Sometimes I hear a song and think “Hey, that sounds like a Christmas song!” Sometimes others think the same thing. In fact, some of these songs have been associated with Christmas so much that we forget they’re not actually Christmas songs. So yeah, a lot of these Not Quite Christmas Songs gert added to our annual Christmas canon. That’s exactly what this playlist is about. Songs that sound like Christmas, but really have nothing to do with the holiday.
This playlist contains a few songs that, as I’ve said, have been added to our yearly binge of Christmas music. A great example is Joy to the World, which actually has no mention of the birth of Christ. Another song in this category is Sleigh Ride, which is just about having fun in the snow. Nothing to do with Christmas. A more contemporary example is Low’s “Just Like Christmas,” which talks about the feelings of Christmas, yes, but isn’t really about the holiday. Oh, but there’s more than just these. As I said, some songs sound like Christmas to me, even if there’s nothing Christmasy about them. The bells Disarm by The Smashing Pumpkins, the horn section in Badly Drawn Boy’s “The Shining,” and the overall feeling of Ella Fitzgerald’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm. There are so many, I can’t comment on them all. Songs by Tori Amos, Pixies, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Nick Cave, Simon & Garfunkel, Neko Case, and more.
Enjoy Not a Christmas Song, everyone. I hope it adds to your holiday, and your everyday.
The Simon & Garfunkel song counts as not a Christmas song
I know 7 O’Clock News / Silent Night has a literal Christmas song in it, but it still counts for this list. The song was a juxtaposition of our comfortable lives vs what’s happening in other parts of the world. The song is not about the birth of Christ or Santa Claus or anything like that, but rather about our privilege to live in a place where we’re not getting blown up. Anyways. Just wanted to add this tidbit.
I’m working on a brand new edition of the Holiday Hall of Shame and will publish it ASAP. I’m honestly looking forward to it, and hope you really enjoy it. As far as next week’s playlist – not quite sure yet, but it’s my birthday week. That means a bunch of music that is somehow significant to me. I just don’t know what yet, heh.
Enjoy your week everyone. And as always, rock on and rock steady!
