Sonoma County readers call out their favorite holiday music

Life’s best experiences, from young romance to epic road trips, all seem a little richer with the proper soundtrack, and the holidays are no exception.

Who can deck the tree, wrap gifts or bake Christmas cookies without a little background music to set the mood?

When we asked readers to tell us about their favorite tunes to listen to during the holidays, they veered straight for nostalgia, which seems natural enough. The season is all about tradition and pleasant memories.

But nostalgia means different eras for different folks, so we heard about Bing Crosby. Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney, among others. Here are readers’ seven top choices:

1. “Silver Bells,” by Bing Crosby. Originally performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie “The Lemon Drop Kid,” filmed in the summer of 1950 and released the next year. It was recorded by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards and released by Decca Records in the fall of 1950. Perhaps the definitive version is the one with the Andrews Sisters backing Bing, from one of his long list of Christmas albums. “As a toddler, this always made an impression,” one reader recalled.

2. “Santa Claus Is Back In Town,” by Elvis Presley. Written by legendary rock ‘n’ roll composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, this song was the opening track on “Elvis’ Christmas Album,” released in 1957. “Santa Claus Is Back in Town,” backed with “Blue Christmas,” was released by RCA Victor as a 45 single in 1965 in the U.S., reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. One reader, a lifelong fan of “The King,” went on to nominate “any Christmas song Elvis did.”

3. “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas,” by Anne Murray. Scores of recording artists have done this song, but this version, done as a duet with Diana Krall for “Anne Murray’s Christmas Album” in 2008, came out ahead.

4. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” by Gene Autry. The cinematic singing cowboy made Christmas music history with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” but readers chose his rendition of this classic from the 1930s, also recorded over the years by Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Beach Boys, the Carpenters and most of an alphabet’s worth of other acts.

5. “Wonderful Christmas Time,” by Paul McCartney. Fresh from the Beatles, McCartney recorded this song entirely on his own in 1979 for his solo project “McCartney II.” It can be heard in the 1998 animated film, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie.”

6. “Father Christmas,” by the Kinks. Don’t expect a lot of sentiment from songwriter and lead singer Ray Davies. A sample lyric: “... The last time I played Father Christmas, I stood outside a department store. A gang of kids came over and mugged me, and knocked my reindeer to the floor.” Released as a single in 1977, the track appeared on several commercials in the U.S. for the 2006 film “Unaccompanied Minors.”

7. “Blue Christmas,” by Michael Bublé. Elvis recorded the classic version, but Canadian crooner Bublé ’s cut from his 2011 Christmas album, backed with a saucy New Orleans jazz-style rhythm, is worth a listen. His fans, of course, love every track.

There you have it. But the fun part comes next, as you draw up your list of favorite holiday tunes.

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.