By Darren Johnson
Campus News
Recently, I did a radio show on “The Top 10 Holiday Songs I Can Tolerate.” Here it is as a podcast.
If you go on Apple Podcasts and look for “Weekly Newspaper Podcast” you can hear it there, with the songs, and read the transcript.
The songs I picked were from the late-20th-century cool-band perspective, and the No. 1 song may surprise you.
Some bands that made the list: the Kinks, the Waitresses, Tom Petty, Run DMC and John Lennon and Yoko Ono. They are not the No. 1, though.
(I don’t want to spoil the podcast for you, but will list my Top 10 at the end of this.)
I also list the Top 12 mainstream holiday songs, but don’t play them. Here’s that list:
I mean, most of these songs are very listenable, but they are overplayed, so I went with more obscure — but just as good, if not better — holiday classics.
Since my radio show several people have contacted me telling me I needed to add a particular song. However, one caveat to my list is the songs must be originals, not merely someone like Bruce Springsteen singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (thought I consider that song a dry-heave!).
A second thing to note is, my radio show is mostly 1980s New Wave/Punk, so I have that bias.
What’s your favorite original holiday song, not on the above list, that you can tolerate? Reply below.
Anyway, if you made it this far, here’s my list with some explainers.
1. 2000 Miles — Pretenders. This is a beautiful song; so beautiful that a lot of people don’t know it’s a Christmas song. But watch the video. It obviously is.
2. Christmas Wrapping — Waitresses. This band deserved to be bigger. It’s a really cute song.
3. Happy Xmas (the War Is Over) — John Lennon/Yoko Ono. I actually like Ono’s voice in the chorus with the kids. Had to have a Beatle on the list, and while Paul McCartney’s “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time” is better ear candy, this song has more substance.
4. Christmas All Over Again — Tom Petty. A fun song and Petty is a great bridge between the 1970s to 1990s.
5. All I Want for Christmas — Timbuk 3. After relistening to it, I’m not that big on this one and may swap it out if I redo the show. I like the sentiment but it’s a bit of a monotone.
6. Do They Know It’s Christmas? — Band Aid. I got a little criticism on this one because it’s somewhat “white savior,” but many great 1980s New Wave performers are in it, and they beat the US’s “We Are the World” to be the first big ensemble charity act. Let’s just chalk up the saviorism as a product of its location (the UK) and times (the early 1980s).
7. Father Christmas — The Kinks. I may move this to No. 5 if I do the podcast again. I have an anecdote about a Kinks concert I attended as a kid in the podcast. This is just a good rock and roll song all around.
8. Christmas in Hollis — Run DMC. A funny rap original.
9. It Often Doesn’t Snow on Christmas — Pet Shop Boys. This song has all of the holiday song gimmicks — just to be ironic.
10. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight) — The Ramones. My theory on choosing a tolerable holiday song is to pick a band you like and then find the song. Many great bands don’t do holiday songs, but this band has one that’s funny and in their usual irreverent style. It’s not a sell-out.
Anyway, listen to the podcast and you can hear the songs there with more of my thoughts.
Happy Holidays!
Darren Johnson started Campus News in January 2010.
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