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Post by Whitneyfan on Dec 18, 2016 10:07:32 GMT 1
i.e. songs which aren't generally regarded as Christmas songs.
I was listening to 'The Sun and the Rain' by Madness yesterday and noticed that some of the lyrics mention "following the Christmas lights down town". It made me wonder if there are any more songs which mention Christmas or a similar theme which are never mentioned on Christmas lists. Or maybe songs which are on your Christmas playlists which aren't really Christmas songs but make you feel Christmassy. The Spice Girls '2 become 1' would fall into the latter category for me.
But for songs which mention Christmas or that time of year I've got: The Wombats - Moving to New York U2 - Angel of Harlem (possibly 'New Years Day' too) The Four Seasons - December '63 (Oh what a night) (sings about 'late December') All About Eve - December Chris Rea - Winter song Human League - Life on your own (mentions winter and snow)
Jason Donovan's 'When you come back to me' is clearly set around Christmas time, but it occasionally pops up on a Christmas countdown so I can't be the only one who plays it at this time of year.
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Post by thehitparade on Dec 19, 2016 1:39:28 GMT 1
I had the impression that the Jason Donovan song was intentionally written that way so it would be a Christmas hit but wouldn't make a direct reference that would seem dated in the new year.
Two songs that entered the Top 10 in consecutive weeks in January 2005: 'Filthy/Gorgeous' by Scissor Sisters "All the people you meet want to open you up like Christmas" 'Wires' by Athlete 'I've seen Christmas lights reflect in your eyes'.
Also, 'Brick' by Ben Folds Five starts "6am, day after Christmas..." and later mentions selling some gifts but is not at all festive in tone. Apparently it's about taking his girlfriend to an abortion clinic. 'Prettiest Eyes' by the Beautiful South also mentions "60 25th of Decembers, 59 4th of Julys".
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Dec 19, 2016 7:50:50 GMT 1
Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You mentions Christmas (and most other times of year too)
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Roo.
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Post by Roo. on Dec 20, 2016 1:15:12 GMT 1
Marilyn Manson's If I Was Your Vampire starts with the line "6am Christmas morning, no shadows, no reflections here"
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Dec 20, 2016 8:00:32 GMT 1
Headlights by Eminem featuring Nate Reuss (an excellent, under rated track by the way) has this in it...
"That gift from me up under the Christmas tree don't mean sh*t to me You're kicking me out? It's 15 degrees and it's Christmas Eve"
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Dec 20, 2016 8:05:42 GMT 1
And sticking with incredibly cool hip-hop singles which were inexplicably minor hits even though they were by big names, on Bound 2 the ever charming Kanye West says...
"So hey, maybe we can make it to Christmas She asked me what I wished for on my wish list Have you ever asked your bitch for more bitches?"
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Post by Earl Purple on Dec 20, 2016 10:11:19 GMT 1
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Post by thehitparade on Dec 20, 2016 11:45:37 GMT 1
And sticking with incredibly cool hip-hop singles which were inexplicably minor hits even though they were by big names, on Bound 2 the ever charming Kanye West says... "So hey, maybe we can make it to Christmas She asked me what I wished for on my wish list Have you ever asked your bitch for more bitches?" Imagine people being out off by those lyrics, eh? I don't think 'No Xmas For John Quays' by the Fall is a particularly festive song. It's nearly topical now because John Keys has recently resigned as Prime Minister of New Zealand.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Dec 20, 2016 12:06:58 GMT 1
And sticking with incredibly cool hip-hop singles which were inexplicably minor hits even though they were by big names, on Bound 2 the ever charming Kanye West says... "So hey, maybe we can make it to Christmas She asked me what I wished for on my wish list Have you ever asked your bitch for more bitches?" Imagine people being out off by those lyrics, eh? Hey, I'm not trying to defend his lyrics, I'm just saying he mentions Christmas! As a liberal, left leaning music lover I am in a state of perpetual confusion about the balance between the importance of not saying things which are deliberately offensive to others and the artist's freedom of speech. Generally I tend to be guided more by whether it's a good record than whether people might be upset by it, and for me Bound 2 was the best single of 2013. In that context it does seem odd that it wasn't a big hit - Kanye has had lots of big hits which were not as good. The only time I have been genuinely upset by an artist's lyrics was because of the homophobia on Rap God by Eminem. In the past his comments about LGBT folk had always been comical and from the Slim Shady perspective, where he was using the prejudices of the charecter to take the p*ss out of people who think like that and to shine a light on the opinions of America generally. On Rap God it wasn't like that though, it just seemed to be Eminem saying nasty things about gay people, which was completely out of order. As a long term fan I was disappointed and angry, I felt like he'd let his fans down.
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Post by paulgilb on Dec 20, 2016 23:34:50 GMT 1
There have been 2 UK chart hits whose titles contain Christmas that charted outside of the festive period. The first was The Goons' I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas in the summer of 1956 (which was a novelty song with I believe the summer release being part of the gag). The other was Morten Harket's A Kind Of Christmas Card in August 1995. Neither song is festive apart from the titular lyrics.
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Post by Earl Purple on Dec 21, 2016 12:55:38 GMT 1
pulling in the songs from the other threads:
Cherry Head Cherry Heart - Road To Rome ("Christmas eve and we're halfway home") Elton John - Cold As Christmas Bee Gees - First Of May ("Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small") Robbie Williams - Millennium ("overdose at Christmas and give it up for Lent") Edwin Starr - Headline News ("She brings out the best in me, lights me up like a Christmas tree") Cure - Let's Go To Bed ("Laughing at the Christmas lights you remember from December") Neil Sedaka - Calendar Girl ("You're the present 'neath my Christmas tree") Placebo - Taste In Men ("It's been this way since Christmas Day, dazzled, doused in gin) Jona Lewie - Stop The Cavalry ("Wish I were at home for Christmas") UB40 - Food For Thought ( "Hear the bells are ringing, Christmas on its way. Hear the angels singing, what is that they say") Bob Dylan - She Belongs To Me ("For Christmas buy her a drum") Little Mix - Move - ("Looking so hot I think that I might fall, Feeling like it's my birthday, like Christmas day came early) St Winifred's School Choir - No One Quite Like Grandma ("At party times and Christmas too, you know she will be there")
also the Beautiful South - Prettiest Eyes mentions 25th December but not the word "Christmas".
Of course "Stop The Cavalry" is usually considered a Christmas song although it isn't one, and "No one quite like Grandma" was actually Christmas #1.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Dec 22, 2016 0:46:45 GMT 1
Half way through my second G&T of the evening and I remembered Just The One by The Levellers:
"When all seems lost and looking grim You find a bottle of Christmas gin"
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Jan 5, 2017 14:31:20 GMT 1
iPod on shuffle on the M6 this morning and I was suddenly reminded of this thread, while listening to Miss Sarajevo by Passengers...
"Is there a time for tying ribbons? A time for Christmas trees ?"
According to Wikipedia that is Bono's favourite U2 song, even though it wasn't actually credited to them. It is rather fantastic, seems odd that it never gets heard anymore considering it wasn't exactly an obscure release, it reached number 6 in the charts. I guess the presence of Luciano Pavarotti puts off radio programmers.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Jan 6, 2017 19:10:14 GMT 1
Would 'River' by Joni Mitchell fit into this category, I wonder? I feel it's a song that mentions Christmas which you could listen to at any time of the year.
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Post by Earl Purple on Mar 8, 2017 10:56:43 GMT 1
Jacques Brel's song Jackie by Scott Walker or Jacky by Marc Almond. Either way "To talk better about virility to grannies adorned like Chritsmas trees"
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Mar 8, 2017 11:05:49 GMT 1
total yes for River! love the bit about cutting Xmas trees and the reindeers...
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat always makes me think of Xmas, although mont specifically mentioned... "It's four in the morning, the end of December I'm writing you now just to see if you're better New York is cold, but I like where I'm living There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening"
non-Xmas related but Xmas is mentioned in Damien Rice- The animals were gone: "The window's open now and the winter settles in We'll call it Christmas when the adverts begin"
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Mar 14, 2018 8:29:04 GMT 1
I Miss You by Blink 182 “...we’ll have Halloween on Christmas”
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Post by o on Mar 14, 2018 11:14:36 GMT 1
Winter winds by Mumford and Sons makes me feel Christmassy, but I'm pretty sure they sadly don't mention Christmas...
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Apr 5, 2018 1:27:07 GMT 1
“It’s good to know that you are home for Christmas” from Writing To Reach You by Travis
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Roo.
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Post by Roo. on Apr 12, 2018 2:15:34 GMT 1
The chorus of Siobhan Donahghy's Iodine is:
"We're like turkeys in a box Our feathers all plucked off And we're all ready for Christmas Day Here's the paradox We're like presents all wrapped up And we can't wait for you to give us away"
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