Christmas Covers for the Ages Trivia Quiz

Answer: Joy to the World

In Jimi Hendrix's recording sessions later dubbed "Sessions: And You'll Never Hear...Surf Music Again" that were released, he performs a rendition of "Little Drummer Boy", "Silent Night", and "Auld Lang Syne" with his guitar and accompanying instruments that needs no vocals. Jimi makes his guitar croon the lyrics of these well-known Christmas and holiday tunes.

Answer: Holiday Inn

Michael Bublé, Meghan Trainor, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra have all released a successful cover version of "White Christmas". Bing Crosby first performed the song for the movie "Holiday Inn" and for a performance before the film was released. This has become one of the most successful singles (if not *the* most successful single) in US music history.

In 1944, crooner Frank Sinatra recorded his version of the song. He did it with an orchestral backing which was conducted by Axel Stordahl. It charted successfully in three successive Christmases with its highest ranking being number five. Sinatra, of course, is considered one of the best-known and best-liked singers in American history.

Answer: Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue originally released "Santa Baby" as a B-side in 2000, but its faithfulness to the original as well as Kylie's added sensuality made it a hit. It was often compared to Madonna's successful cover where both of these female singers exuded sexiness in their version. Despite this, it was still a very festive version and it was successful on the singles charts around the world.

The original "Santa Baby" also encountered some issues with its suggestive lyrics. When Eartha Kitt released it in 1953, some states in the southern USA banned the distribution of the single as well as playing the song on the air. The song was written by Philip Springer and Joan Javits who claimed to have finished writing the entire song in about ten minutes.

Answer: The Lemon Drop Kid

John Legend released a Christmas album in 2018. As an arranger, John Legend can be quite, well, legendary, and his version of "Silver Bells" is a masterpiece. The song is influenced with 70s soul vibes and is very pleasant to listen to. In fact, the entire album is quite laid-back and calm and is a good addition to any Christmas collection.

"Silver Bells" almost had a mishap from the get-go. The writer, Ray Evans, originally intended for the song to be called "Tinkle Bells", not realizing the double-meaning of the word 'tinkle'. However, after its performance in "The Lemon Drop Kid" by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell, the song started to gain popularity and became much-loved.

Answer: Pentatonix

"Joy to the World" is a Christmas carol from the early 18th century. It was written by the English minister Isaac Watts and it is based on the Book of Genesis and two Psalms in the Bible. The most popular arrangement was made in 1848 by Lowell Mason. This song gained a lot of popularity in the 20th century.

Pentatonix are an acapella group that originate in Texas, USA, and perform covers of pop songs as well as Christmas and holiday songs. Three of the members started singing together in high-school and they got local recognition. Afterward, their success skyrocketed when they won a singing competition and scored a recording contract. Despite being dropped by their label, Pentatonix still is successful through their YouTube channel as well as other recording contracts.

Answer: Meet Me in St. Louis

While on her own show, "The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show", the country singer covered "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" in 2019. She did a country-inspired version of the song that did justice to the original version but also showed the singer's personality. Her clear vocals and simple interpretation made this a great version of the original.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was originally written in 1943 and sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 Christmas hit "Meet Me in St. Louis". The original lyrics were penned by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane though were edited to be more positive, to match the message of the movie. The song and its message became popular amongst US soldiers fighting overseas in World War II.

Answer: Wham!

Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen's version of "Last Christmas" was a success, and did really well in Europe as well as in North America. She released her cover in 2015 and was invited to sing it live on several television events. For the most part, critics praised Jepsen's take on the song and, while remaining faithful to the original, she was able to put her own spin on the song.

"Last Christmas" was originally released in 1984 by the pop duo Wham!. It very nearly reached number one on the UK Singles Chart (finally reaching the coveted spot in 2021). All of the proceeds from the song were donated to efforts to relieve the Ethiopian famine, a prominent crisis at the time. It became one of the duo's most-played songs.

Wham! is always remembered as George Michael's band. Andrew Ridgeley is, sadly, often referred to as 'the other guy'.

Answer: Mel Tormé

Christina Aguilera released "My Kind of Christmas" as her first Christmas album in the year 2000. A year before, she had recorded "The Christmas Song" which had peaked at 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This may have been what prompted her to record a complete album, and the song was included on it. The song was successful for her and she was praised for her vocal ability.

"The Christmas Song" was originally recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio in 1946, twice. This version included a string section. Nat King Cole re-recorded the song in 1953 with an entire orchestra accompanying him. His fourth recording of the song, 1961, is considered the definitive version of the song.

Originally, the song was written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The latter made several recordings of the song himself [Is it a cover when it's your own song? You decide...] in the years 1955, 1961, 1970, 1990, and finally in 1992.

Answer: Neptune's Daughter

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded two albums together, the first of which in 2014, and they sounded great together. Therefore, in 2015, the duo was contracted by the US-based bookseller Barnes and Noble to record a song for their Christmas campaign. The two sang "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in a wonderful way that can be streamed on any of the music platforms.

The song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written by Frank Loesser and was used in the 1949 movie "Neptune's Daughter". Loesser originally intended the song as a reminder to guests at his place that it was time to go. Originally performed by Loesser and his wife, Lynn Garland, it was performed in the movie by Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams.

Answer: John Lennon

Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson covered "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" in 2018 and the song was a general success. It did not stray too far from the original, however, Miley Cyrus' vocal performance was praised. The rock vibe of the song was also updated to match the period it was released in. The song also featured Sean Ono Lennon on guitar and backup vocals in a touching tribute to his parents.

John Lennon's seventh single outside of his work with the Beatles was "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". He co-wrote the song along with his wife, Yoko Ono, and it was mostly intended as a protest against the Vietnam War. Known activists, John and Yoko banked on the success of "Imagine" to create their song which later became a Christmas classic.