A lot of the beauty of the holiday season can be attributed to the Christmas music. While several country artists release new music for the season each year, the best is often their take on classic Christmas songs. We found four country covers of traditional Christmas music songs, which sound even better than the original.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Last Christmas” by Lady A
Lady A released On This Winter’s Night in 2012. The follow-up, On This Winter’s Night Volume 2, came out this year, with original songs and new takes on some of the most popular songs during the festive season, including “Last Christmas.”
First released in 1984 by the pop duo Wham!, Lady A puts their own spin on the song. For band member Dave Haywood, the song is one of his favorites on the project, thanks to Hillary Scott’s delivery.
“We kind of slowed it down,” Haywood boasts to American Songwriter. “It’s my favorite spot in Hillary’s voice. … I was just a really, really big fan of that song. It’s the one I find myself kind of going back to and listening to. I love the production of it.”
“Mary, Did You Know” by Carrie Underwood
Countless artists have covered “Mary, Did You Know” since it first came out in 1991. But few can deliver it as well as Carrie Underwood. ” The song appears on Underwood’s 2020 My Gift album.
“There are a lot of Christmas songs out there that focus on the birth of Christ,” Underwood says. “I love the spin on it, in that you are looking at it through Mary’s eyes. And just asking her, ‘Did you know this baby that you’re holding is the son of God?’
“Silent Night” by Kelly Clarkson, Reba McEntire, and Trisha Yearwood
“Silent Night” might never sound quite as good as it does when Kelly Clarkson sings with Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood. The song is on Clarkson’s 2013 Wrapped In Red record. First performed in 1818, the three bring an entirely new dimension to the Christmas carol, more than a century later.
The three singers also performed “Silent Night” for Clarkson’s Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale TV special.
“I was just thrilled to death when [Clarkson] asked me to sing on her Christmas album, Wrapped in Red, and that parlayed into having the TV special. …I’m very glad she did, ” McEntire says, per NBC.
“The Christmas Song” by Dan + Shay
In 2024, Dan + Shay surprised fans by releasing It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album. The project includes 21 songs, both originals and covers, including “The Christmas Song”. Among the many variations of “The Christmas Song”, likely none stand out quite as much as Dan + Shay’s, thanks to Shay Mooney’s stunning vocals.
“The Christmas Song”, also known as “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”, was first released in 1945. It remains a staple on most holiday albums, 80 years later.
Photo by Mickey Bernal/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.