It’s the most wonderful time of the year and that means Christmas music — even for the coaches on “The Voice.”
During a Christmas special on Thursday, the coaches revealed their favorite holiday songs and Blake Shelton’s was a surprise.
The country superstar said the song most “stuck” in his head this time of year is “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
The earworm of a song had somewhat of a comeback a few years ago when it was featured in a holiday advertising campaign for the United States Postal Service.
“The ditty was, perhaps, unfamiliar to many listeners, but it penetrated the mind space of the unwary at warp speed — and stayed there.” Joanna Kaufman of the New York Times wrote on Dec. 30, 2016. “Resistance was futile.”
The original singer, Gayla Peevey, now 77, recorded the song when she was just 10 years old. It was her first and only big hit.
“The song could drive you crazy,” she told the New York Times in 2016. But it doesn’t bother her. “I love hearing it, and I can’t hear it too much.”
Apparently, neither can Shelton. He also said he listens to his fiancee Gwen Stefani’s music this time of year.
“(And) every single song on Gwen’s ‘You Make it Feel Like Christmas’ album,” he added in his interview.
Stefani also went the self-promotional route, admitting that her favorite song was “You Make it Feel Like Christmas,” the single, which she recorded with Shelton.
Pop star Kelly Clarkson said her favorite is “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby. She actually covered the song on her holiday album, “Wrapped in Red,” which was released 2013.
“There’s so many songs that I love,” John Legend said in his interview. “I love the classics.”
He settled on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" initially but added he also loves “This Christmas” and “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” (also known as “The Christmas Song.”) It makes sense he loves those songs; Legend actually covered all three of them on his 2019 album “A Legendary Christmas.”
Clarkson and Legend have also recorded Christmas tunes together. The duo teamed up to revamp the classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for Legend’s 2019 album with updated lyrics for the age of #MeToo.
One change was Clarkson singing, "What will my friends think if I have one more drink?” before Legend replies, "It’s your body and your choice."
While some people took issue with the change, Legend defended the lyrical swaps to People.
“First of all, there’s no side to be on,” he told People. “It’s just another version of the song. If you don’t wanna listen to it, you don’t have to. No one’s saying you can’t listen to the old version. Those versions all exist. People make new versions of songs all the time and we thought it’d be fun to update the song and make it more current."
