We’re starting today with, well, a gummy bear. That sings. In yellow underpants. Gummibär is some kind of international kids singing sensation. Reminiscent of Crazy Frog, but a little less annoying kind of. I am just more perplexed by Gummibär than anything else. Why is he always in underwear? And if it’s for kids, why is he singing “Do you think I’m sexy?” Is this for adults? Maybe, there are a ton of club mixes for his songs…And why did Felix the Cat agree to do a duet with this whippersnapper? His videos have millions of hits but I have never heard of him, I don’t know if that makes me uncool or not.

Gummibär – Last Christmas

Gummibär’s music is available on iTunes and Amazon.

And I’m pleased to present what I believe is our first ever bagpipe version! And while stylistically, it’s close to the original, there is something really interesting going on here. The Munros’ full album is great for you bagpipe lovers out there. They shine more on traditional tracks than pop covers in my opinion, but some of you may enjoy the novelty.

Munros – Last Christmas

The Munros Bagpipes at Christmas album is available on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

And finally we’ll let Uschi Blum play us out with this German chilled out pop/dance version. Uschi Blum is the alter ego of Hape Kerkeling, a German comedian and actor. I’m not sure how this character, who first appeared in 1993’s Kein Pardon has a life outside of the movie. I guess Hape does appearances as Uschi? Or all his characters I guess. Who knows, but Hape make for a very unattractive woman.

Uschi Blum – Weihnachten Ist Mir Doch Egal

You can grab Hape’s full Christmas album with songs by all of his other character’s over at Amazon.

If you were seeking answers regarding Gummibär, this video will not help.

Saskatchewan aren’t just another boy band from Orlando, despite what they would have you believe. Like Ennui, they dabble in that lo-fi hazy guitar sound, which is easily enjoyed often and on repeat. Their cover sounds like it might have been recorded on the surface of a 1960’s imagining of Venus, if that makes any sense. It does to me anyways.

This comes from the free Hey, It’s Christmas! album but we found them via Santas Working Overtime. They’re also having a sale on their bandcamp site where you can name your price on any of their recordings, so go and make sure to spend a little something so they can buy Christmas gifts.

Saskatchewan – Last Christmas

In a pretty heavy shifting of gears, let’s delve into DJ Schalupy’s panflute remix. Which to me, defies description. It doesn’t help that I couldn’t find any info on Mr./Miss Schalupy while poking around the webs. But it’s pretty much what it says. I’ll add one extra bit of a thought though. It sounds like it might have been remixed with beats of one of those old ’80s Casio keyboards.

DJ Schalupy – Last Christmas (Panflute Remix)

And with another jump, we turn to Frank Turner’s live acoustic version, which is pretty great. He definitely has no lack of enthusiasm in his presentation! He’s described as being a folk/punk, and I can hear that a bit here, but moreso in his non-Last Christmas tunes. And in a break from tradition, if we may, you can check out one of this other tunes in video form below.

Frank Turner – Last Christmas (Live)

You can pick up his most recent album on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio

Good day to you! Let’s get started, shall we?

We start with Japanese duo Q;indivi and their cover from 2009’s Winter Celebration album. Fan and LC reader wohdin sent this last year, and we’re just now getting to it, the shame! It’s an upbeat, fun version without being obnoxious, which as we all know is a fate that many a cover song can suffer. Wohdin would like it to be know that this duo is worth more attention than they receive, so please check them out and support their music! I have to say their site is a bit trippy when you first get there, almost like an art installation. Reminds me of sites before the whole web 2.0 social media boom. Anyone remember how awesome the Donnie Darko movie site was?

Q;indivi – Last Christmas

Visual Moon is up next, with a genre crossing version. It has parts of smooth poppy beats, autotune, crunchy guitars, and a sincere aim to please. It appears they are a young Mongolian band, but I was having a little trouble finding an official site of theirs. If you have any info, please comment!

Visual Moon – Last Christmas

Pittsburgh’s Ennui give us a fun version, I’m not quite sure how to define it though. It’s not dissimilar from Wham!‘s original, but it also has a lo-fi vibe to it, but not overly so. Their non-Last Christmas music is part of the hazy, lo-fi grouping, which I particularly enjoy (think Washed Out, Youth Lagoon, etc). You can grab a free download of the awesome Coconino here, as well as find the rest of their music. Don’t miss “We Are Young,” great stuff as well!

Ennui – Last Christmas

And lastly for today, we have a way relaxed out hip-hop version from Mr. Gikko and Mosch. There’s something about hip hop versions that usually work, and this is no exception. Mr. Gikko has a bit of an Eminem thing happening, with his intonation but the part by Mosch isn’t in English, and I can’t make out the language actually, I would think Austrian, but I can’t say for sure. But I think I’m right. Don’t be mad at me if it turns out to be German. Please note this version has EXPLICIT LYRICS!

Mr. Gikko & Mosch – Last Christmas

And holy crap! Check this out! Please someone get me this for Christmas!

This is what it’s all about folks. Giving and sharing. And Mr. Kirkness himself was kind enough to send us his version of “Last Christmas” directly. The Canadian country crooner says it’s his long-time favorite Christmas song despite, George Michael’s un-countriness, and was the natural choice for his first holiday single. But I welcome this with open arms, we don’t get too many country influenced covers here at Last Christmas HQ!

Jason Kirkness – Last Christmas

More from Jason at his website linked above and you can find Jason’s debut album on Spotify, Rdio, iTunes and Amazon.

Ok so I debated as to whether this qualifies, and I am ruling that it does. It obviously borrows from “Last Christmas” musically. It’s called “George and Andrew.” And I’m the boss.

The Boy Least Likely To – George and Andrew

This comes from The Boy Least Likely To’s Christmas Special album, found at Spotify, Rdio, iTunes and
Amazon.

I’m such a fan of iLiKETRAiNS epic stuff. I love their song “Terra Nova.” So I was excited to hear this, and it’s good, though I was hoping for a little more epic, like it was recorded without time or place, by a wringed Christmas god. This is more personal and human, like the original, but with the iLT touch. For those not familiar, iLiKETRAiNS is kind of like Sigur Ros or Explosions in the Sky and the like, super sweeping in scope for the most part. This release was a free treat offered on their website last year.

iLiKETRAiNS – Last Christmas

Find more of them on Spotify, Rdio, and Amazon