The song doesn't remain the same.

Started last year during a quiet time with the radio on, a few days before Christmas…

Merry, Merry Christmas by New Kids on the Block

While listening to Christmas music and the many new versions of the classics we're introduced to each year, I think I discovered why some versions of some classics don't appeal to me:

1. Too different from the original.
2. Too much about the performer, not enough about the song.
3. Too closely associated with a genre I wouldn't otherwise like (rockabilly, country).

4. They're more parody than homage.

5. They're hollow, and lack even the sincerity of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Exceptions:

1. When you're introduced as a child, or the music is associated with an especially happy moment or pleasant film, the song can benefit. Eg, The Drifters' "White Christmas" from Home Alone.

2. If the song is so different from the original, it's essentially something new, like Trans Siberian Orchestra's "Carol of the Bells."

[2014-12-19]

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