with Marty James, 2010)
  • New Year's Eve Blues (Smokey Hogg, 1947)
  • New Year's Resolution
  • New Year's Resolution Blues (Becky Barksdale, 2014)
  • New Year's Resolution Blues (Roy Milton, 1947)
  • New Year's Revolution (Graham Parker, 1994)
  • New York Christmas (Rob Thomas, 2003)
  • New York City Christmas (Cover Girls, 1990)
  • New York Snow (Melody Michalski, 2013)
  • Next Christmas (The Grapes & Friends, 2020)
  • Night Before Christmas - see 'Twas The Night Before Christmas
  • Night Before Christmas (Carly Simon, 1990)
  • Night Before Christmas (Hey Baby) (Rave-Ups, 1989) [close]

    Rave-UpsThe Rave-Ups are one of my favorite bands from the 80's and '90's - though you probably haven't heard of them, even if you lived through those now-distant times. Originally from Pittsburgh, the Rave-Ups were later based in Los Angeles and operated on the fringes of the "cowpunk" movement that helped birth Americana. But, their greatest claim to fame is probably their cameo role in the John Hughes movie Sixteen Candles. Anyway, "The Night Before Christmas (Hey Baby)" is the Rave-Ups lone Christmas track, and it's a cracker! Their usual sound could be described as jangle pop (similar to R.E.M. or Toad The Wet Sprocket), but "The Night Before Christmas" has a harder edge with a bit of funk mixed in. It comes from a promotional, three-song EP called Hamlet Meets John Doe released on compact disc and 12-inch vinyl to support their upcoming 1990 album Chance and it's lead single, "Respectfully King Of Rain." Thankfully, the EP was reissued in 2019 for download and streaming.

  • Night Before Christmas Song (Gene Autry & Rosemary Clooney, 1952)
  • Night Santa Went Crazy (Weird Al Yankovic, 1996)
  • Nine Little Reindeer (Gene Autry, 1957)
  • 1913 Massacre (Woody Guthrie, circa 1945)
  • No Assholes On Christmas (Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians, 2012)
  • No Christmas (The Wedding Present, 1992) [close]

    Wedding PresentIn 1992, English indie rockers the Wedding Present undertook to release a new 7-inch vinyl single on the first Monday of every month. The a-sides were original songs, while the b-sides consisted entirely of eclectic covers. The twelfth and final single was a Christmas record pressed on red vinyl - "No Christmas" backed with a rendition of Elton John's "Step Into Christmas," which had been previously released on A Lump Of Coal (1991). All of the singles made the UK charts, with "No Christmas" reaching #25. Later, all 24 songs from the series were compiled in chronological order on two albums, Hit Parade 1 (1992) and Hit Parade 2 (1993), the latter of which, logically, concluded with both sides of the Christmas single.

    "No Christmas" is a noisy, caterwauling plea for forgiveness - and one that falls on deaf ears. "Don't say we've reached the end," begs singer David Gedge, repeating "I care about you" and "It can't be ending" over and over. We are left to assume that he is left alone and bereft for the holidays since the song is called "No Christmas" - despite the fact that Gedge never utters those words. "Step Into Christmas," meanwhile, is a shambolic, if serviceable cover. It's a hoot, in a dark sort of way, but it can't erase the memory of Elton's John's sparkling 1973 original - which, admittedly, wasn't really the point.

  • No Christmas For The Poor (D.L. Menard, 1988)
  • No Christmas In Kentucky (Phil Ochs, 1964)
  • No Gifts For Nazis (Alice Bag, 2019)
  • No More Christmas (Noel Redding, 1993)
  • No More Christmas Blues (Alan Vega, 1981)
  • No Presents For Christmas (King Diamond, 1985) [close]

    King DiamondOddly, operatically-gifted screamer (and Satan worshipper) King Diamond chose to record a Christmas song as his solo debut after leaving death metal icons Mercyful Fate. The result, "No Presents For Christmas," is almost as hilarious as it is excruciating. The song was originally released as a 12-inch single in two different covers - one incongruously traditional (click to see), the other fittingly irreverent (pictured). Later, the song was compiled on The Dark Sides (1988), an odds 'n' sods collection; included as a bonus track on the 1997 CD reissue of King Diamond's first full-length LP, Fatal Portrait (1986); and featured on The Best Of King Diamond (2003). "No Presents For Christmas" was also covered in 2000 by grindcore masters Exhumed on a King Diamond tribute album, then included on Exhumed's own odds 'n' sods album, Platters That Splatter, in 2004

  • No Reservation At The Inn (Statler Brothers, 1985)
  • Nobody Should Be Lonely On Christmas Day (4 Past Midnight, 2013)
  • Nobody Told Me It Was Christmas (Vista Blue, 2020)
  • Noel Motel (The Klitz, 2011)
  • Noel! Noel! (Eve 6, 2000)
  • North Pole Rock (Cathy Sharpe, 1959)
  • Not Another Christmas Song (Blink 182, 2019)
  • (Not Just Until) The Season Ends
  • Not So Merry Christmas (Bobby Vee, 1962)
  • Nothing But A Child
  • Nothing For Christmas (Reducers, 1988) Top 100 Song
  • Nothing For Me (Muffs, 1994) [close]

    Happy Birthday, Baby JesusThe Muffs were a punky power pop band that grew out of pioneering West Coast garage revivalists the Pandoras. The band was built almost entirely on irrepressible singer, songwiter, and guitarist Kim Shattuck, though bass player Ronnie Barnett and drummer Roy McDonald were stalwart kindred spirits. Kim's lament "Nothing For Me" is the only Christmas song the band ever recorded, and it's typical of Kim's simple, direct, melodic, thumb-in-your-eye songwriting. It was built, however, on a somewhat atypical, 1950's-style riff not dissimilar from Elvis Presley's "One Night" (itself a cover of a Smiley Lewis song).

    "Nothing For Me" first appeared in 1994 on a 10-inch LP that was part of brief, groundbreaking series by über indie label Sympathy For The Record Industry called Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus (read more), and it was subsequently collected on the 1995 CD that capped the series off. In 2000, the song was included on the Muffs' rarity collection Hamburger.

    The Muffs began as a quartet founded by Kim Shattuck and fellow former Pandora Melanie Vammen, who would depart after a few years, after which the Muffs would remain a trio. The band launched their recording career in 1991 with several singles for Sympathy For The Record Industry and other indies, but they soon got swept up by the major label gold rush that ensued after Nirvana blew the roof off the music business. The Muffs recorded two excellent albums for Reprise, The Muffs (1993) and Blonder And Blonder (1995), both later reissued in fine fashion by Omnivore. After sales considerably less impressive than Nevermind, however, it was back to the indies, where the Muffs toiled valiently for the rest of their career - not counting a couple of lengthy hiatuses. Like a lot of people, my heart was broken when Kim Shattuck died in 2019, aged just 56 years. The Muffs final album, No Holiday, was released just weeks later.

  • Nothing Left To Do (Let's Make This Christmas Blue) (The Both featuring Aimee Mann & Ted Leo, 2014)
  • Nuclear Winter Wonderland (Nuclears, 2011)
  • Nut Rocker
  • The Nutcracker Suite
  • Nuttin' For Christmas

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