In this extra special episode of Play It Back, co-hosts John Asante and Jia H. Jung revel in the holiday spirit by rapping about their favorite (and most loathed) songs of the season. Add your choice picks to the official Play It Back Holiday Playlist Spectacular on Spotify(http://bit.ly/2igGgqa) just in the nick of time for Christmas, Chanukah, and the shiny New Year!

(Photo: John Asante rockin' the sweater vest/peacoat combo, looking for that special girl to give that flower back in 1991.)

#7 | Play It Back Holiday Spectacular!

Native Kentuckian storyteller, choreographer, and live performer Mark Lamb counts the ways that he’s flown on the tails of Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” In his warm ‘n’ buttery voice, Mark waxes reminiscent about his brave journey from being a faux fur-sporting third grader, to a fully actualized performance artist and creative soul out and about in NYC today.

#8 | Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors

At the age of 5, writer Jamie Brickhouse became obsessed with Peggy Lee and her song about escapism by means of “breaking out the booze and having a ball.” The song served as Jamie’s guide to several nights of debauchery while living in New York City. But things changed dramatically the night he drunk dialed the dazzling pop icon.

#9 | Peggy Lee - Is That All There Is?

Musician, chanteuse, book lover, and performer extraordinaire Susan Hwang helps us celebrate our one year anniversary by sharing personal stories about her dad, Ray Charles, and the American dream.

#10 | Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind

In grade school, the moment storyteller Marc Abbott fell in love with a particular Culture Club song, he just had to put it on a mixtape to impress a lucky girl. He was willing to go great lengths to record it at just the right time -- even if it meant messing with his father’s sacred music collection.

#11 | Culture Club - Time (Clock of the Heart)

Music producer Benjamin de Menil's earliest music memory was hearing “Yellow Bird” played by a steel drum band in Jamaica. The experience was a formative one, kindling a raging love affair with Caribbean arts that would lead to his eventual career as a label owner, producer, and academy founder specializing in bachata, the popular traditional music of the Dominican Republic.

#12 | Count Frank - Yellow Bird

Everyone has at least one favorite song, but which ones have changed your life? Host John Asante talks with musicians, creators, and music lovers about their most cherished music memories -- and how discovering the perfect tune at the right time can make a world of difference.

Play It Back

Popular tracks