Let’s Talk About Christmas Songs. . .
You don’t need to celebrate Christmas to take part in the tradition of listening to seasonal Christmas music. The classics by Eartha Kitt or Bing Crosby are one thing… But if the songs about Santa or the holy birth don’t quite resonate, there are a host of songs that transcend religion and are about so much more than the literal holiday.
“Christmas” songs raise issues that become highlighted during what are supposed to be times of joy and celebration. They often discuss class-related issues or class consciousness, the dissonance between harsh reality and aspirational fantasy during the holiday season, or those who cannot celebrate the holidays. Of course, some songs are just fun or clever. These are a few of my favorite Christmas songs, as someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and what I consider makes them special.
#1 : Fairytale of New York- The Pogues (feat. Kirsty McCall)
Yes, all ballads are story songs, but not all ballads are so powerful or told so uniquely that they enter the cinematic arena. The fairytale of New York is like a film that plays in your head. The imagery and themes conjured up are told from multiple perspectives, across time and continents, and the blend of traditional Irish folk music with elements of then-contemporary rock makes this song seem to exist out of the space-time continuum. It's an immigration story gone wrong, and the plot happens to center around Christmas day.
The best lyric, or entire verse, in this case, is the back-and-forth between Shane and Kirsty in the final verse of the song:
I could have been someone
Well, so could anyone. You took my dreams from me when I first found you
I kept them with me, babe, I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone; I've built my dreams around you
#2: Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
I love the sentiment here that despite the situations people are in, time is indifferent. Whether you find yourself rich or poor, strong or weak, it will still be Christmas. Will people acknowledge their privilege if they are well when the holiday falls? Will they think of those less fortunate? Will those who have fallen on hard times be unable to participate in festivities? Of course, this is all setting up the greater theme at large within the song- that while Christmas is happening, war rages on. People die and are killed, and we are supposed to be celebrating the birth of a religious figure who famously turned the other cheek. I wonder if this song will be particularly popular this year as we see violence and turmoil in the world despite the inevitable lead-up to Christmas.
The Best lyrics:
And so this is Christmas (War is over)
For weak and for strong (If you want it)
The rich and the poor ones (War is over)
The road is so long
#3: Father Christmas- The Kinks
I adore so much of the Kink’s body of work, and my introduction to this song was never really as a Christmas song, as much as it was just a great song by the Kinks that happened to be about Christmas. My dad, the person who introduced it to me as a teenager, gets the credit there. True to the style of the band: electric and upbeat energy forms the background while poetic, irreverent, and unexpected lyrics take center stage. The Kinks are such masters; they make it very hard to pick just a few best lyrics. I’ll have to create two categories for this one…
Most poignant lyrics:
Have yourself a merry, merry Christmas, Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin', While you're drinkin' down your wine
Best Lyrics:
Father Christmas, give us the money, Don't mess around with those silly toys
We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
We want your bread, so don't make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys
#4: So Much Wine - The Handsome Family
I should probably just get around to a whole post on the Handsome Family at this point… The husband and wife Gothic country duo from Illinois write and sing some of the most haunting ballads of all time. They’re most famous for Far From Any Road, the eerie, velvety theme song of True Detective but by far, my favorite song of theirs is the terrifying Bottomless Hole about rural poverty and opioid addiction. Their “Christmas song” tackles similar themes of addiction, while here the focus is people driven to drink copiously around the holidays because of the difficult feelings the season brings.
Best lyric:
Listen to me, Butterfly, there's only so much wine
You can drink in one life
But it will never be enough
To save you from the bottom of your glass
#5: Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham
Okay, this isn’t *really* a Christmas song, but I think it is. Not that I’m the authority, but I think it’s a song from a perfect family movie and that it must come up around the holidays. And it’s got a festive name. Unlike the other songs that bring to mind frozen wastelands or winter wonderlands, this Buckingham classic calls to mind Chevy Chase, the open road, and sunny skies. There are really no lyrics of note here, just *vibes*.
#6: Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
You either love this one or you hate it. Incredibly annoying or charmingly simple, the lack of lyrical complexity and whimsical melody just feel lighthearted and modern. Simply wonderful- see what I did there.
#7: Last Christmas - Wham!
I love when a Christmas song doesn’t need to be a Christmas song. This song happens to take place during the Christmas season, but it’s just an awesome 80s pop song. Again, I can’t exactly say there are any particular beautiful or poignant lyrics, but between fun production and great vocal performance, there’s a reason people play Whamegeddon (the first to hear this song between December 1 and December 25th without putting it on themselves loses). Personally, I’d rather hear this incessantly over All I Want For Christmas Is You. Sorry Mariah, your song actually didn’t even make my list! 😳
#8: Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
Ba-hum-bug, another 80’s banger. The energy and delivery, with the punchy beat and youthful feel, make this song the iconic classic it is. Some people call it a cheap Blondie rip-off. I say it’s a genius Blondie rip-off. While it’s clear upon listening that the song details the trials and tribulations in the love life of one woman over the calendar year, and her mixed feelings about celebrating Christmas depending on if she’s found a boyfriend, take a look at the lyrics written out, and it’s far more impressive and confusing. In order to fit the unique rhythm and cadence the song requires, many common or predictable phrases are chopped up and reworded, and the lyrics import lots of pop-culture references and holiday scene a faire.
#9: sympathy 4 the grinch - 100 gecs
I don’t care how weird it is, you can’t deny this song will get stuck in your head and its childlike energy is used beyond effectively. Like all 100 gecs songs, it's the kind of pure fun and ridiculousness that ensues from breaking the boundaries of popular convention and going for something completely whimsical.
Best Lyric:
Never gave me a goddamn thing that I want
I was good every day but he didn't give a f**k
This year, put the top on the back of the truck
Santa's banging on the back of the truck
#10: Christmas In Hollis - Run- DMC
One of the most fun and funny, and definitely the coolest Christmas song out there. I love the concept of happening upon what you think is a man and his dog hanging out in a park in your neighborhood only to be “illin’” to realize its Santa and a reindeer. . . And that Santa carries a license with his name on it, and “cold hundreds of G's.” This Run-DMC classic is festive, cheerful, and, of course, famously pays homage to the group’s neighborhood of origin and what Christmas is in Hollis, Queens.
