Made big by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1950: Mele Kalikimaka, which means Merry Christmas in Hawaiian. More about the origins of this more or less phonetic Merry Christmas can be found here.
And of course there are endless covers of this song recorded since the first appearance. Many of them find it hard to break away from a Hawaiian steel guitar and ukulele driven version, but it can be done. A selection of ten.
Feel free to drop other cool versions in the comment section!
Alice Gray does it seductively nice 'n slow on a languid beat.
You want it more psyched up? Dead Meadow to the rescue!
Searching for a Metal Kalikimaka? Sure, Girlz Melon at your service!
A fuzzy and rocky Mele Kalikimaka by indie rockers Dentist.
After a strange intro, Little Kris takes you on a pleasant Hawaiian ska trip.
A tried and tested recipe with Emily Zeck. She combines Hawaiian steel guitar with a country feel and ditto vocals and does it very well.
Of course, the instrumentalists of King of Hawaii from Seattle, Washington couldn't stay behind and also recorded a cover with The Shadows in mind.
The Sheeps throw a grungy underground sauce over Mele Kalikimaka that fits the track wonderfully well.
New York's Anni Rossi gives the song a refreshing twist with extra free violins.
And save the best for last with this festive, brassy version of Poi Dog Pondering and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
3 comments:
Bootsy Spankins P.I. does a good version. There's a strange but fun one by Thunders.
Nick Hexum from 311 did a cover of this for a KROQ Christmas album in 2002.
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