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Christmas songs that ain't

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  • 23-11-2013 3:24pm
    #1
    corblimey
    Registered Users Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭


    I was just moving my ever-expanding Christmas tunes playlist to my generic mp3 player, and I notice that quite a few of them are not actually about Christmas or anything related to it, but seem to be wheeled out only at this time of year (and let's be thankful for that :D)

    For example
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCvz7uflMIU


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFRcMYjut4o


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpevZ0-wUYQ


    In fact, a lot of McCartney songs for some reason (Pipes of Peace - the video is about Christmas, sure, is the song?). Also I'm not sure the one mention of Christmas in 'Stop the Cavalry' qualifies it as a Christmas song. What else you got?


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    #2
    tomboylady
    Registered Users Posts: 309 ✭✭tomboylady


    East 17 - Stay Another Day.

    It's on probably every Christmas compilation I own. I know it was a Christmas number one, but there have been lots of others and you don't see Bob the Builder on every Christmas album!



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    #3
    Crazy Eye
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 338 ✭✭Crazy Eye


    tomboylady wrote: »
    East 17 - Stay Another Day.

    It's on probably every Christmas compilation I own. I know it was a Christmas number one, but there have been lots of others and you don't see Bob the Builder on every Christmas album!


    whats left of east 17 are now resorting to playing in regency hotel this christmas , dinner and e17 live in concert for 49 euro ,how the mighty have fallen .
    https://www.regencyhotels.com/Hotels/content.asp?pageID=1019


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    #4
    Miss Lockhart
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 ✭✭✭Miss Lockhart


    The Power of Love is one of my favourites.


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    #5
    Crazy Eye
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 338 ✭✭Crazy Eye


    tomboylady wrote: »
    East 17 - Stay Another Day.

    It's on probably every Christmas compilation I own. I know it was a Christmas number one, but there have been lots of others and you don't see Bob the Builder on every Christmas album!


    heres the christmas video for the song , still dressed up all street and gansta style with some show thrown in for christmas , its cheesy as hell


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    #6
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    tomboylady wrote: »
    East 17 - Stay Another Day.

    It's on probably every Christmas compilation I own. I know it was a Christmas number one, but there have been lots of others and you don't see Bob the Builder on every Christmas album!
    I've been thinking the sane thing for years! It might be because they put Christmas bells in the background at the end? I'm not sure!


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    #7
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    ... And they're playing Stay Another Day on Christmas FM right now! :D


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    #8
    Toto Wolfcastle
    Registered Users Posts: 25,005 ✭✭✭✭Toto Wolfcastle


    Stay Another Day was released in 1994, not long after I turned 9. I don't really remember it not being played at Christmas. It was always on the Christmas albums we played at home. To me it will always be a Christmas song. My husband is older than me and to him it will always be ridiculous that it's considered a Christmas song.

    It doesn't seem to happen any more that Christmas number ones are considered Christmas songs. I had a quick look at the track listing of Now That's What I Call Christmas 2013 on Amazon to see if anything stood out and they're all Christmas songs with the exception of the usual Power of Love and Stay Another Day.


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    #9
    Zaph
    Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,274 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    The Power of Love is not a Christmas song. It just happened to be number 1 for a week in December and the video was nativity themed to coincide with the time of the year it was released. However it could just as easily have been released in July and no-one would have given it a second thought that it was a Christmas song.


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    #10
    Miss Lockhart
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 ✭✭✭Miss Lockhart


    Zaph wrote: »
    The Power of Love is not a Christmas song. It just happened to be number 1 for a week in December and the video was nativity themed to coincide with the time of the year it was released. However it could just as easily have been released in July and no-one would have given it a second thought that it was a Christmas song.

    Of course. That's the point of the thread though.


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    #11
    Star Lord
    Registered Users Posts: 30,123 ✭✭✭✭Star Lord


    Christmas number 1 when i was born was Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall. Queen were number 1 twice with Bohemian Rhapsody, in 75 and 91. I always find it weird how songs like Stay Another Day and Power of Love are considered Christmas songs, yet songs like the two above aren't!


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    #12
    we'llallhavetea
    Registered Users Posts: 1,031 ✭✭✭we'llallhavetea


    God I hate the power of love. It's like a big sh!te in the middle of my lovely Christmassy porridge. I'd ban it from the world if I could!


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    #13
    Mars Bar
    Registered Users Posts: 31,817 ✭✭✭✭Mars Bar


    I always associate Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" with Christmas even though it's not a Christmas song.


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    #14
    Scarinae
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 11,362 ✭✭✭✭Scarinae


    Jingle Bells isn't really anything to do with Christmas, is it? Christmas isn't mentioned at all, the lyrics are about riding around through the snow in a sleigh


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    #15
    Moonbeam
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,952 Mod ✭✭✭✭Moonbeam


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_Christmas_number_ones I was reading through them earlier.

    A spaceman came travelling is my favourite non christmas christmas song:) I know it is sort of a christmas song but i was well in to my 20s before I knew that.


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    #16
    washiskin
    Registered Users Posts: 2,360 ✭✭✭washiskin


    Freiheit's "Keeping The Dream Alive" has absolutely NOTHING to do with Christmas yet our beloved Christmas FM had it on heavy rotation last year.....

    That effing Frog Chorus too....

    AND it seems every American top 10 seller hoiks a Christmas Album out before the record company pulls the plug.

    Bring back Shakey...... :)


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    #17
    Tombo2001
    Registered Users Posts: 6,470 ✭✭✭Tombo2001


    Crazy Eye wrote: »
    heres the christmas video for the song , still dressed up all street and gansta style with some show thrown in for christmas , its cheesy as hell


    Video might be cheesy but the song is a very good one imho.

    The song of course is not about Christmas at all, its about grief. Not many songs deal with this issue. I can think of the top of my head of Julia and Mother by John Lennon, My Father by Nina Simone, Tank Park Salute by Billy Bragg......not too many others.

    Stay by East 17 mightn't be quite as good as these but its still a fine song.

    And as a song, it confronts the issue of death and grief more directly and explicitly than any of the above.

    As for the video, if you understand that the singer wrote the song about his big brother who committed suicide, and he is singing 'if you've got to go away, I don't think I can take the pain' then its a little less cheesy when you see him sing it.

    I'm guessing the other lads in the video were poncing about with their chains because it was too much of a hot topic for the record company to deal with.


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    #18
    merlie
    Registered Users Posts: 673 ✭✭✭merlie


    I have these two non Christmas songs on my Christmas playlist, yet they
    have a Christmassy feel about them



    This song was the theme from the movie 'The Secret Garden'


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    #19
    omicron
    Registered Users Posts: 815 ✭✭✭omicron


    Moonbeam wrote: »
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UK_Singles_Chart_Christmas_number_ones I was reading through them earlier.

    A spaceman came travelling is my favourite non christmas christmas song:) I know it is sort of a christmas song but i was well in to my 20s before I knew that.

    Irish one is here.


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    #20
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    Walking in a Winter Wonderland. Doesn't mention Christmas at all but to me it's definitely a Christmas song :)


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    #21
    CrowdedHouse
    Registered Users Posts: 6,804 ✭✭✭CrowdedHouse


    Love of the Common People - Paul Young

    I think this was a hit around Christmas, has a Christmassy sound (although the lyrics are kind of bleak despite the upbeat melody) It had mentions of cold and snow.

    It's a favourite of mine anyway and always in my Christmas mix



    Seven Worlds will Collide



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    #22
    Fowler87
    Registered Users Posts: 6,731 ✭✭✭Fowler87


    Not a Christmas related tune at all but considering its the 1st December it is an apt tune for the (official now) start of the festivities :D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5m-RWyVinU


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    #23
    C.K Dexter Haven
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,711 ✭✭✭C.K Dexter Haven


    r3nu4l wrote: »
    Walking in a Winter Wonderland. Doesn't mention Christmas at all but to me it's definitely a Christmas song :)

    There was a documentary on a while ago on TV about the secularisation of Christmas related music in the early to mid 20th century- songs like Winter Wonderland, Let it snow, Frosty the snowman, - all associated with Christmas but no mention of Christmas-


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    #24
    WoollyRedHat
    Registered Users Posts: 10,462 ✭✭✭✭WoollyRedHat


    Tombo2001 wrote: »
    Video might be cheesy but the song is a very good one imho.

    The song of course is not about Christmas at all, its about grief. Not many songs deal with this issue. I can think of the top of my head of Julia and Mother by John Lennon, My Father by Nina Simone, Tank Park Salute by Billy Bragg......not too many others.

    Stay by East 17 mightn't be quite as good as these but its still a fine song.

    And as a song, it confronts the issue of death and grief more directly and explicitly than any of the above.

    As for the video, if you understand that the singer wrote the song about his big brother who committed suicide, and he is singing 'if you've got to go away, I don't think I can take the pain' then its a little less cheesy when you see him sing it.

    I'm guessing the other lads in the video were poncing about with their chains because it was too much of a hot topic for the record company to deal with.

    I didn't know that, makes it even more beautiful and heart wrenching, wow.


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    #25
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    who remembers this ....

    The Flying Pickets, xmas No 1 in 1983 (can you believe it :eek:) god i feel old

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F139hh2LPz0


    no instruments just human vocals,

    *the lead singer went on to play the part of Dougie in coronation st


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    #26
    santana75
    Registered Users Posts: 1,299 ✭✭✭santana75


    Cant believe nobody has mentioned The winter Hymnal by the fleet foxes. Best non-related Christmas song ever(scary video though).......




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    #27
    An Riabhach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭An Riabhach


    aya startin wha wrote: »
    God I hate the power of love. It's like a big sh!te in the middle of my lovely Christmassy porridge. I'd ban it from the world if I could!

    One of the most depressing songs ever.


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    #28
    An Riabhach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭An Riabhach


    David Essex-"A Winter's Tale".

    And come to think of it,"Walking In The Air" isn't really about Xmas either-tis just the video that goes with the song,and of course twas taken from the film "The Snowman".


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    #29
    An Riabhach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,672 ✭✭✭An Riabhach


    fryup wrote: »
    who remembers this ....

    The Flying Pickets, xmas No 1 in 1983 (can you believe it :eek:) god i feel old

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F139hh2LPz0


    no instruments just human vocals,

    *the lead singer went on to play the part of Dougie in coronation st
    ....and then the song was used in tv ad for paint!


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    #30
    delw
    Registered Users Posts: 2,655 ✭✭✭delw


    Any spice girls Christmas number one,god i really hated when they dominated christmas


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    #31
    April O Neill II
    Closed Accounts Posts: 536 ✭✭✭April O Neill II


    I love both 'The Power of Love' and 'Stay Another Day'.

    The former doesn't feel Christmassy to be me at all though, but the latter very much does. Christmas is a sad time for a lot of people and it taps into this quite beautifully. It's actually one of my favourite Christmas songs. It's achingly beautiful.


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