Song #7: I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Dwight Yoakam
To be honest, this isn’t actually one of my favorite Christmas songs. Dwight Yoakam’s rhythmic version, however, is just funky enough for me to focus without getting bored. – Leeann
Raul Malo
If there is anyone in Nashville who can wring out every drop of emotion from this most bittersweet of Christmas songs, it is Raul Malo. Armed with just his guitar and his voice, Malo’s rendition is guaranteed to touch anyone who’s spending the holidays apart from loved ones. This video was recorded as a tribute to soldiers returning from the war in Iraq, making the song even more poignant. – Sam
LeeAnn, great choice on the Dwight song!!!
Dwight and Raul: my two all-times faves. Well done!
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is, I believe, one of the 4 most recorded Christmas holiday standards of the 1940’s. The others are “White Christmas”, “The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. What distinguishes “Home” is the line “if only in my dreams”.
Sam mentions that the video was recorded as a video tribute to soldiers coming home from Iraq. Nice job by Raul and a tribute well deserved. The only sad thing is that for our troops in Afghanistan, they will be home “only in their dreams.”