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Christmas songs not about Christmas.


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Old 22-12-2014, 18:00
pearlsandplums
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Stay another day by East 17 is on radio. Weirdly for an xmas song, it's actually Christmas. Can you think of any other non Christmas songs? Power of love and what if
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Old 22-12-2014, 18:36
Verence
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Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry was never designed as a Christmas song
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Old 22-12-2014, 19:37
GiraffeGirl
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It would probably be quicker to list Christmas number 1s which WERE about Xmas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...as_number_ones

So we're looking at:
2004 (Do they know it's Christmas?)
1990 (Saviour's Day)
1989 (Do they know it's Christmas?)
1988 (Mistletoe and Wine)
1985 (Merry Christmas Everyone)
1984 (Do they know it's Christmas?)
1978 (Mary's Boy Child)
1976 (When a Child is Born - a song I incidentally despise)
1974 (Lonely this Christmas)
1973 (Merry Christmas Everybody)
1957 (Mary's Boy Child)
1955 (Christmas Alphabet)

And that seems to be every Xmas number one from 1952 onwards which is actually about Christmas, which makes 40 Xmas number ones which aren't about Christmas.

And that's before we get onto the rest of the chart.
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Old 22-12-2014, 19:41
pearlsandplums
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I didn't necessarily mean xmas number ones. Just the songs that are wheeled out ever year
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Old 22-12-2014, 19:57
GiraffeGirl
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No, I got that. Just struck me as interesting how many Christmas number 1s have zilch to do with Christmas!
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Old 22-12-2014, 20:14
John_Lochery
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Fairytale of New York - if you actually listen to it, its got absolutely nothing to do with Xmas, its just because of the ONE line in the chorus 'and the bells were ringing out for xmas day' that its called a xmas song. it does make me laugh that people think of it as happy cheery xmas song when there's a line in it where kirsty sings 'you scumbag you maggot you cheap [something something] merry xmas you arse thank god its our last' lol

East 17 - Stay another Day

Spice Girls - 2 become 1/too much/goodbye - only reason they're called supposed 'xmas song' is because they were no1 on xmas
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Old 22-12-2014, 20:17
djfunnyman
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One song which isn't about Christmas but could accidentally fall into the Christmas song category like Stay Another Day is Elton John Nikita- it has a wintery sound and lyrics about cold weather
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Old 22-12-2014, 20:18
DadDancer
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Frankie Goes to Hollywood - The power of love has got nothing to do with Christmas.
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Old 22-12-2014, 23:48
chrisqc
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As i was reading this thread this song just got played on tv

This one's for the children by new kids on the block, it was the lead off single their merry merry christmas album and that song has nothing to do with xmas
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Old 22-12-2014, 23:48
Scraggy Taters
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Most songs with the word 'Winter' in the title apply here.
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Old 22-12-2014, 23:56
gold2040
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Most songs with the word 'Winter' in the title apply here.
This little ditty by Freddie, weeks from death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWQZBmJf6M
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Old 22-12-2014, 23:56
D_Peugeot
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Fairytale of New York - if you actually listen to it, its got absolutely nothing to do with Xmas, its just because of the ONE line in the chorus 'and the bells were ringing out for xmas day' that its called a xmas song. it does make me laugh that people think of it as happy cheery xmas song when there's a line in it where kirsty sings 'you scumbag you maggot you cheap [something something] merry xmas you arse thank god its our last' lol

East 17 - Stay another Day

Spice Girls - 2 become 1/too much/goodbye - only reason they're called supposed 'xmas song' is because they were no1 on xmas
But it is though, MacGowan wrote it intending it to be a Christmas hit and it refers to Christmas numerous times.

It's more an alternative Christmas song than a traditional one.
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Old 23-12-2014, 00:16
Hitstastic
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Probably We All Stand Together by Paul McCartney. Not sure if it was intended as a Christmas song but it was a big hit this time 30 years ago.

Pipes Of Peace is another one come to think of it. Again, not sure if it was intended to be a Christmas song.
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Old 23-12-2014, 01:14
dodrade
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Frankie Goes to Hollywood - The power of love has got nothing to do with Christmas.
True, but the video is of the Nativity.
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Old 23-12-2014, 06:49
Peter the Great
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Keeping the dream alive by Frieheit
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Old 23-12-2014, 08:05
jackol
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Originally Posted by John_Lochery;7614757[B
4]Fairytale of New York - if you actually listen to it, its got absolutely nothing to do with Xmas, its just because of the ONE line in the chorus 'and the bells were ringing out for xmas day' that its called a xmas song.[/B] it does make me laugh that people think of it as happy cheery xmas song when there's a line in it where kirsty sings 'you scumbag you maggot you cheap [something something] merry xmas you arse thank god its our last' lol

East 17 - Stay another Day

Spice Girls - 2 become 1/too much/goodbye - only reason they're called supposed 'xmas song' is because they were no1 on xmas
The line "it was christmas eve babe, in the drunk tank" makes it obvious its a christmas song
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Old 23-12-2014, 08:13
mgvsmith
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Fairytale of New York - if you actually listen to it, its got absolutely nothing to do with Xmas, its just because of the ONE line in the chorus 'and the bells were ringing out for xmas day' that its called a xmas song. it does make me laugh that people think of it as happy cheery xmas song when there's a line in it where kirsty sings 'you scumbag you maggot you cheap [something something] merry xmas you arse thank god its our last' lol
But it is though, MacGowan wrote it intending it to be a Christmas hit and it refers to Christmas numerous times.

It's more an alternative Christmas song than a traditional one.
Of course 'Fairytale of New York' is a Christmas song, just read the lyrics, brilliant as they are. It's a story set against the background of Christmas time. Isn't 'Last Christmas" not the same?
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Old 23-12-2014, 09:59
pearlsandplums
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Mull of Kintyre. Apart from the fact it's awful, you only hear it at Christmas
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Old 23-12-2014, 13:01
cnbcwatcher
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Never Had A Dream Come True - S Club 7
Not about Christmas but the video has fake snow and has a winter scene.

What amazes me most is that Easy 17's Stay Another Day is played at Christmas. It's not really a festive song as such. I looked it up and it's actually about the songwriter's brother's suicide
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Old 23-12-2014, 14:12
cnbcwatcher
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Somethin' Stupid - Robbie Williams ft Nicole Kidman
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Old 23-12-2014, 16:33
mimicole
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Never Had A Dream Come True - S Club 7
Not about Christmas but the video has fake snow and has a winter scene.

What amazes me most is that Easy 17's Stay Another Day is played at Christmas. It's not really a festive song as such. I looked it up and it's actually about the songwriter's brother's suicide
I used to be able to listen to that East 17 track until the other day. I've known what it was about for years but I had to turn it off. Its probably because I'm getting a little older.
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Old 23-12-2014, 16:51
anthony david
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Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry was never designed as a Christmas song
It was an antiwar song and he wasn't too pleased at first when it was used at christmas but when he realised how much money it was making he decided to keep quiet. He says it has made him quite rich.
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Old 23-12-2014, 17:16
DavetheSensible
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There's quite a few records we associate with Christmas that don't actually mention it:
Cliff Richard's 'Saviour's Day' for a start.
'Baby it's cold outside'
I always think of Fleet Foxes' 'White Winter Hymnal' as one of the loveliest Christmas songs, but it isn't https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gml-nAJGRbY
'Sleigh Ride' - The Ronettes version is probably best known
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co7ZGOjGV4A
'Jing-a-ling jing-a-ling'
Frosty the Snowman doesn't mention Christmas either

Not a new thing - some of the carols don't:
'Child in a manger', 'Ding dong merrily on high', 'It came upon the midnight clear' ..
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Old 23-12-2014, 17:42
mushymanrob
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Keeping the dream alive by Frieheit
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eh?.... ive never heard that referred to as a crimbo song.

as for 'fairytale'... ive never considered it a crimbo song, but a song that was set around crimbo and mentions it.

whats christmassy about it? even the boys of the ny pd choir were singing galway bay http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway_Bay_%28song%29 which isnt a crimbo song, and this appears to be in spite of the bells ringing out for christmas day.

surely a christmas song is about christmas and not one that mentions it and is contemptous of it.
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Old 23-12-2014, 17:47
mushymanrob
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chris de burgh...a spaceman came traveling... just been on pointless... why is this considered a crimbo song?
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