Music

For decades already, Christmas songs have been a tradition at the end of the year in English-speaking countries. More and more singers now follow the trend. A very subjective overview...

Often overshadowed by the hits of this very particular genre that come back to haunt us every year, it is extremely difficult for new Christmas songs to make a mark. But there are options for any wannabe Bing Crosby (the absolute reference in the genre), Wham! ("Last Christmas" in 1984) or Mariah Carey (and her unbearable "All I Want for Christmas Is You", a vintage from 1994).

The first is to "revisit" the evergreens, although that recipe is somewhat worn out. Who, indeed, is still really waiting for a new version of "Jingle Bells", "White Christmas", "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (Frank Sinatra), "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee) or, for the French-speakers, "Petit papa Noël" (Tino Rossi). The heartbreaking interpretation of "Silent Night" by Sinéad O'Connor (1990) is a stunning exception...

Strato-Vani: jingle bells meet Johann Strauss

The second alternative is to bet everything on humor tinged with the second degree, even if it means only addressing a niche audience that hates Christmas markets and other obligatory seasonal festivities. In the genre, no one can compete with Andy Partridge, the former singer of the English band XTC, who threw himself wholeheartedly into a project called "My Failed Christmas Career" whose first volume was released in 2022. However, he is suspected of adoring the festival celebrating the winter solstice!

Christmas songs: the ones that work

The third option is to stay true to yourself and hope to hit the winter jackpot. Sometimes it works, as it did for the English band Slade with their "Merry Xmas Everybody" in 1980. Two years earlier, even if they live in a region that never sees powder snow (at least the one you ski on!), the California Eagles had added to their list of achievements a "Please Come Home for Christmas". The 45rpm was pressed on white vinyl of course! Written in 1960 by bluesman Charles Brown, the song has since been honored by Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson and more recently George Ezra, among others.

The last solution, if bells and other jingling bells are not part of your musical DNA at all, is to kick the anthill over. Some punk bands such as the aptly named Bad Religion even make it their specialty. Along those lines, we unearthed a succulent "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)" for you, a UFO from the Ramones' album "Brain Drain" in 1989.

Without being totally immune, rap seems less inclined than other musical genres to sacrifice to this tradition even if there are hip hop versions (as sanitized as they are unlistenable) of "Jingle Bells". Among the first rappers to have taken the plunge, we can mention the groovy "Christmas Rappin" by Curtis Blow (1979), the more abrupt "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC (1987) or the indigestible "Christmas in Harlem" by Kanye West (2010) who obviously never misses an opportunity to be noticed.And if you like these seasonal melodies, from rock to folk, from metal to rap, from country to pop, you will be spoilt for choice. If you're interested in my personal opinion (and I can perfectly understand if that is not the case), with a few rare exceptions, Christmas songs give me the creeps. Either way, Merry Christmas to all! I’m off to listen again to "Back Door Santa", a sticky blues by Clarence Carter, one of the rare seasonal tunes that I can bear...

(AK/ML - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)


Photo: Joey Ramone, singer of... The Ramones, at the Torhout Festival (Belgium) in July 1985