Robert Plant picks his five favourite Christmas songs
Robert Plant might be most famous for screaming at the top of his lungs whilst fronting heavy rock outfit Led Zeppelin, but he’s no stranger to a Christmas song (or five). With that, the singer revealed his most loved festive tracks back in 2021, taking BBC 6 Radio through his favourites on ‘6 Music’s Takeover’.
During the interview, Plant revealed his first pick was ‘White Christmas’ by The Drifters. Reaching number two on Billboard’s Rhythm & Blues chart, the smoothness and soul in Clyde McPhatter’s voice really spoke to Plant, who explained he was just one of many singers who passed through The Drifters.
“McPhatter’s voice was insane,” said Plant. “Just so good, and he was followed five or four vocalists later by the great Ben E. King, who I was so fortunate to get to know. I mean, when I was just a kid, McPhatter and King were my go-to voices.” The Drifters’ version of the song enjoyed a renaissance when a young Macaulay Culkin grabbed a comb and lip-synched their version into it during a scene in Home Alone, and its inclusion in The Santa Clause solidified it as a Christmas radio favourite.
Robert Plant has always borrowed from blues artists, so unsurprisingly, Leadbelly’s ‘Christmas Is A-Coming’ also made his top five. “Leadbelly, where do you begin and end with this guy? Well, we’ve all lent on his songs, and he also lent on the stuff that came over from the United Kingdom and Ireland into the United States. It was the sort of swing between black guys singing white songs and white guys singing black songs and the songs actually having questionable points of where they actually began,” Plant explained.
He went on to say that on Led Zeppelin III, the band took ‘Gallis Pole’ and turned it into their own ‘Gallows Pole’. “If you have not heard this guy before,” advises Plant, “Just listen to ‘In The Pines’ and listen to ‘Black Betty’. Just listen to Leadbelly.”
Originally recorded in Austria in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr, the cover of ‘Silent Night’ by The Ravens in 1948 was next on Plant’s list. “It’s nearly Christmas; what might that mean? Here [are] The Ravens, they might give us an answer,” said Plant. The group were an American rhythm and blues band that had some of the most successful quartets to hit the charts, with hits like ‘Count Every Star’, ‘Who’s Sorry Now’ and ‘My Baby’s Gone’.
When he was a young boy, Plant said he was completely blown away by the Harry Simeone Chorale, so ‘Little Drummer Boy’ remains one of his firm favourites as an adult. Originally written by composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941, Plant’s preferred version was the one covered and popularised by the Harry Simeone Chorale in 1958. The iconic “pa-rum-pum-pum” rhythm has also been covered by Bing Crosby and David Bowie, but Plant’s all about the classics.
Check out the full list below.
Robert Plant’s favourite Christmas songs:
- ‘White Christmas’ – The Drifters
- ‘Christmas Is A-Coming’ – Leadbelly
- ‘Silent Night’ – The Ravens
- ‘Little Drummer Boy’ – Harry Simeone Chorale
- ‘Please Come Home For Christmas’ – James Brown
James Brown’s ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’ is last entry on the list. “Let’s play out with the master,” joked Plant. The song, originally penned by Charles Brown and Gene Redd in 1960, managed to stay on the Christmas Singles chart for nine seasons, finally reaching number one in 1972. Clearly, it’s a favourite of classic rockers because Bon Jovi and The Eagles have covered the song. “Check at the very end of this track, this is what I live to hear. So this is James Brown singing the great Charles Brown’s ‘Please Come Home For Christmas’. Take it easy, all the best, bye, bye,” Plant said.
