David Campbell joins the merry music makers on the Christmas hit parade with his fave holiday songs
When making his Christmas album, David Campbell says he struggled narrowing down the long list of epic carols. So, what is the best festive song? VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE HERE.
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Twas six months before Christmas and David Campbell was making his list of favourite songs and checking it twice — for too many ballads.
The loud and proud fan of the silly season was finally making his first Christmas album and there was one little voice ringing in his head as he hit the studio.
His three-year-old daughter Betty isn’t a fan of “sad” songs.
“It couldn’t have too many ballads because I knew Betty would go ‘Bored. Too sad, Dad, no sad Dad,’” Campbell said, imitating his adorable child.
The television personality, actor and singer released Baby, It’s Christmas in October ahead of the usual rush of seasonal soundtracks.
And considering the competition from the kings and queens of the Christmas song — Michael Buble, Mariah Carey and more recently John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John — Campbell’s collection of carols and classics has made a strong showing on the charts, nudging the top 10 last week.
“You can’t ever beat Mariah or Buble; all you can hope for is to join them,” Campbell said.
“The Mariah Carey song All I Want For Christmas Is You is perfect in every way.
“Outside of the Phil Spector album and early Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, I don’t think anything is more iconic that the Mariah song. Even over Buble. It trounces everything.”
Campbell has been a fan and student of the Christmas carol for decades, collecting his favourite songs on a playlist that now runs for nine hours.
He credits the Buble album Christmas for renewing Australia’s love of the genre.
The wildly popular Canadian singer has sold more than one million copies in Australia and claimed the No.1 spot on the pop charts five times since its release in 2011.
“The eternal strength of that album has given people the excuse to really get into rediscovering their old Christmas collections,” Campbell said.
“And then you’ve got new contenders like the John Farnham and Olivia album which was so well done and so well sung.
“I feel there’s a real openness to us going full Christmas in Australia now.”
Campbell also chose to add an original composition to the catalogue of homegrown songs celebrating the season, recording the title track written by 90s charttopper Rick Price.
He cites Paul Kelly’s How To Make Gravy and Tim Minchin’s White Wine In The Sun as the finest examples of Australian Christmas songs.
There could be another addition to Baby It’s Christmas next year featuring his father Jimmy Barnes.
The rocker has long wanted to record The Little Drummer Boy in the style of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly parodying the hilarious 1977 television performance of the classic by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
“I’m happy to do it. It would be so good, the Dad and Dave Christmas cover of Bing and Bowie,” he said.
After hosting their annual theatre orphans’ Christmas lunch, David and his wife Lisa and their children Leo, Billy and Betty will be heading to Disneyworld and Graceland for an overdue summer holiday.
“I promised my kids, after working through Christmas last year, that I would give them a decent pay-off for that and I have bribed them with Disneyworld. So that’s what we are going to do Disneyworld and Graceland. We have the suits ready,” he said.