A playlist so 90’s, so festive and so BRU to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
It’s Nothin’ But Nineties Week here at WBRU. It’s also right in the middle of the holiday season. We knew we wanted to put together a celebratory playlist for you guys, but we weren’t sure which theme to settle on.
1. I Won’t Be Home for Christmas – Blink-182
Originally recorded in 1997, this high-energy song features classic Blink tellin’ it how it is. Over a catchy guitar riff, of course.
2. The Little Drum Machine Boy – Beck
Beck drops some “Hanukkah science” on us, mixing in some Hebrew with 808 beats for the holiday compilation album
Just Say Noël from 1996.
3. Christmastime – Smashing Pumpkins
Billy Corgan wrote this song in 1997 for the compilation album
A Very Special Christmas 3 to benefit the Special Olympics.
4. Oi to the World – No Doubt
Gwen Stefani was sassy as ever in 1997 covering this song originally by fellow So-Cal band The Vandals.
5. Let Me Sleep (It’s Christmas Time) – Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam’s 1991 Christmas single was the first of an annual (except for 1994) tradition existing to this day where members of the official fan club receive exclusive
holiday singles.
6. The First Noel / I Like Christmas / Noel! Noel! – Eve 6
So maybe this was released in 2001 for
A Very Special Christmas 5, but we all really only know
that one Eve 6 song from 1998…
7. Keegan’s Christmas – Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground is best known for their 1997 hit “Sex and Candy,” so I’m really upset that they didn’t call their Christmas song “Milk and Cookies.”
I smell milk and cookies, yeah
Who’s that loungin’ in my chair
Who’s that makin’ speediest flights in all directions,
Mama it’s surely Christmas Eve… Yeah.
If only.
8. Christmas – Blues Traveler
This song was also on 1997’s
A Very Special Christmas 3. It’s exactly what you’d expect a Blues Traveler song to sound like. Except about Christmas.
9. One of Those Christmas Days – Third Eye Blind
This rare ditty was a part of a promotional sampler in 1998 from Elektra Records called “In The Spirit” and it’s about as unholy as it gets for Christmas songs.
10. We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Weezer
Weezer has some great 90’s singles to make up for the fact that this particular Christmas song was recorded in 2008 for the 6-track EP
Christmas With Weezer.
11. The Christmas Song – Hootie & the Blowfish
You can’t think of the 90’s without being reminded of how inexplicably huge this band got. Their 1994 debut album went platinum 16 times over. How…? Anyway, here’s a Christmas song they did.
12. Winter Wonderland – Radiohead
There is a 103% chance Thom Yorke was drunk for this.
13. Christmas Song – Dave Matthews
This song appears on another holiday compilation album,
Kevin & Bean’s Last Christmas, released in 1999.
14. Christmas Time is Here – Stone Temple Pilots
This super rare STP performance doesn’t seem to have had an official release. After some internet scouring, it looks like the consensus is that it’s from KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas show in LA back in 1993.
15. Santa Baby – Everclear
Turns out these guys have been doing a 90’s nostalgia tour the past few years with the likes of fellow playlist contributors Marcy Playground and Eve 6. Too bad it’s only in the summer, so the chances of ever hearing Everclear play this song live are very slim. Christmas in July, anyone?
