Top 10 Hardest Christmas Songs to Sing

Quick, what did your true love give you on the tenth day of Christmas? That’s okay, we’ll wait. What about the seventh day? Musically, this cutesy holiday classic starts to sound like a very complicated pet store order after a while. But while the verses of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” are repetitive, as it goes along, the gifts become less familiar. Even if you know about the partridge in a pear tree, what about the nine ladies dancing? How about the ten lords a-leaping? Let’s hope your memory’s on point, because the whole performance could come crashing down otherwise.

While many traditional Christmas songs are challenging because they’re often written for choirs and require some pretty gnarly high notes, this one has the exact opposite problem. Elvis Presley wasn’t the first to record “Blue Christmas.” However, his trademark husky crooning will be forever associated with it. Trying to do something new with such a distinctive track seems daunting enough, but if you don’t, you run the risk of bottoming out on those bluesy low notes. It’s also not your standard fare. It’s just a really emotional song, full of heartache and regret instead of warmth and cheer.

A nativity story with lovely imagery, “The First Noël” is a sweet song that sounds just as beautiful in a concert hall as it does beside a crackling fireplace. But don’t let that fool you. The choruses have several repetitions of the word “Noël,” sung a little higher each time. Some parts seem like they’re written as a vocal exercise, requiring a lot of dexterity to hit the rising and falling notes over short phrases. Yes, it’s a song we all know, but you might find it to be a pretty demanding little tune if you try to sing it in full.

This traditional hymn has gone through many musical arrangements and lyrical changes over the years, but no matter the form, it’s hard not to want to sing along. What makes the number a little more challenging is that it has a lot of “h” sounds. Many phrases feature words like “hark,” “herald,” hail,” “heaven,” one right after the other, and they all take a little more breath than other consonant sounds. You can’t be blamed for getting a little winded by it all. Luckily, it’s also loud, so if you’re singing in a choir, you might be able to drop out without being noticed. If it’s just one, two, or three of you performing though, best do your breathing exercises beforehand.

Joni Mitchell’s moody 1971 classic is a breakup song with a Yuletide twist. It begins with a take on “Jingle Bells,” before launching into a poignant escapist fantasy of Christmastime heartbreak. Because Mitchell’s voice can go so high, most of us are immediately at a disadvantage trying to cover this one. Full of vocal left hooks, like the high-flying riffs on the word “fly,” it’s got plenty of hurdles that an inexperienced singer might not be able to clear. Despite not being what you’d call a traditional Christmas song, it’s beautiful enough to have been taken up by many artists for their own holiday-themed projects. Still, the fact remains that a rookie would struggle to pull it off.

First performed in 1818, “Silent Night” has become a staple of the season. Despite its ubiquity, it really requires a lot of a singer. Even in a lower key, you still have to dip into your lower register for many of the notes. Then, you have to swing back up to catch those high ones. A lot of this is often going on within the same short phrase and without much space to pause for breath. By the way, you also have to sound as angelic as possible. One of the best things about this song is that because it’s so simple, you can dress it up with showy and effective harmonies. Just make sure you have the technique to pull them off.

It’s perhaps the most insistent and vaguely threatening of the well-known Christmas carols. Based on a traditional Ukrainian New Year’s song, “Carol of the Bells” goes extremely hard. Written in a minor key, it features melodic chanting offset by foreboding notes and vocal imitations of bells. Different singers typically perform different parts, giving it an echoing quality that makes it sound almost endless. Timing is everything here. If one member or part of the group is off, it can be hard to correct. That’s saying nothing of the fast and furious lyrics. You want to see some high comedy? Try doing this one by yourself.

Even if you don’t know many of the lyrics, you definitely recognize this traditional carol’s memorable chorus. Perhaps you know it by this title, or maybe you’re more familiar with the alternate version, “Angels from the Realms of Glory.” But there’s no denying “Angels We Have Heard on High” features one of the most technically demanding choruses of the holiday season. The repeated “Gloria in excelsis Deo” lyric requires the singer to sustain a full voice over a long sequence of notes. In other words, it requires some well-placed breaths and stamina. The shifting, fluctuating notes in the “o” of “Gloria” are also merciless on the lungs. Yet when it’s done right, it’s absolutely breathtaking.

If you want to test your vocal range, give “O Holy Night” a try. It’s got low lows, high highs, octave jumps, and given its holy themes, it’s also full of emotion. Originally a French poem from the 19th century, it has since become a staple of Christmastime celebrations in or out of church. Given its technical complexity, it’s not surprising that some of popular music’s most skilled singers have included it on their holiday albums. Just listen to Mariah Carey’s stunning rendition — featuring her signature whistle tone, of course. Of the traditional Christmas songs, this is definitely the one most likely to have you pulling a muscle.

She’s not the queen of Christmas for nothing. All of Mariah Carey’s songs should come with a warning sign for karaoke singers. Unless you want the entire place to be cringing politely or covering their ears, you better do your warmups first. This seminal, timeless, hit is no exception, and has almost become the Christmas anthem for all time. It’s a deceptively joyous and effervescent song, considering just how challenging it is to keep pace and find the right spots to breathe. Her high notes are absolutely impeccable, and the low ones require the utmost precision and support. That’s what makes Mariah the queen, and her work cannot be easily replicated.