Making a joyful noise (Women's edition)

Acme's annual salute to the holidays via Rock and Roll.  First up - Do you hear what I hear?: Female Performers:


Coventry Carol  Alison Moyet –



Sorry but this song is ultimately about babies who are about to be murdered. Coventry Carol is a reference to the Massacre of the Innocents, an event described in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, King Herod orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two.

A very Merry Christmas indeed


2000 Miles  The Pretenders –



While this song is thought of as a holiday song, the lyrics were written after the band’s original guitarist James Honeyman-Scott passed away in 1982, at the age of 25.


Little Drummer Boy   Joan Jett And The Blackhearts –



This song was the basis of an animated TV special in 1968, also called Little Drummer Boy. It was about an orphaned child who goes on a quest to find his camel, which he discovers when he finds the Three Wise Men. This TV special never became a holiday classic like Frosty The Snowman or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.


Joy  Tracy Thorn -



The song is from Everything But The Girl singer Thorn's solo album Tinsel And Lights, which consists of mostly covers of seasonal music. Joy is one of the album's few originals.


Last Christmas  Florence + The Machine -



Written and produced by George Michael, this song actually has very little to do with Christmas - it's about a failed relationship. Only the phase "Last Christmas," when the relationship comes to a head, refers to the festive season. Despite this, it has become an annual Christmas standard, especially in the UK.


O Little Town Of Bethlehem  Sister Rosetta Tharpe -



On Christmas Eve 1865, a young minister stood on the hill overlooking Bethlehem where the shepherds had watched their flocks on the night Jesus was born. The impression of that starry night never left Phillips Brooks. Three years later he was asked to write a hymn for the children of his Philadelphia parish for their Christmas service. The words "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" were already in his mind. Brooks' church organist, Lewis Redner, set the words to music, declaring that the tune was "a gift from heaven." Brooks became an outstanding preacher and possibly the most highly esteemed American clergyman of his day.


God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen  Annie Lennox -



This is a traditional English carol dating back to the 16th or 17th century. It was first published in England in 1833, when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys.


Silent Night  Stevie Nicks -



It is believed that the carol has been translated into over 300 languages around the world, and it is one of the most popular carols of all time.


And of course the holiday favorite - Christmas Wrapping The Waitresses -



When Chris Butler wrote this song, he was not feeling very festive. The Waitresses were signed to ZE Records, whose boss, Michael Zilkha, asked the bands on his roster to each come up with a Christmas song that would go on a holiday compilation issued by the label. The Waitresses were in the middle of a grueling tour, and weren't happy about the task, especially since it was July and they weren't exactly in the Christmas spirit.

Demand Euphoria!