Holiday songs become classics for a reason. There are just some songs that, when a certain time of year comes around, you feel like you need to listen to them to get into the spirit.
One good thing about holiday classics is that they invite so many opportunities for reinterpretation and remixing them.
So many of our favorite holiday songs have been sung by multiple people who all put their special touch on the songs.
With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to look at one of the all-time best holiday song covers.
There are some songs that just about everyone feels connected to.
While you may not know the name Leonard Cohen, everyone knows the song “Hallelujah”.
The Canadian singer-songwriter first wrote the song that references his Jewish heritage 1984.
Over the years, it has been covered from everyone from John Cale, to The Pentatonix, to Jeff Buckley.
The Jeff Buckley version is perhaps the most famous, but each singer has added their own interpretation and sense of meaning to this enigmatic song.
Another classic song is the Christmas carol “O Holy Night”.
Originally written by Adolphe Adam in 1847, this song has been covered by Mariah Carey and Josh Groban and gets a lot of airtime because of their renditions.
There’s something about these songs that makes people want to reinterpret them and sing them again and again.
You may know Jennifer Nettles as a member of the band Sugarland.
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This country music duo has been making hits for years now. But in addition to her work in the band, Jennifer Nettles has a prolific solo music career.
Several years ago, she got a chance to show off her talents when she swung by the Sirius XM studios. At the studio, she gave a live performance perfect for the holiday season.
Her performance is a gorgeous tribute to both songs.
She puts everything she has into these two songs in a country take on two holiday classics.
Nettles is fantastic at putting raw emotional power into the songs she belts out.
In this performance, she sings with an alto tone and showcases a strong vibrato. Accompanied just with a guitar player, the emphasis is on her voice.
These songs don’t often get paired together.
Nettles makes a unique pairing in this mashup, but they work together well.
She starts with a powerful version of “O Holy Night”, and then her voice softens when she takes on Cohen’s sensitive and contemplative “Hallelujah.”
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When Nettles finishes singing, she closes the two songs out with a simple holiday greeting. The audience at the Sirius XM radio station is small, but they erupt into applause and cheers.
This holiday mashup has everyone feeling festive.
The YouTube video has gained over 6 million views and it has over 2,000 comments with everyone agreeing that this performance is gorgeous.
For many people, it’s become a holiday favorite.
One person writes:
“She not only signs the song , but feels it also. Moves me every time I hear it.”
While someone else says:
“What a wonderful performance. She puts her heart and soul into her singing. Christmas without Jennifer singing O Holy Night wouldn’t be the same. Just brilliant!”
If the video below doesn’t help you feel some holiday cheer, I don’t know what will!
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