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We listened to traditional Christmas carols these past weeks, now let's get more modern with it - what are your favourite newer Christmas songs (let's say recorded no earlier than
19701967)?I'll start with some older ones - Step into Christmas by Elton John has always been popular in my family, because Elton John has always been popular in my family. But even leaving that aside it's a great song, and it's classic Taupin, with Elton breaking the fourth wall in the very first line to welcome us to his song, and the rest of the lyrics seeming perfectly christmassy if you aren't paying much attention, but actually kind of confused about the event if you do. Oh admission's free is it? One of those rare religious holidays you don't have to pay for? I'll 'step into it' then.
Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens is another song that always gets played at my Christmas dos, it always used to trip me up because I had never heard of Shakin' Stevens outside of it - actually until about 5 years ago I thought it was somehow Shadoe Stevens, the former host of American Top 40, who sang it. It is not, Shakin Stevens is some Welsh guy. Apparently he released this song the year after Band Aid released the immeasurably shitty Do They Know Its Christmas (no link for the second most patronising Christmas song in existence), when he wasn't invited to join in. I like to imagine he calls Geldof every year and rubs his face in it.
What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder is one of my all time favourites - it's why I dialed the cut off back 3 years - no one sells enthusiasm like Stevie Wonder. The blend of Motown music and traditional Christmas instruments is brilliantly done, and the lyrics are so earnest and sweet. When I'm feeling grinchy I just have to pop this on and I find my goodwill easily.
Last Christmas by Wham does not usually get added to my Christmas playlists, but that's because it's everywhere else all the time here in Australia. Even my fifteen year old neighbour knows it off by heart (he has been singing it in the shower this past week). Like all good Wham songs it's the George Michael show - he played every instrument on it, as well as writing the lyrics and music.
Christmas isn't Christmas 'til You Get Here by Kylie Minogue - God I love this song. Kylie ramps her cuteness into maximum overdrive to sing it, and the lyrics are just adorable - the repetition of single words (like ring, ring, ring, and blink, blink, blink), the bit about fairy lights, and there's a real sense of impatience in the way the bridge leads into the next verse that flows perfectly with the lyrics.
Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC is the quintessential Christmas rap. Mixing in the music from a bunch of different carols in classic Jay style, the boys rap about returning Santa's wallet, getting presents and Christmas dinner. The elf in the music video is pure uncanny valley though, just plain unsettling.
Doowop Christmas by Kem might technically not belong on this list - I've been told that because it's religious it's a carol, not a song. And boy is it religious, not only does Kem dismiss presents as paling in comparison to God's love, he also doesn't like Santa! He says "Santa's alright with me" twice in the song, and everyone knows that's code for "I hate Santa but realise no one is buying a Christmas song where I lay into him." But it's very catchy nonetheless, especially if you enjoy a cappella music.
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee is a classic, and as a result I kind of hate it. Also it's 70 years old so it really doesn't belong in this list. But how could we skip the first song to beat Mariah Carey in the billboard charts since they added streaming to the count in 2018? Rockin is the number one track this year, having played runner up to All I Want For Christmas Is You the previous four years. How did it beat out a nigh infinitely better song? Well Lee made a music video for it this year, which got very popular on Tiktok. She definitely doesn't have everyone she knows streaming the song on repeat day and night on every device they own, no those Tiktokers love watching videos of old ladies swaying in a nightie. Also on a potentially related note according to YouTube Music it's an explicit song, which means I haven't been mishearing it all these years, she is actually singing "maybe we'll have some fuckin pie and we'll do some carolling".
Oh Santa! by Mariah Carey - while Oh Santa! will never be as much fun as All I Want For Christmas Is You, it's definitely a fun song in which Mariah begs Santa to return her ex for Christmas. Personally I prefer the version where she sings by herself as opposed to the music video's version with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande - Jennifer Hudson is a great addition, but it sounds like Ariana needed a couple of xanax to get through the performance. And how is it Grande is wearing the least slutty outfit? Shouldn't the youngest performer wear the sluttiest outfit, not the oldest? Also what the fuck are you looking at in the sky to your left Mariah, can't you just look at the camera like everyone else? Anyway the song, I was talking about the song. It's catchy.
Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto 2017 by Snoop Dogg and Boyz II Men is a difficult song to track down, because not only has Snoop released a dozen different tracks called Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto, but so did James Brown. The 2017 version of the song is my favourite, it does a brilliant job of combining Snoop's musical sensibilities with the soul and feeling of Boyz II Men, and it's full of heart from start to finish. Snoop raps about the days of Christmas, about trading Hennessey for weed for the holidays and about having a baby girl so his mom can be a grandma, and the Boyz II Men sing beautifully as always.
There are many other great Christmas songs I haven't mentioned yet, what are your favourites?
Aw man bummed I missed this. Almost a month late to the comment, a week late for Christmas. Don't care, call it long-prep for next Christmas.
King of citypop Tatsuro Yamashita's 1983 Christmas Eve. His most famous track, the easy listening better-of-muzak with Christmas vibe layered on perfectly. A fundamentally pleasant, hopeful song that even being of secular Japan feels Christian.
Out of Norway, Röyksopp's 2010 Le Cantique de Noël. A thoroughly unexpected given-their-discography, ethereal instrumental of Adolphe Adam's Cantique de Noël, which American listeners who would know would know as "O Holy Night."
The first Tyler Joseph song on the list and the first sung Christian carol, 2014 O Come, O come, Emmanuel. The emcee comes back out to say "Wow, that was dark." Dark and beautiful it is, like Carol of the Bells.
As for Carol of the Bells, composer Calvin Jones' 2022 arrangement of the original Ukrainian Shcedryk. While full of liberties in Jones' interpretation it's replaced the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as my favorite version.
Tyler Joseph again for Twenty One Pilot's 2021 Christmas Saves the Year. Lighter lyrical fare than Joseph's usual writing but certainly still meaningful to the spirit of the holiday.
Kaskade, who I'd think most people outside of Utah don't know is Mormon, appropriately released his second Christmas album last month. As a fan of electronic music and particularly his work in house and its subgenres I've quite enjoyed both albums, with my favorite off the latter as Angels We Have Heard. (Off-Christmas music, Kaskade previously worked with The Moth & The Flame on the excellent Haunt Me)
aaaand oh I gotta round off with Carly Rae Jepsen since she covered Last Christmas. I think Jepsen's at her best on higher BPM and-so higher energy tracks, but it's still good.
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Fairytale of New York, routinely voted the best Christmas song by Irish and British people, and for good reason. Every December there's a tiresome and interminable debate about whether or not the song is homophobic because the lyrics feature the word "faggot", ignoring the context that it's said in character by an alcoholic heroin addicted woman who's going out of her way to insult and belittle her partner. Lead singer Shane McGowan died a few weeks ago, meaning the Irish radio stations have been playing this one even more often than usual this Christmas, although frankly his death came as no surprise to anyone and he's looked like he's on death's door for years now.
This song is mostly unheard of in America, but I’ve been trying to spread the good word about it since I heard it around holiday season 2017.
Yeah I was going to say, I'm a bit surprised to see how popular this song has become. It's always been in my family's playlists, because The Pogues were only slightly less popular than Elton in my family, but I always feel like I'm on the defensive about it with other people in Australia. Learning it's actually popular and not just because McGowan passed is making me pretty emotional right now. It's not a particularly nice (or saccharine) Christmas song, but it absolutely nails the feel of the holiday when you can't summon denial.
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Dido's Christmas Day though it never really caught on as a Christmas song.
I actually hadn't heard that before, it's really sweet and sad and she sings beautifully. Do you think he ever came back?
I like to think so, but I'm a pretty hopeless romantic.
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