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APA Top Ten: Holiday Songs from Asia
Wishing you a happy holidays, APA presents our top ten Asian holiday songs.
For many, Christmas has become a non-secular holiday. While there are many Christians in Asia (predominantly in the Philippines and Korea), Asian citizens of other faiths have adopted holiday traditions for years -- likely for commercial reasons more than religious ones. Come December, people can look forward to presents, food, family gatherings, decorations. Cheer, loneliness, and snowmen. Charlie Brown Christmas specials dubbed in multiple languages. And for the lucky ones, there might even be Christmas dance battles.
But most importantly, there are pop stars making bank off of the Christmas holiday. Christmas albums: BoA joined S.E.S., H.O.T., SMTown, and Shinhwa for a Winter Vacation album in 2002, before coming up with her own Merry Christmas from BoA album in 2005. Singles: Japanese singer T.M.Revolution adds energy to the season with his 1999 song "Burning X'Mas." Concerts: Wang Leehom had a Christmas tour in 2007. Reality TV: In 2006, Pinoy Pop Superstar gathered their top finalists to sing "Himig ng Pasko," a Philippine Christmas song. The list goes on and on.
APA has scoured the YouTube universe and come up with our own personal top ten Asian holiday songs, for your viewing/listening pleasure.
1. Tatsuro Yamashita "Christmas Eve"
Japan wouldn't have Christmas without their standard Christmas tune: Tatsuro Yamashita's "Christmas Eve." While the song carries a lonesome message, Yamashita's full, high-pitched voice always sends back emotional waves of nostalgia. A Japanese rap group even released a remixed version of the song, but Yamashita's version will always remain timeless.
2. Lea Salonga "Pasko Na Sinta Ko"
One of the most inspirational figures of the Filipino diaspora, singer/actress Lea Salonga is in some ways the voice of the Philippines. For many, her Christmas recordings connote "home" -- whatever that may be to her fans around the world.
3. B'z "Itsuka no Merry Christmas"
Japan's best selling artist B'z (comprised of Tak Matsumotoa and Koshi Inaba), who have sold over 77 million records in Japan alone, makes "Itsuka no Merry Christmas," a melancholy Christmas classic about love during the holiday season. There have been multiple versions of the song performed over the years, including covers by Gacht and Namie Amuro and Ayumi Hamasaki.
4. Mavis Fan "Snowman"
Mavis Fan's "Snowman" -- one of her best songs ever -- is one of the catchiest contemporary Christmas songs, but also one of the most moving and poetic, capturing the desperation of love via the touch of snowflakes bound to melt.
5. Dam Vinh Hung and My Tam "Bai Thanh Ca Buon"
"Bai Thanh Ca Buon" is a standard Vietnamese Christmas song that has been performed by everyone from contemporary singers Phuong Thanh and Dan Truong to singing legend Elvis Phuong. But the most epic rendition has got to be the one from frequent collaborators, Dam Vinh Hung and My Tam, performed amongst chandeliers, firecrackers and humming nuns.
6. Kelly Chen and Stephen Fung "Bei Ji Xue"
Hong Kong superstars Kelly Chen and Stephen Fung borrow the winter wonderland as many artists do: as a place of longing, then love, and above all, beauty.
7. Eason Chan "Lonely Christmas"
Lonely Christmas indeed. In this most memorable music video, Eason Chan pulls out all the stops until, well -- I can't bear to spoil it for you. For those who are easily depressed, check out the watered down, slightly less tragic Mandarin version here.
8. Gacht "12 Gatsu no Love Song"
Japanese rocker Gacht gets the opportunity to show off his deep vocals as well as his language skills, when he performs his classic "12 Gatsu no Love Song (December's Love Song)" in both Japanese and Mandarin for China's CCTV. Once he goes on his rant about all Asians are one big family, heart to heart, hand in hand, we're sold.
9. Regine Velasquez "Maybe Next Year"
Nicknamed Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez has done her share of Christmas songs over the years. She's covered Mariah Carey's "Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)." She has a version of "Himig Pasko," "Cradle Me This Christmas," and "Oh Holy Night." But "Maybe Next Year" takes us back all the way back to 1996, when she recorded her Christmas album, Love Was Born on Christmas Day.
10. Various Artists "Last Christmas"
Wham!'s "Last Christmas" ranks as the ultimate Christmas song for the broken-hearted, and apparently Asia is full of many broken hearts on this Christian holiday. Ever since George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley performed the hit song in 1984, artists in Asia have covered it over and over again. A memorable rendition includes one by popular actor Oda Yuji, who crooned the tune for his popular drama series of the same name. Just recently, supergroup EXILE also released a Japanese language versionas well. Cambodia is also well known for their covers for famous pop songs, as Khmer crooner Preap Sovath expresses it best through a karaoke music video (above). Kim Johan of Happy Family takes on a hip-hop remix, while Korean pop-rock group Rumble Fish takes on a softer version with a female vocalist.
Honorable Mention
Kim Jong Kook, feat. Epik High "December"
The live remix featuring Epik High was performed December 2005 at the MBC Music Awards. To watch the original 1997 video, click here.
Compiled by Ada Tseng, Brian Hu, and Kanara Ty
Date Posted: 12/12/2008