The Top 7 Versions of “O Holy Night”

I’ll cut right to the chase on this post: music up front; explanation in the back,or after the non-existent jump, if you will.  Listen to the 7 best version of “O Holy Night” below with the Grooveshark widget.

I signed up for this site a long time along when it was invite only and never did much with it. Now it’s public and better than ever and thanks to this Zepfanman post, I became aware of it again. Stream and read away.

“O Holy Night” is probably my favorite Christmas hymn. I’ve always liked the song. The simple arpeggio open C chord intro is unmistakable. I felt the power and realized the importance of the song when I heard it at the opening of Southeast Christian Church‘s new campus in Louisville, KY in 1998.

Aerial View of Southeast Christian Church 1998

Imagine 9000 voices strong in this sanctuary. Envision the power of the melody of praise of “O Holy Night.” Combine that with the Spirit of Christmas and the excitement of a new church building and you have one of my favorite experiences.

Southeast Christian Sanctuary as seen by Donny Pauling's iPhone

(by the way I love the new image editing features in WordPress. It makes simple edits, well, simple.)

I whittled this list down from over 50 different versions I have.  Most of them are run-of-the-mill versions.  But each one of the following artists bring something different to this wonderful carol. Some have been in my collection and often played (Anathallo & Seven Day Jesus). Others I’ve heard only recently. One I heard yesterday (Relient K). You can click the band/artist name to visit their website.

¶Anathallo

This version starts out quite ordinarily and if you know anything about the band, you know it won’t last. The thing I first loved about this song was that it was unlike any other Christmas song I had heard at this point. I downloaded it from mp3.com back when that was the place to that sort of thing and discover new bands.

¶Justin McRoberts

The EP this version appears on made my list of the Top 7 Christmas Albums of 2009. Features an original bridge that is simply amazing. It’s a risk to add new words to such a treasured classic, but Justin’s risk pays off big. Probably the most accessible version on this list.

¶Relient K

Another very accessible version. Definitely not one I was expecting to see on here and not from Relient K. If  I didn’t know it was them when I played the song for first time, I wouldn’t have know who it was, especially from the guitar line. The band has been heavily featured on Christmas compilations and has even released a full length album of Christmas songs. This was not on the original pressing, but featured as a bonus track on the re-release.

¶Seven Day Jesus

From the inro, this one is different. The version I play is based around that riff. This appeared on the first Happy Christmas CD from BEC Recordings along side some of my favorite original Christmas songs.

¶Sufjan Stevens

You never know what to expect when you first listen to a Sufjan song.  It’s almost cliché to say this, but he’s the epitome of quirky. He was the first person to make the banjo cool again. Like Anathallo, this version isn’t for everyone, but I like it.  I like it a lot.

¶Trans-Siberian Orchestra

– This a great instrumental version of the song that speeds up the arpeggio slightly. Instead of vocals, you get to hear the lead guitar sing. It is short and leaves me wanted more yet satisfied at the same time. They also have another instrumental version that appears as a medley along with “O Come All Ye Faithful.”

>Honorable Mention

Mary Ellen Kirk. You can download it for free from Noisetrade. She has a beautiful voice and interacts with her fans quite often.

>Post Honorable Mention

The instrumental version from Mannheim Steamroller. You can listen to here.

If you don’t like any of these version, click here.

Ok, seriously you might like this one.

Which version do you like most?  How do you feel about these picks?