Christmas music is always a staple for festive cheer, but in 2020, in some instances, hearing familiar festive favourites is one of the only ways that people can get into the Christmas spirit. Some say that there is no such thing as a bad Christmas song, but there definitely is such a thing as a great Christmas song. These are my 5 favourites:
1. Christmas Lights by Coldplay
'It doesn’t really feel like Christmas at all' - Coldplay were not wrong. The track’s 10-year anniversary landing in 2020 seems more appropriate than anyone could’ve anticipated back in the days of its release. Christmas Lights is an absolutely beautiful record about a relationship deteriorating before the festive period and being alone over the holidays. During the chorus, we hear frontman Chris Martin relying on the Christmas lights of London to keep his spirits up and feel comforted. The warmth, imagery, and reassurance that the track brings for those experiencing heartache over the festive season are what have made Christmas Lights my favourite Christmas song of all time.
2. What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder
This 1967 track is perfect for lifting the mood if you’re decorating the tree, wrapping presents or struggling to get through working from home or revision over the holidays. Every year this song marks the start of me being excited for Christmas because I can’t help but smile, dance, and sing-a-long as soon as it comes on.
3. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Unlike Bob Geldof’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s untraditional use of a Christmas song as a call for action in situations of humanitarian crises and conflict has aged well and is still relevant today. Without any white saviorism in sight, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) brings forth the concept that if enough of the world wants conflict to end, then there will be fewer people willing to wage war on other nations and religions. Instead of using festive sleigh bells throughout like we saw Band Aid do, this track reminds people to think of those who are living in fear and terror around the world and calls for a genuine and compassionate solution to the problem. This record was based on the political messages and calls for humanity to unite as one that John Lennon and Yoko Ono introduced in Imagine (1971).
4. A Spaceman Came Travelling by Chris de Burgh
When I was growing up, my Dad would make us listen to this song every Christmas. I never understood it, nor did I understand how it was a Christmas song but now I love it. An underrated favourite of traditionalists and anyone who loves a soaring festive chorus, A Spaceman Came Travelling is a very special reminder of the origin of Christmas (be that in a very potentially extra-terrestrial way). The song is about what lessons could’ve been learnt if Jesus was actually an alien visitor from the depths of space. Chris de Burgh is said to have questioned whether the star of Bethlehem could’ve actually been a spacecraft instead when reading Erich von Däniken’s Chariots of the Gods in the early 1970s - but whether De Burgh truly does believe this conspiracy theory or not is something that the Christmas classic doesn’t explicitly address (but I am curious!)
5. All I Want for Christmas Is You - specifically the Michael Bublé Version
As much as I love Mariah Carey, I do have to admit that Bublé’s version of this Christmas anthem is much more soothing and tranquil. It's quite frankly stunning. Bublé’s softer vocals along with the accompaniment to the track make the song so much more romantic than Mariah Carey’s original, though the lyrics are unchanged. It provides more opportunity to reflect on those who you perhaps wish were around the tree, instead of making you want to get up and dance like Carey’s world-renowned hit pop track does.
By Caitlin Parr
Image courtesy of Snapwire via Pexels
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