Video Premiere

The Raveonettes’ New Christmas Package

December 6, 2011 0 Comments

The Raveonettes‘ “The Christmas Song” isn’t a cover of Nat King Cole’s chestnuts-roasting classic, but rather the Danish duo’s own original festive addition to the holiday canon. One of my top Christmas tunes of recent vintage, the pair’s hushed vocals and the song’s late ’50s/early ’60s sound render it timeless.

But The Raveonettes’ “The Christmas Song” has been hanging near the chimney for a while. The track dates back to the 2001 sessions for Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo’s debut album, Whip It On, and first surfaced as a B-side to “Heartbreak Stroll.” Later issued as a standalone single in 2003, “The Christmas Song” was then included on the Merry Christmas Tree compilation and two soundtracks, The O.C. Mix 3: Have A Very Merry Chrismukkah (no surprise there) and Christmas With The Kranks, all from 2004.

A decade after they recorded “The Christmas Song,” The Raveonettes have packaged up a new version of the single. Alongside the original version (which interestingly ranks as their biggest selling song to date), they’ve added a twinkling music-box take and a brand-new video to boot.

Filmed at Wagner’s New York City apartment, the black-and-white clip features simple festive touches, like Foo reading A Christmas Carol and the two flipping through a collection of Christmas LPs. (Note the Jack Skellington pillow too.)

Interestingly, The Raveonettes didn’t include “The Christmas Song” on 2008’s Wishing You A Rave Christmas EP. The 4-track release features three more original holiday tunes, plus a cover of my favorite Christmas song of all time, Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

Purchase The Raveonettes – “The Christmas Song” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.