Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas songs... don't ya just love'em!

Christmas comes but once a year... and with the same regularity does a plethora of past Christmas 'hits'. And if there's one thing guaranteed to make me scream 'Bah, Humbug!' it's a cliché-ridden festive toon!!!

I play this annual game with myself; on what date do I first hear Noddy Holder screaming 'It's Christmas'? First released in 1973, it has been a Yule-tide fixture ever since, but like Xmas sales it's played earlier every year. As soon as I hear it the radio goes off. Until January.

And let’s face it, if anybody out there doesn’t know its Christmas from the number of times you hear Band Aid then you're probably a Hindu living on Mars ...

It's kind of depressing; always the same old rotation. Chris Rea ('Driving Home this Christmas'), Wham ('Last Christmas'), Wings ('Wonderful Christmastime'); Johnny Mathis ('When a Child s Born'), Pogues ('Fairytale of New York'), Cliff Richard ('Mistletoe and Wine') and (just to show how universal rock is) José Feliciano ('Feliz Navidad'). Oh, and I mustn't forget Wizard (I wish it Could be Xmas Everyday'). Personally, no, I don't. But I do feel sorry for Roy Wood, songwriter extraordinaire, being remembered only for this lame sing-along favourite.

I've nothing against Christmas songs per se (excepting Bowie's biggest mistake), but wouldn't it be nice to reprise a few less-known ones? My votes would go to The Zombies ('Christmas for the Free'), U2 ('Christmas, Baby Please Come Home'), The Waitresses (Christmas Wrapping', The Sensational Alex Harvey Band ('There's No Lights on the Chrotmas Tree')and David Essex (Winter’s Tale').

Any other suggestions before Christmas 2012 (DJs request all entries to be in by August, please, as they want to be in before Slade ...).

No comments:

Post a Comment

Got a thought?