Czechs love making cover songs and Christmas songs are no exception.
Even though some of the most famous cover songs were written during the communist era, when it was more regime-friendly to create Czech versions using famous world tunes, making cover songs is still very popular.
The most popular Czech cover songs typically come from leading music artists such as Helena Vondráčkova and Lucie Bílá.
If you ask Czechs which artist most conjures up images of Christmas, they will certainly say it is the late Karel Gott. Especially popular is his cover version of the hit “Oh Mandy” by U.S. singer Barry Manilow. Czechs didn’t bother to keep the original lyrics of Manilow’s song, but instead called it “Jsou svátky” (Holidays are here) and rebranded it for Christmas.
Apparently, it was the right move, with the song undoubtedly a Christmas classic in the Czech Republic.
Although the lyrics of Manilow’s song do not correspond to the original ones, Czech artists have also created Czech versions of Christmas carols that adhere closely to the original lyrics.
Czech singer Lucie Bílá delivered a highly popular version of the traditional “Silent Night” song, known as “Tichá noc” in Czech, that is often play during the Christmas season. The lyrics are largely true to the original iconic German Christmas carol written in 1818, which has already been translated into more than 140 different languages.
Another well-loved Czech Christmas cover is “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby sung by Helena Vondráčková. Just as in the U.S., it puts Czechs in the mood for a bit of snow, which has unfortunately been in short supply the last few years in most regions.
What would Christmas be like in the Western world without “Jingle Bells”? The Czechs didn’t want to find out the answer to that question. The traditional Christmas song also has its own Czech version performed by the popular Czech singer Hana Zagorová.
Cover versions of popular Christmas songs are still produced even in recent times by younger singers popular in the Czech Republic. One notable example is David Deyl singing the Czech cover version of the song “Let it Snow” by Dean Martin.
