Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Henk Bezemer, CC-Zero Lisence
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RoyalAlbertHallChristmas.jpg
Music is an integral part of the holiday season. Whether it’s a lively Christmas Eve panto number or the delightful drudgery of a primary school carol concert, music is a warm blanket which envelops us throughout the winter months. Many will already have their December playlists ready to go but for those who can’t choose between a wistful ballad or a cheery jingle, Slade or Shakin’ Stevens, the original “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” or a remake, let us take you through some suggestions for the ideal playlist for winter vacation.
We can’t talk about winter song picks without discussing the crème de la capitalism of the industry – Christmas music. Who wouldn’t want an assurance that people are going to be giving your songs a spin every holiday season? There are many yuletide classics to choose from but out of self-respect, I am limiting my suggestions to five. Personally, my favourite Christmas songs are pure festive joy, focused around the excitement of the holiday season whether you celebrate it religiously or not.
We’re starting off with a bonafide classic and a favourite of December adverts – the Ronettes’ version of “Sleigh Ride”, taken from the 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector which has been ranked as the greatest holiday album of all time. The best Christmas music feels effortless and the energetic vocals of lead singer Veronica Bennett certainly do the trick. It’s nothing if not an earworm – I can’t tell you how often “ring-a-ling-a-ling-a-ding-dong-ding” has gotten stuck in my head.
Who knew that a 13-year-old Brenda Lee in 1958 would create an enduring holiday hit like “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”? The song has been featured in everything from Home Alone to American Horror Story and its simple premise and rockabilly stylings have helped cement it as a classic of the genre which always climbs up the charts in December. When this song comes on everyone should be dancing merrily in the new old-fashioned way.
Mariah Carey is, without doubt, the queen of Christmas music (even having attempted to trademark the phrase recently) but I’m not going for the obvious one that tops the charts every year. For me, her earnest and underrated cover of Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” really hits the spot. It’s a song which sees her pining for a lover but it doesn’t forget the magic of Christmas – if anything the holiday sparkle accentuates the emotion behind the track: “pretty lights on the tree / I’m watching them shine / you should be here with me”. It demonstrates her stunning vocal talents just as well as, if not better than, “All I Want for Christmas is You” in my opinion.
In the modern era of music, it’s difficult to come up with a holiday track that holds a candle to the old favourites. It’s why most resort to releasing their own forgettable takes on Christmas classics but occasionally a new offering resonates as much as the Band Aids and Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColls of the world. Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” was lauded when it was released in 2013 as a potential holiday hallmark and its continued success is proof of that. It follows the Mariah tradition of combining sleigh bells with gargantuan belts that reminds you why Clarkson won American Idol all those years ago. Another pop star who poked her toe into the pool of tree-based holiday laments is Taylor Swift, whose 2019 track “Christmas Tree Farm” was inspired by her childhood spent on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. Its lush orchestral arrangements and choir harmonies really hit home in capturing the gleeful spirit of the holidays.
But winter is not all about Christmas and there are plenty of non-holiday tracks which still bring the comfort we need to make it through the cold. It’s tempting to include all of the John Lewis advert songs throughout the years but I’ll just stick with one – Lily Allen’s cover of “Somewhere Only We Know”. It’s a gentle and tender accompaniment to an equally emotional animated advert, but you probably already knew that. It captures the essence of intimacy and connection that winter brings forth in the best way.
If you want to cry some more, why not give this more recent offering a go? “Wasabi” from Cavetown’s album Worm Food, released in early November, exemplifies the longing we all have to see the people we love in winter and it might hit particularly close to home in the days leading up to the end of term: “it’s only been an hour / but it turns into a year / and I miss you already”. Carly Rae Jepsen put a more positive spin on this feeling with her recent single “The Loneliest Time” featuring Rufus Wainwright, which feels magical as the duo croon about reuniting with a partner: “I’m coming over tonight / knock on your door just like before / I need that look in your eyes”.
What’s December without a little dream pop? Soccer Mommy’s psychedelic “With U” from earlier this year offers a more energetic but just as emotive take on the tenderness of relationships in the holiday season: “the stars and the moon can’t compare / to coming undone / staring straight at the sun / ‘til all I can see is you there”. Shifting to a focus on friendship (because surprisingly not all of us are in love, totally not speaking from experience there), “Happy New Year” by Let’s Eat Grandma offers a lot beyond a seasonally appropriate song name and an entirely inappropriate band name to mention at Christmas dinner. The celebratory track samples actual firework sounds to express the joy of spending winter with your platonic soulmate.
I promise that I don’t just associate SZA’s Grammy-nominated “Good Days” with winter because it came out on Christmas day. Its warm and dreamy production envelops you as you listen and its lyrical focus on soul-searching reminds us of the importance of taking care of yourself in a season which traditionally leans heavily on spending time with others: “gotta get right / tryna free my mind before the end of the world / I don’t miss no ex / I don’t miss no text / I choose not to respond”. If you want something even more poetic, why not try Kate Bush’s breakout hit? “Wuthering Heights”, inspired by the classic novel, explores a gothic romance with all the atmospheric pining you could shake a snow-covered stick at: “Heathcliff, it’s me / I’m Cathy, I’ve come home / I’m so cold, let me in your window”. Its flashmob-inspiring visuals and stupefying art-rock instrumentation make it an ideal winter afternoon listen.
“Lights Up” by Harry Styles might not be particularly wintry in sound but its message of the importance of change and rebirth fits perfectly with the end of the year. The song’s atmospheric textured production, featuring a Greek chorus of background voices searching for light, highlights the personal rebuilding many undertake as the world turns from December into January. For a bleaker view of the end of a period of your life, I turn to “Hostages” by the Howl & the Hum as they howl and hum about the exchange of sentimental items as a relationship finishes: “you can keep the coat / it looks better on you / anyway, I’m fine / I guess the cold’s a state of mind”.
To close out this mix of Christmas cheer and depressing death knells for the end of the year, from which I hope you found some interesting picks for your playlists, we have Tori Amos with a song simply titled “Winter”. A more abstract interpretation of the season than some of the previous offerings, this Little Earthquakes highlight explores growing up in all its joy and heartbreak, framed as a conversation with the ghost of Amos’ father. Its divine piano instrumental and Tori’s quivering vocal performance made it a favourite the moment I first heard it. I’ll leave you with my favourite lyrics from the song: “hair is grey and the fires are burning / so many dreams on the shelf / you say I wanted you to be proud of me / I always wanted that myself”.