Yes you guessed it; it’s time to start thinking about the best time of the year yet again: Christmas! A time for giving, receiving and, more importantly, listening and singing to the cheesiest songs around. So what better way to get into the Christmassy mood by counting down the top ten songs associated with this magical time of year? Now is not the time to turn all Scrooge on me; it’s never too early to get into the spirit and it is nearly December so we aren’t too far off anymore. While this countdown is only my own opinion, I’m sure there is a favourite song of everybody’s in there somewhere!
10: Winter Wonderland – Richard Smith and Felix Bernard
This is a timeless classic, first published in 1934. It has proven itself to be popular among many artists over the years, having been covered by over 150 of them. This is the kind of song that is easy listening on a cold winter’s day, where you can forget about your troubles and get lost in the slow and relaxing melody.
9: Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
From one classic to another, I present Santa Baby, originally recorded in 1953. This is a song best known for the Kylie Minogue cover, which gave it a new lease of life and definitely helped to sex it up! If you don’t know it for this, then I’m sure it is recognisable from the Debenhams Christmas advert from 2006. Any song accompanying a Christmas advert becomes automatically that little bit more popular and memorable.
8: Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
Although the original was released in 1957, I’m sure you all know of it through Mean Girls. Everybody loves Mean Girls, even guys, so how can you not love this song?! I’m sure boys like it more for the visual, but there’s no denying that it’s a catchy tune that you can’t help but sing along to. I’m willing to bet that most of you even know the words (at least the section out of the film) off by heart too!
7: Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
Now it’s time to jump forward a few decades and move into more recent times. Before anyone says anything, yes, I did put Justin Bieber in the top ten. For all the Bieber haters out there, just hear me out. This is my absolute guilty pleasure – my housemate and I found ourselves playing it quite a lot last year. Yes, it is a little cheesy, but what do you expect? Christmas is the time to listen to cheesy music, so what’s more fitting than to listen to a Justin Bieber Christmas song?! I won’t say anymore, you just have to listen for yourselves.
6: Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
I don’t know about anyone else, but whenever I hear this for the first time of the year, I know that Christmas is on its way. It is without doubt one of the easiest ways to get me in the festive spirit. Memories of childhood Christmases come flooding back – I think it has been played in my house every year on the 25th of December without fail. This upbeat song is a sure fire way to put a smile on your face.
5: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard
Now this is a song I can relate to. I too wish it could be Christmas everyday – so much so that I get depressed listening to it on Christmas Day because I know the next day is just a normal day again. But, whether you agree with the lyrics or not, there is no denying that this is one catchy song – you’ll be dancing around the Christmas tree in no time!
4: Last Christmas – Wham
There’s no taking this song away from anybody’s heart (oh how witty I am). Whether young or old, you can’t help but love it. It’s ridiculously soppy, granted, but I bet you still sing along – there’s no getting away from the fact that it is still one of the most popular Christmas songs despite being nearly 30 years old.
3: Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
This has to be one of the biggest Christmas songs there is. It stayed number one in the charts for 5 weeks and at the time of release in 1984 it was the biggest selling single in UK history. It helps you appreciate the festive holiday and lets us know how lucky we are to celebrate it in the way that most of us do. This song is definitely one for the Christmas playlist.
2: All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
Fetch the earplugs and cue the sounds of cats being hit against a wall as every girl tries to pretend they are the next Mariah Carey while listening to this song. This one may just be a favourite of the girls, but I’m sure it is a few of the guys’ guilty pleasure too. Be warned though, once in your head, it’s pretty hard to shift!
1: Fairytale of New York – The Pogues
So here we have it: my number one. It isn’t your conventional cheesy Christmas song, which I think is the beauty of it. The song portrays harsh realities despite the upbeat music, creating an interesting contrast. Its catchy tune gets stuck in your head and you may find yourself blurting out some of the lyrics from time to time – I tend to go for “you cheap lousy fagot,” which sometimes doesn’t go down too well. This song can be described like Marmite, but whether you love it or hate it, it wouldn’t be Christmas without it.
Image 1: http://idlermag.com/2011/12/09/the-war-against-christmas-music-part-2/
Image 2: http://www.beyond-bananas.com/2011/12/08/christmas-bells-ringing/
Image 3: http://www.guptasonline.com/2011/12/02/christmas-everyday/
Image 4: http://imgfave.com/view/1760517