Axios Detroit's 2024 holiday music playlist
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
👋 Annalise here, sharing a small, seasonal ode to Detroit through one of its deepest avenues of adoration — music.
Driving the news: Axios Detroit made a holiday playlist on Spotify (apologies, Apple Music users) that you can access here. We did our own research, and used suggestions from readers, for Detroit- and Michigan-related tunes.
State of play: It'll come as no surprise that Detroit legends have produced fantastic Christmas music, from heartfelt ballads to big jazzy numbers; from Motown to Detroit-raised Anita Baker's "Christmas Fantasy" album; from Alice Cooper to a song several of you recommended that I'd never heard, "Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue."
Zoom out: People have already been listening to Christmas music — "Christmas Hits" became the No. 1 playlist on Spotify in the U.S. in mid-November.
- Some of us, like me, have hesitated to join them too early. Now that December has arrived, it is time.
Here's a selection of the songs we chose:
- "Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue," Karen Newman
- "White Christmas," The Drifters
- "Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder
- "Remember Love on Christmas Day," Thornetta Davis
- "All I Want for Christmas," DeJ Loaf and Kodak Black
- "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," Jack White
- "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," The Jackson 5
- "Winter Wonderland," Aretha Franklin
- "Silent Night," The Temptations
- "Sister Winter," Sufjan Stevens
Thanks to readers Sam L., Eric W., Mary M., Lisa E., Rochelle I., Lorianne A., Violet H. and Lauren P.!
Between the lines: Thanks also to reader Chris B. for flagging three locally produced "Christmas in Detroit" compilation albums released in 1992, 1993 and 2009. They benefitted charity, including through journalist and author Mitch Albom's nonprofit, SAY Detroit, according to Albom's website.
- We couldn't find these songs on Spotify, but we hope there are some locals out there who bought them back in the day and can listen to the tracks, including "Christmas in Detroit" by Funky Daddy and the Detroit Demolition, and "Wandering Shepherd" from local TV news star Devin Scillian, Jeff Daniels and Stewart Francke.
📬 What songs did we miss? Email [email protected] to let us know!