Erm... So, it's nearly Christmas again, as the most observant amongst you may have noticed. I'm not much of a Christmas person really - I can't stand any overly cheerful or religious or cheesy Christmas songs - but there are some songs that help me get in the right mood. This thread most likely doesn't pass the high quality standards around here and certainly isn't serious enough, but here's my top 3 Christmas songs for this year. What are your favourites?
Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry
This song only sounded vaguely familiar when I heard it not too long ago, but I've been listening to it a lot lately, and it's awesome!
It's bouncy and fun and even if it's more of an anti-war song than a Christmas song, there's something quite christmassy about it. A proper forgotten classic/hidden gem, at least for me!
The Kinks - Father Christmas
The most fun Christmas song ever! Or an anti-Christmas song? I love the Kinks so this is on my playlist every Christmas.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again
Too bad there's only this live performance available, but it's still definitely worth listening to!
John Lennon's delightfully naive 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' nearly stole the #3 spot, but Tom Petty's death earlier this year touched me quite a bit, so this is a great time to remember him and his music. RIP Tom.
Let me give you the most generic answer ever - the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack and The Nutcracker ballet. Because that's the sum total of Christmas season music that everyone in my household can enjoy together. With two young kids and a wife around, I rarely get to pick what Christmas music to play without an earful of complaining. So last year, we watched the hell out of the Mariinsky Ballet Blu-Ray of the The Nutcracker, Charlie Brown a few times, Frosty the Snowman, The Grinch, and all the other 1960s Rankin/Bass TV specials.
Happy 30th anniversary to my No 1 all-time favourite, the Pogues' Fairytale of New York. Kirsty MacColl was a sad loss. I saw the Pogues 4 or 5 times, the last being when Shane MacGowan was so drunk he fell off the stage. And I saw the Popes once. I never saw this live though, unfortunately.
Damn you, Medlar, you got in there first!! That's what comes of listening for a few times before posting.
Unfortunately my Christmas turned out not to be so jolly this year, when a dear friend of mine unexpectedly passed away in his sleep on Thursday night. He was only 34, two months younger than me. I can't believe that he's gone.
Things like this really put everything in perspective and make you appreciate life, don't they? I know it's like the biggest cliché ever, but at least I seem to need a reminder every now and then.
So hold on tight to your loved ones and remember those that are no longer with us. Happy Christmas to you all!
I caught Frozen on the telly last christmas, and it's snowy night scenes were a big inspiration on the look of A Good One. (not saying I actually managed to get anywhere near it's gorgeous looks) Anyway, I watched it again this Christmas, wouldn't mind making it a tradition. Wonderful movie.
Oooh, a skiing game! I was such a sucker for the old Supreme Snowboarding game. Used to play it every winter, until it stopped working correctly.
I'll have to try this one.
Merry Christmas, all! I love that blue snow. (It's not just me, is it? There is blue snow here? I may or may not have already been into the spiked eggnog...) I love this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2nxeACcW3I It hits the trifecta of cheerful, religious, AND cheesy, but the lyrics seem to fit these troubled times.
Is it an English/Cornish thing, Freddy. That's you, me and Medlar who all go for this one. I did read somewhere, which I now can't find, that put it at the all time No 1 (probably a UK chart). I find that rather reassuring.
Edit. Just found the chart again - Top 10 most played Christmas songs included in an article roughly about the lack of new favourites since the 90s
Strangely enough, I don't think it was ever released in the US as a single. By the time I heard the song for the first time, I was already well past tired of The Pogues after hearing Hell's Ditch for the twelve-thousandth time. It's a good song though.
Reply With Quote
Posting Permissions
