That line works brilliantly for me. It hints at a cosy image of First World Christmases (at least in the northern hemisphere ), and contrasts it with the arid climate of famine stricken lands. For snow read rain, water - same thing. All that in nine words.
I don't think Christmas has much to do with religion for many of those who celebrate it, it's more about overindulgence. So no contradiction there.
Yes, especially in the 1980s, celebrating Christmas had more to do with
acquiring consumer goods than religious ceremonies or being with
friends and family. So it works.
Such a shame Bono eventually decided the way to solve world
poverty was to suck up to Bush and Blair:...
That indeed is quite an irritating line. But to be fair, "Do They Know it's Christmas?" was written (apparently in a rush) to raise money for charity. There's a Christmas song from that time period whose lyrics wind me up a lot more than that one... Wham!'s "Last Christmas"
It's part of every Christmas playlist due to having been the top seller of (I think) Xmas '84. It got there mainly because of Wham!'s massive teen popularity, the song itself - underwhelming tune, annoying sleigh bell sound effects - is so overrated!
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
The very next day You gave it away
The problem with "the very next day" bit, is it makes last "Christmas" to be the day itself - Christmas day. So George pulled on Christmas day and got dumped on Boxing day - how unrealistic is that!!
This year
To save me from fear
I'll give it to someone special
Pathetic rhyming, and poor George still hasn't learned that trying to score with a chick on Christmas day is not very likely to lead to him finding someone "special". He'd probably be better off enjoying himself with his family and having drunken sing songs with his granny like they do in the classic Christmas songs
It was the second biggest seller of 1984 behind Do They Know Its Christmas? and is also the biggest selling single in UK chart history not to reach No1 (as it got stuck behind Band Aid) but all proceeds from the single went to the Band Aid Charity.
Also I thought the lyric was:
This year to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special
But yes the girl seems to be a bit of a player by playing with George's heart and then buggering off the next day. In the video she is with Andrew so she probably did the same to him to
Ah yes, even worse! She didn't just dump him on Boxing day but cheated on him as well, the shameless hussy!!
It's not helped by that very annoying promo video, either, where they all go tobogganing in Smashie and Nicey jumpers. The events just strike me as not being very authentic for what's normally a cosy, maybe a bit boring, winter traditional family time.
And the tune was a blatant copy of Daydreamer by David Cassidy - I was the only person in the universe who noticed it at the time!!
Ah yes, even worse! She didn't just dump him on Boxing day but cheated on him as well, the shameless hussy!!
It's not helped by that very annoying promo video, either, where they all go tobogganing in Smashie and Nicey jumpers. The events just strike me as not being very authentic for what's normally a cosy, maybe a bit boring, winter traditional family time.
It's my favourite Christmas song! I actually sometimes listen to it when it's not Christmas
That indeed is quite an irritating line. But to be fair, "Do They Know it's Christmas?" was written (apparently in a rush) to raise money for charity. There's a Christmas song from that time period whose lyrics wind me up a lot more than that one... Wham!'s "Last Christmas"
It's part of every Christmas playlist due to having been the top seller of (I think) Xmas '84. It got there mainly because of Wham!'s massive teen popularity, the song itself - underwhelming tune, annoying sleigh bell sound effects - is so overrated!
Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
The very next day You gave it away
The problem with "the very next day" bit, is it makes last "Christmas" to be the day itself - Christmas day. So George pulled on Christmas day and got dumped on Boxing day - how unrealistic is that!!
This year
To save me from fear
I'll give it to someone special
Pathetic rhyming, and poor George still hasn't learned that trying to score with a chick on Christmas day is not very likely to lead to him finding someone "special". He'd probably be better off enjoying himself with his family and having drunken sing songs with his granny like they do in the classic Christmas songs
Whilst accepting this is a very good analysis and relevant to a thread like this, I don't imagine many people have ever really gone too deeply into the ifs and buts of Last Christmas-especially after a few glasses of wine at a Christmas Party.
EDIT: Arguably the unluckiest song ever in chart stats terms, an absolute cast iron number one on week of release-but denied by events. A release date a week earlier and surely Frankie Goes to Hollywood would have been denied their three in a row feat with The Power of Love.
It was the second biggest seller of 1984 behind Do They Know Its Christmas? and is also the biggest selling single in UK chart history not to reach No1 (as it got stuck behind Band Aid) but all proceeds from the single went to the Band Aid Charity.
Also I thought the lyric was:
This year to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special
But yes the girl seems to be a bit of a player by playing with George's heart and then buggering off the next day. In the video she is with Andrew so she probably did the same to him to
Popularity is not a test of merit. Otherwise Mr Blobby and the like would not have got into the charts, let alone reached number one.
ETA: Not a specific lyric, but songs from the 60's/early 70's such as Lady D'Arbanville by Cat Stevens and Jennifer Juniper by Donovan really wind me up because they are basically songs about groupies and/or what would nowadays be referred to as "sluts". Yet they romanticise these women as though they were perfect ladies and a cut above the rest of us. Sorry, but it's always been a gripe of mine >:(
Popularity is not a test of merit. Otherwise Mr Blobby and the like would not have got into the charts, let alone reached number one.
ETA: Not a specific lyric, but songs from the 60's/early 70's such as Lady D'Arbanville by Cat Stevens and Jennifer Juniper by Donovan really wind me up because they are basically songs about groupies and/or what would nowadays be referred to as "sluts". Yet they romanticise these women as though they were perfect ladies and a cut above the rest of us. Sorry, but it's always been a gripe of mine >:(
I see your point, but I don't know if those two are the songs I would have used to make it - I've read a few times, from the people involved, that Cat and Patti D'Arbanville were in a fairly serious relationship, and Jennifer Juniper was written about Jenny Boyd who Donovan had a relatively long-term relationship with. Far more than just "groupies" anyway.
Not a specific lyric, but songs from the 60's/early 70's such as Lady D'Arbanville by Cat Stevens and Jennifer Juniper by Donovan really wind me up because they are basically songs about groupies and/or what would nowadays be referred to as "sluts". Yet they romanticise these women as though they were perfect ladies and a cut above the rest of us. Sorry, but it's always been a gripe of mine >:(
Speaking generally, I don't think such songs are always literally "about" specific people - often it's just that a name is the inspiration for a song.
I think she means like a plastic bag blowing around in the breeze, i.e. pointless/forgotten/invisible.
I remember reading somewhere that it was in reference to the scene from American Beauty, but I don't remember where so I don't know how accurate that is.
Popularity is not a test of merit. Otherwise Mr Blobby and the like would not have got into the charts, let alone reached number one.
ETA: Not a specific lyric, but songs from the 60's/early 70's such as Lady D'Arbanville by Cat Stevens and Jennifer Juniper by Donovan really wind me up because they are basically songs about groupies and/or what would nowadays be referred to as "sluts". Yet they romanticise these women as though they were perfect ladies and a cut above the rest of us. Sorry, but it's always been a gripe of mine >:(
Comments
Yes, especially in the 1980s, celebrating Christmas had more to do with
acquiring consumer goods than religious ceremonies or being with
friends and family. So it works.
Such a shame Bono eventually decided the way to solve world
poverty was to suck up to Bush and Blair:...
Agree with this one....which also reminds me of:
"steaming like a pot full of vegetables" from "(Drop Dead) Beauitful".
I love Britney, but that lyric is terrible. Granted, she didn't write it, Sabi did. But still...she should know better.
Britney lost me from her first song.
Let's hope he had a long spoon
It was the second biggest seller of 1984 behind Do They Know Its Christmas? and is also the biggest selling single in UK chart history not to reach No1 (as it got stuck behind Band Aid) but all proceeds from the single went to the Band Aid Charity.
Also I thought the lyric was:
This year to save me from tears I'll give it to someone special
But yes the girl seems to be a bit of a player by playing with George's heart and then buggering off the next day. In the video she is with Andrew so she probably did the same to him to
Me too! I think he caught her snogging somebody under the mistletoe ...
And the tune was a blatant copy of Daydreamer by David Cassidy - I was the only person in the universe who noticed it at the time!!
0.28 onwards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKukFhUQPLQ
sorry, that's a terrible lyric in my opinion.
It's my favourite Christmas song! I actually sometimes listen to it when it's not Christmas
Love Wham! And George Michael.
I take it you don't like her then?
It's actually 'sicker' but still shit regardless.
Whilst accepting this is a very good analysis and relevant to a thread like this, I don't imagine many people have ever really gone too deeply into the ifs and buts of Last Christmas-especially after a few glasses of wine at a Christmas Party.
EDIT: Arguably the unluckiest song ever in chart stats terms, an absolute cast iron number one on week of release-but denied by events. A release date a week earlier and surely Frankie Goes to Hollywood would have been denied their three in a row feat with The Power of Love.
Popularity is not a test of merit. Otherwise Mr Blobby and the like would not have got into the charts, let alone reached number one.
ETA: Not a specific lyric, but songs from the 60's/early 70's such as Lady D'Arbanville by Cat Stevens and Jennifer Juniper by Donovan really wind me up because they are basically songs about groupies and/or what would nowadays be referred to as "sluts". Yet they romanticise these women as though they were perfect ladies and a cut above the rest of us. Sorry, but it's always been a gripe of mine
I see your point, but I don't know if those two are the songs I would have used to make it - I've read a few times, from the people involved, that Cat and Patti D'Arbanville were in a fairly serious relationship, and Jennifer Juniper was written about Jenny Boyd who Donovan had a relatively long-term relationship with. Far more than just "groupies" anyway.
Which is a shame, as I normally love anything by Katy Perry.
" Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?"
Can't say I ever have.
Speaking generally, I don't think such songs are always literally "about" specific people - often it's just that a name is the inspiration for a song.
I think she means like a plastic bag blowing around in the breeze, i.e. pointless/forgotten/invisible.
I remember reading somewhere that it was in reference to the scene from American Beauty, but I don't remember where so I don't know how accurate that is.
I'm afraid I've never been a Spears fan.
Ignoring the obvious grammatical error with 'don't' (we could probably dedicate a whole thread to bad grammar in R'n'B songs!)...
It should either be "Even if you are broke...." or "...my love wouldn't cost a thing".
And not forgetting of course... why would he care if her love was free if he's broke anyway?!
because our Jen from da block doesn't want to be "iced" by her man...she's reassuring him that he doesn't have to buy her affections
That's a tad harsh.
It would make more sense 'even if you were rich, my love wouldnt cost a thing'
We are overthinking songs by that talentless Jacqueline of all trades though