It’s that time of the year. The bells are jingling, the geese are a-laying and the Christmas decorations are a-tacky. However, I think we can all agree, dear readers, that the best bit about Christmas is the music (from the totally unbiased perspective of the Forge Press Music section, of course). Does anything really come close to singing your heart out to ’Fairytale of New York’ after a bit too much Baileys?
But even we have to admit, most popular Christmas songs are getting a bit tiresome. Mariah Carey is extremely talented, and ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is a genuinely fantastic song. But if I hear it one more time, I think my ears may genuinely explode. The very nature of Christmas songs does lend itself to them getting overplayed, and it makes sense that the very best are played often. But there comes a point where often is too often. However, there are a few great Christmas songs which are that rare thing: underplayed. Below are, we believe, some of the best.
Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses
This song might be the Christmas song. At the very least it is the indie Christmas song. Combining Christmas joy with an American new wave sense of attitude, I am convinced The Waitresses have created the ultimate Christmas tune, and it is still so criminally underrated. With singer Patty Donahue practically (and ironically) rapping the lyrics amidst funky guitar riffs and an absolutely spectacular saxophone solo, you can’t help but have fun whilst listening to this song. The lyrics, concerning a woman’s apathy for Christmas one year due to a missed connection with a man, are witty and charming, including an absolutely belt-able chorus. Honestly, there isn’t much to say about this song apart from the fact it’s just so great. Even the Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue have covered it (though The Waitresses version is far superior)!
Father Christmas by The Kinks
You know that period of time on Christmas Day when it’s all a bit chaotic? The turkey may be burning and one of your relatives might be a bit too drunk, a bit too early? Well, that is the perfect time to listen to The Kinks’ punchy, energetic ode to Christmas (and class warfare?)! You don’t tend to get many punk Christmas songs, and after listening to this that shouldn’t be the case. Ray and Dave Davies, as always, combine witty lyrics with energetic guitar riffs to create a true classic. The song concerns a shopping centre Father Christmas being mugged by a bunch of working-class kids, who tell him they don’t care about presents and just want some cash. “Father Christmas, give us the money”, the kids shout at the poor bloke, and you’ll be shouting it too, but hopefully in a less violent manner. Again, this is the sort of song you just can’t help but sing along too.
All Alone at Christmas by Darlene Love
Darlene Love is the Queen of Christmas. There. We said it. Mariah Carey eat your heart out. Between ‘All Alone at Christmas’ and ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, she has made two of the greatest modern Christmas songs. Fair enough, ‘All Alone at Christmas’ might be stretching the definition of “underrated”- the song was made for Home Alone, and is in Love Actually. But we feel that, despite its notoriety and critical acclaim, it is curiously absent from most Christmas playlists. Concerning, surprisingly enough, being alone at home on Christmas (you can picture poor Macaulay Culkin as we speak), Love’s vocals, together with Steve Van Zandt’s over-the-top tune (that’s right, Silvio from The Sopranos), combine to make an instant classic.
Just Like Christmas by Low
American indie band Low, known for their slow and minimalist style, aren’t exactly the sort of group you’d expect to create one of the best Christmas songs of all time. Yet here we are. In 1999, they made a Christmas EP, named Christmas (how wildly creative). The whole album is stunning, including covers of traditional Christmas songs like ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘Silent Night’, as well as a cover of Elvis’s ‘Blue Christmas’, but for us the absolute standout is ‘Just Like Christmas’. A slow, muted song, it is notably different to most Christmas songs, yet still retains the typical folky atmosphere of traditional Yuletide music, along with a production reminiscent of the Christmas songs of the 50s and 60s. Perfect, perhaps, for the post-dinner rest on Christmas day, we nevertheless highly recommend this song.
Christmas Lights by Coldplay
My mate and I had a slightly heated discussion about what a Christmas song should be. I took the side that any song about Christmas is a Christmas song (albeit not necessarily a good one), and he said that a Christmas song had to be a nostalgic song that made you feel festive and warm and fuzzy inside to even qualify. While we both ended up agreeing to disagree, it did raise a thought in my head that there isn’t really a point in releasing new Christmas music as the classics are already there; Christmas is as traditional of a time as you can get and there’s no point messing with the classics. However, this song is probably the exception to the rule. Released in 2010 by Coldplay, this modern carol touches on all those feelings, with the lights and decorations symbolising the warmth, happiness and hope that comes along with Christmas. With the vibes of all the Christmas carols that you sang in primary school, this song feels like it’s been around the block forever and is , in my opinion, a beautiful addition to the pantheon of great Christmas songs.
Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry
An oldie, but this is a platinum banger from the father of rock and roll. A Christmas song with all the classic, funky Chuck Berry bells and whistles? Yes bloody please. This song is a joy to listen to and will probably bring some memories back for an older generation as it is as 60’s as it comes. Think Johnny B. Goode with some tinsel and you know that regardless of how surface-depth some of the lyrics are, it’s a welcome change from ‘Rock around the Christmas tree’ and the other songs occupying that rock-Christmas genre. It also appears in the Christmas classic Home Alone, giving it an extra piece of familiarity to fans of the film. So give your grandparents a throwback to the swingin’ 60’s and stick this one on during the big day.
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
Okay, so I know we called a lot of the previous entries the Christmas song, but this is quite literally THE Christmas song. Nat King Cole’s silkier-than-smooth voice crooning about the festive times personifies Christmas as well as, if not better, than jolly St. Nick. The slow strings swirl like the cold winter snows and just make you want to wrap up in a blanket around a log fire, with a hot chocolate surrounded by those you love and if that ain’t Christmas, I don’t know what is. Even though this is an appreciated song, it’s underrated purely because it isn’t held in as high regard as it should be. This properly is ‘The Christmas song’.