There is absolutely no getting away from Christmas music at this time of year, no matter how much you try. Every shop you walk into is pumping out something festive, while the TV is filled with adverts complete with slow covers of your favourite songs (looking at you, John Lewis), and we absolutely love it.
Whether you love or loathe the holidays, there is just something so comforting in hearing those first few bars of All I Want For Christmas, like you’re being punched in the face by nothing but pure joy and some bells. We dare you not to sing (terribly) along with every single note. It seems we love it so much that, 25 years after the release, it has gone and smashed it once again, getting the coveted top spot in Billboard’s Hot 100.
And that’s not the only classic tune to fly. A quick glance over the charts sees Wham! cushioned safely within the top 10, while The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York, Band Aid classic Do They Know It’s Christmas and Merry Christmas Everyone, from Shakin’ Stevens, are flying all over the place.
But surprisingly, there are no current Christmas bops that even come close to them. With the exception of Justin Bieber’s Under The Mistletoe – which is a slept on album packed with bops – no other current popstars’ festive offerings have managed to crack through the timelessness Wham! and co have blessed us with.
It’s not like there aren’t current festive songs out there, with Robbie Williams and Chris Kamara releasing full Christmas albums this year, while John Legend offered us an alternative version of Baby It’s Cold Outside. But why are we shunning these for the golden oldies?
There’s no denying this Christmas hasn’t felt as… Christmassy as years gone by, thanks to little tiny things like Brexit and the general election… Maybe it’s because everything feels so gloomy at the moment that all we want is to retreat back to familiar songs that we all sung along to when we were younger, when all we had to worry about was how many toys we had under the tree, or whether we could stay awake late enough to finish the EastEnders special.
Or, not to sound like that old person at every family gathering, maybe they’re just not that good anymore? We’re struggling to even remember anything released last year that can compare to Rocking Around The Christmas Tree, It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year or most of Michael Buble’s back catalogue.
Instead, it all feels churned out and generic, and like everyone’s worried to go all out and really enjoy themselves with it. This is the one time you’re allowed to have more bells than key changes, embrace that, have actual fun and don’t be so safe with it.
While current Christmas songs seem to have lost their sparkle as we all dive back into the classics, we’re hoping next year everyone pulls their socks up a tad and gifts us with some newer festive bops.
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