Seasons Greetings! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most challenging holiday songs that aren’t for beginners.
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00:00 I don't want a lot for Christmas.
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most challenging holiday
00:10 songs that aren't for beginners.
00:12 (Music)
00:19 Number 10, The 12 Days of Christmas.
00:21 Quick, what did your true love give you on the 10th day of Christmas?
00:24 That's okay, we'll wait.
00:26 What about the 7th day?
00:27 (Music)
00:32 Musically, this cutesy holiday classic starts to sound like a very complicated pet store
00:36 order after a while.
00:38 But while the verses of The 12 Days of Christmas are repetitive, as it goes along, the gifts
00:42 become less familiar.
00:44 What were they on the 4th?
00:45 8th.
00:46 On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me.
00:49 Even if you know about the partridge in a pear tree, what about the 9 ladies dancing?
00:53 How about the 10 lords a leaping?
00:55 Let's hope your memory's on point because the whole performance could come crashing down
00:59 otherwise.
01:00 12 angry men, 11 legs on a spider on a stool.
01:09 10 angry men, 2 of them have just calmed down.
01:15 Number 9, Blue Christmas.
01:17 While many traditional Christmas songs are challenging because they're often written
01:20 for choirs and require some pretty gnarly high notes, this one has the exact opposite
01:25 problem.
01:26 (Music)
01:32 Elvis Presley wasn't the first to record Blue Christmas.
01:36 However, his trademark husky crooning will forever be associated with it.
01:39 (Music)
01:46 Trying to do something new with such a distinctive track seems daunting enough, but if you don't,
01:50 you run the risk of bottoming out on those bluesy low notes.
01:54 It's also not your standard fare.
01:56 It's just a really emotional song, full of heartache and regret instead of warmth and
02:00 cheer.
02:01 (Music)
02:07 Number 8, The First Noel.
02:10 (Music)
02:16 A nativity story with lovely imagery, The First Noel is a sweet song
02:20 that sounds just as beautiful in a concert hall as it does beside a crackling fireplace.
02:25 But don't let that fool you.
02:27 The choruses have several repetitions of the word "Noel" sung a little higher each time.
02:32 (Music)
02:41 Some parts seem like they're written as a vocal exercise, requiring a lot of dexterity
02:45 to hit the rising and falling notes over short phrases.
02:48 Yes, it's a song we all know, but you might find it to be a pretty demanding little tune
02:52 if you try to sing it in full.
02:53 (Music)
03:00 Number 7, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
03:03 (Music)
03:11 This traditional hymn has gone through many musical arrangements and lyrical changes over
03:15 the years.
03:16 But no matter the form, it's hard not to want to sing along.
03:19 What makes the number a little more challenging is that it has a lot of "h" sounds.
03:23 (Music)
03:30 Many phrases feature words like "hark", "herald", "hail", "heaven", one right after the other.
03:36 And they all take a little more breath than other consonant sounds.
03:39 (Music)
03:43 You can't be blamed for getting a little winded by it all.
03:46 Luckily, it's also loud.
03:48 So if you're singing in a choir, you might be able to drop out without being noticed.
03:52 If it's just one, two, or three of you performing though, best do your breathing exercises beforehand.
03:57 (Music)
04:04 Number 6, River.
04:06 Joni Mitchell's moody 1971 classic is a breakup song with a yuletide twist.
04:11 It begins with a take on Jingle Bells before launching into a poignant escapist fantasy
04:15 of Christmastime heartbreak.
04:17 (Music)
04:24 Because Mitchell's voice can go so high, most of us are immediately at a disadvantage trying
04:29 to cover this one.
04:30 Full of vocal left hooks like the high-flying riffs on the word "fly", it's got plenty of
04:34 hurdles that an inexperienced singer might not be able to clear.
04:37 (Music)
04:44 Despite not being what you would call a traditional Christmas song, it's beautiful enough to have
04:48 been taken up by many artists for their own holiday-themed projects.
04:52 Still, the fact remains that a rookie would struggle to pull it off.
04:55 (Music)
05:02 Number 5, Silent Night.
05:04 (Music)
05:10 First performed in 1818, Silent Night has become a staple of the season.
05:14 Despite its ubiquity, it really requires a lot of a singer.
05:18 Even in a lower key, you still have to dip into your lower register for many of the notes.
05:23 Then you have to swing back up to catch those high ones.
05:25 (Music)
05:32 A lot of this is often going on within the same short phrase and without much space to
05:36 pause for breath.
05:37 By the way, you also have to sound as angelic as possible.
05:41 One of the best things about this song is that because it's so simple, you can dress
05:45 it up with showy and effective harmonies.
05:47 Just make sure you have the technique to pull them off.
05:49 (Music)
05:59 Number 4, Carol of the Bells.
06:01 (Music)
06:08 It's perhaps the most insistent and vaguely threatening of the well-known Christmas carols.
06:13 Based on a traditional Ukrainian New Year song, Carol of the Bells goes extremely hard.
06:18 Written in a minor key, it features melodic chanting offset by foreboding notes and vocal
06:23 imitations of bells.
06:24 Different singers typically perform different parts, giving it an echoing quality that makes
06:28 it sound almost endless.
06:30 (Music)
06:37 Timing is everything here.
06:39 If one member or part of the group is off, it can be hard to correct.
06:43 That's saying nothing of the Fast and Furious lyrics.
06:46 You wanna see some high comedy?
06:48 Try doing this one by yourself.
06:49 (Music)
06:55 Number 3, Angels We Have Heard on High.
06:58 Even if you don't know many of the lyrics, you definitely recognize this traditional
07:02 carol's memorable chorus.
07:03 (Music)
07:10 Perhaps you know it by this title, or maybe you're more familiar with the alternate version,
07:14 Angels from the Realms of Glory.
07:16 But there's no denying, Angels We Have Heard on High features one of the most technically
07:20 demanding choruses of the holiday season.
07:23 (Music)
07:30 The repeated Gloria in Excelsis Deo lyric requires the singer to sustain a full voice
07:34 over a long sequence of notes.
07:36 In other words, it requires some well-placed breaths and stamina.
07:40 The shifting, fluctuating notes in the "O" of Gloria are also merciless on the lungs.
07:45 Yet when it's done right, it's absolutely breathtaking.
07:48 (Music)
07:55 Number 2, O Holy Night.
07:57 If you wanna test your vocal range, give O Holy Night a try.
08:01 It's got low lows, high highs, octave jumps, and given its holy themes, it's also full of emotion.
08:08 (Music)
08:16 Originally a French poem from the 19th century, it has since become a staple of Christmas time
08:21 celebrations in or out of church.
08:23 (Music)
08:29 It's not surprising that some of popular music's most skilled singers have included it on their
08:33 holiday albums.
08:34 (Music)
08:41 Just listen to Mariah Carey's stunning rendition, featuring her signature whistle tone of course.
08:46 Of the traditional Christmas songs, this is definitely the one most likely to have you pulling a muscle.
08:52 (Music)
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09:13 (Music)
09:15 Number 1, All I Want For Christmas Is You.
09:18 (Music)
09:25 She's not the queen of Christmas for nothing.
09:27 All of Mariah Carey's songs should come with a warning sign for karaoke singers.
09:31 Unless you want the entire place to be cringing politely or covering their ears, you better do your warmups first.
09:37 This phenomenal timeless hit is no exception and has almost become the Christmas anthem for all time.
09:43 (Music)
09:48 It's a deceptively joyous and effervescent song, considering just how challenging it is to keep pace and find the right spots to breathe.
09:55 Her high notes are absolutely impeccable and the low ones require the utmost precision and support.
10:00 That's what makes Mariah the queen and her work cannot be easily replicated.
10:04 (Music)
10:09 Did our list have you calling for your backup singers? Let us know in the comments.
10:13 I got a bit lost there, Leslie, but I don't think anyone noticed.
10:16 (Laughter)
10:17 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
10:21 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
10:25 (Music)