I know the Mariah Carey song is hated because its overused, but its also objectively a well produced piece of pop music.
My favorite though is O Holy Night. Performed well I want to stop and listen to it. It moves me, and I dont give enough of a fuck about religion to call myself an athiest.
Fairytale of New York, the original by the Pogues is great and the punk rock cover by No Use For A Name is a total banger.
I love punk covers, if Me First and the Gimme Gimmes made a Xmas album I’d be so fuckin happy.
I am hoping that you have listened to Bad Religion’s xmas album then.
Its good but its not great. It makes it into the rotation every year tho.
They really should make one!
I know nobody will believe me but I genuinely enjoy Last Christmas by Wham. I used to hate it but it grew on me similarly to Never Gonna Give You Up.
I’m with you on both counts.
There’s mashups of both.
My guilty pleasure every christmas
I love it because I play a whole game around avoiding it but it’s actually a fun song.
I hate xmas. I hate xmas music because it triggers my working in retail PTSD.
The only music I can tolerate are the Bells and any Tchaikovsky because the Nutcracker slaps.
Carol of the Bells/Setting The Trap by John Williams https://youtu.be/L07PomkZ3s8?si=2RYhCArWzNL1QnFr
I Watch Home Alone every year.
Regardless of home alone, every version of Carol of the Bells I’ve heard is great. And it sounds like a horror movie theme so I listen to it throughout the year.
There is this version that’s played at work and I call it the human sacrifice song. When they get to that crescendo and the choir all hit the high note together, I raise both arms up as if I were holding a baby about to be sacrificed. Now my coworkers all do it too. We’ll just catch each other’s eye across the room and raise both arms at the right moment.
I’ve always thought it sounds like a horror song as well, which is why my favorite version is by the Lovecraft historical society: Carol of the old ones
Carol of the Bells
goes way too hard for a christmas song
Also the Trans-Siberian Orchastra version is great
100% atheist, but Dominic the Donkey has been stuck in my head all month
That song is hilarious.
Pogues, Fairytale of New York:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8
Low, Just Like Christmas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIbha-783eQ
Tom Waits, Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxVo5mjK4eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1v7HakNz4E
Glad to see Fairytale of New York here. I was going to make the comment if I didn’t find it.
With lyrics like this, what’s not to like:
You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy removed. Happy Christmas, your arse, I pray God it’s our last.
You’re my kind of people.
I’d throw in Charlie Brown Christmas music, for nostalgia sake. I’m actively trying not to be a complete curmudgeon.
Christmas Time is Here is my favorite!
There’s nothing objective about that opinion at all. I think Mariah Carey’s song is cynical corporate kitsch written for one reason and one reason only: to make money. That’s why I hate it.
I can tolerate some of the secular big band/swing songs, and there have been a few decent ones since then. Fiona Apple does a brilliant cover of Frosty the Snowman. Vince Guaraldi’s work for the Charlie Brown Christmas show is still wonderful.
There’s nothing objective about that opinion at all. I think Mariah Carey’s song is cynical corporate kitsch written for one reason and one reason only: to make money. That’s why I hate it.
OP said it was “well produced”. I don’t believe that is meant to imply it isn’t a soulless cash grab. Big production companies hire skillful producers to write/record/master these cheesy songs because it appeals to a larger portion of the population. Since most people prefer high quality records to something that sounds like it was recorded on a tin can in your garage.
That said, I disagree with OP’s use of the term “objectively” when referring to something like the quality of a work of art. Even if I agree with OP that it is a well-produced record.
I love the Vince Guaraldi tracks from Charlie Brown Christmas, too. But I love Christmas and Christmas music in general, so this thread isn’t for me, lol.
Tim Minchin - White Wine in the Sun
Brings me to tears every time I listen to it.
Great pick. Awesome song from the good days of Tim.
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A specific version, or the original by John Williams? I personally like the version by Mosimann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-NCLrj9XNo
I’m to have to explain. I greatly despise xmas songs. (edit, also I should maybe tag the link as NSFW. It kind of depends on where you work; but, some places are weird about that.)
Like 99% of them are absolute garbage; they don’t have to be, because they’ll make money, because it’s a new xmas song, and hey, everybody gets sick of all the old ones; right? well. of the 1% that are actually tolerable (never mind actually good), they get blasted until you get sick of them. This is just my opinion, you’re welcome to disagree. my SiL has been playing shitty carols since before halloween, so she certainly does.
so; this song does a great job of getting people to stop asking for xmas music and therefore… I LOVE IT. Another great one is Metallica, for whom the bell tolls. When they say ‘no it’s not’… tell them it has church bells and thats kinda chrismas-y.
Oh and xmas movies? Die Hard.
The one I hate more than any other is Hallelujah. Its not a fucking christmas song. Its as much of a christmas song as my old “Jesus is a cunt” shirt is a christmas sweater.
Maria Carey “all i want for Christmas is YooooouuuuOOuouoOUouoUoUOuooooooooooooouuooooouououoOUOUOuouoUOuoouOUOUOUOUOOOuuuuu”
we can also lump that with any of the covers, because they all do it.
At my old job they were singing Hallelujah at an event because someone had required more secular holiday music.
Which… I mean… yeah.
Love the song though. Best song ever written about faith, God, and sex in juxtaposition.
Pentatonix do it SO WELL. Which sucks because they put it on an Xmas album so I hate that.
In their defence their rendition of The Sound of Silence is also amazing so…
Legit, it’s not Xmas until Hans grueber falls of the nakatomi plaza building and the paper snow falls.
My friends know they aren’t allowed to force me into Xmas crap until we watch die hard and gremlins. Together. Which nobody has the stomach for on the same day, so I usually get about a week of warning that it’s time to suck it up and humor them.
if that’s your idea for xmass…
I gotta be there for New Years.
Mm unfortunately a few years of cocktail waitressing at strip clubs in my early 20s taught me not to ever want to do anything for new years. Rookie night.
My winter solstice parties are lit tho. Mostly because I make everyone light a tea light to honor those who bring light to their lives.
So, we tell everyone I’m going to your party, you tell everyone you’re coming to mine.
Then we go to bed early and call it good. :)
(Also, that sounds like an awful experience.)
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Dropkick Murphys’ The Season’s Upon Us yet.
By far my favorite. I play this one every year and will continue to do so until my death.
I celebrate Christmas (not as festive as some people but still) but I generally am apathetic to Christmas music at best. That being said, Carol of the Bells by Transiberian Orchestra still kicks ass and I would say it is the one Christmas song that I would actively and willingly listen to.
I can listen to this year round even, it’s just a nice little ditty that happens to also be about Christmas.
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Classic song about a woman and her sugar daddy. Really gets to the root of what the holiday is about.
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Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
A song about dealing with loss over the holidays.
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Thanks for reminding me to wrap some presents.
Ukrainian Bell Carol, specifically the TSO version
I fucking hate Christmas and anything associated with it otherwise
