Finnginn's Festive Countdown: Number One

I spent what I could of today listening to my Xmas playlist and choosing something appropriate for the number one slot. There were a few contenders and if I was writing this on a different day, it might easily have been a different result.

Compiling a list like this has really helped me to define what I like in an Xmas tune. I particularly like genre takes on classics. I have developed a strong taste for military style snare-heavy drumbeats. And you can’t go wrong with a pretentious Latin title and a bonkers angelic inspiration. 

Number One: In Dulci Jubilo by Mike Oldfield

I feel an extra appreciation for this work of genius is added by being able to view Pan's People's dance interpretation from 1975's Top of the Pops. My Xmas gift to you all.

The tune’s history is pretty interesting too. I recommend listening to a choral arrangement such as this one by the choir at King’s College and you’ll hear Pearsall's partly English translation of the words and music that dates from the 14th Century.

German Mystic Heinrich Seuse wrote down the music he heard angels singing in a vision brought on by mortification  - an extreme religious practice for which Heinrich Seuse  invented and wore underpants studded with 150 inward facing brass nails. They really knew how to get close to God in the 14th Century. 

The underpant craze remained a niche practice, but the song really caught on. JS Bach loved the song so much that he wrote a prelude for organ (JBV729).

You might think that such a distinguished musical pedigree might put off the average prog rock studio musician, but Mike Oldfield realised that there was a banging tune hiding in In Dulce Jubilo  - it just needed speeding up and the addition of two slightly stifled electric guitars and some snare drums.

Well, this has been a gas, can’t believe that I have managed to write all eight of these before Xmas! It's kept me sane whilst also writing hundreds of near identical corporate Christmas messages for my day job writing the internet. 

Thanks to everyone who’s got involved and joined in the comments and shared their favourite Xmas tunes and their opinions on my choices. I hope the list has provoked thought more than it has disappointed.

Happy Xmas everyone!