Acts whose artistic peak was a Christmas song

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I just started thinking about this. You know, Christmas songs are usually viewed as rather throwaway efforts, that don't really work outside the festive season. This may be the truth in a lot of cases, but starting to think about it, surprisingly many acts seem to make really strong Christmas songs, and there are indeed lots where I would say that they never made anything better.

A few examples:

Slade: Merry Xmas Everybody
Starting with the most obvious of all. Slade made a lot of fun pop singles, but never before or after did they come as close to the perfect pop song as here. This song doesn't sound particularly "Christmas-y", apart from its lyrics. Instead you have a marvellous song with one of the best middle-8s ever.

Wham!: Last Christmas
George Michael has done better stuff as a soloist, but with Wham! he was never better IMO. An absolutely wonderful song, and one of his better vocal performances

Pogues & Kirsty MacColl: Fairytale Of NY
Kirsty MacColl has made better songs, but IMO McGowan has never ever managed to top this one. Never before or after has he managed to match his "bumness" with musical perfection the way he does here. MacColl participating probably helped a big deal too. I am not too big on Pogues, but this one I love.

Pretenders: 5000 Miles
Another great song from an act that I am not a fan of in general. But this song is really nice, with a nice guitar theme, and Chrissie Hynde doing one of her better vocal performances IMO

Extreme: Christmas Time Again
Extreme mostly did boring metal, and I was really surprised when I heard this on the "Very Special Christmas" album. This is actually a truly great pop song, with some really great vocal harmonies. Can't believe Extreme were behind.

Weird Al Yankovic: Christmas At Ground Zero
I often find him funny, but still, he has never been funnier than he was on this song about nuking on Christmas Day.

Wizzard: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Frankly, every song they ever released sounded like a Christmas effort. Only sans jingle bells, children's choirs and lyrics about snowmen, Santa Claus and sleighs. This one, however, adds jingle bells, children's choir and lyrics about snowmen, Santa Claus and sleights. And as such, it has what all their other songs were missing. ;)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

the waitresses, "christmas wrapping"

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:18 (twenty-one years ago)

bob b. soxx and the blue jeans, "the bells of st. mary's"

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Paul McCartney

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

To suggest Everything She Wants is not Wham!'s best song is simply ridiculous.

― Magic City (ano ano), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Phil Spector?

― still bevens (bscrubbins), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Alvin and the Chipmunks

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll even say that "Merry Christmas, Dalring" as as good as the Carpenters got taken as whole.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Band Aid?

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 2 December 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

How about this: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" was recorded during John Lennon's solo artistic peak.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree that "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is one of his best songs (solo or not), but I'd still exaggarate to claim it is the artistic peak, even of his solo career.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

You're probably right. I will say this: HXWIO is the only Lennon song solo or not that can make me cry. Something about "So this is Christmas, and what have you done...."

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:06 (twenty-one years ago)

the ravers - punk rock christmas
davitt sigerson - it's a big country (one of the best xmas songs ever)
cristina - things fall apart
adam sandler - his 3 hannakuh songs, if they count

bob & doug mckenzie and mott the hoople and kurtis blow come close, though. and so probably do lots of other people. maybe even run dmc.

honorable mentions: blink 182 and bryan adams, both of whom seem to have lots of xmas-related songs that may well rank among their best, though probably not at the very top of their heaps.

― chuck, Friday, 3 December 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Mariah Carey may also be added to those honorable mentions.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

and did the vandals ever do anything better than "oi to the world"?

― chuck, Friday, 3 December 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Spectrum's cover of the Sonics "Dear Santa Claus"

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Elmo & Patsy, or does that go without saying?

Also, "I Know What Boys Like" > "Christmas Wrapping"

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

'Listen, The Snow Is Falling' is my favourite Yoko Ono song, but then I haven't heard that many.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:19 (twenty-one years ago)

i'd rate "christmas wrapping" over "i know what boys like" though i like 'em both very much and my opinion may change tomorrow. interesting to note, though, that it and two of chuck's picks, "things fall apart" and "it's a big country," were all originally released on the same album, ze records' a christmas record.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 3 December 2004 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

does new years count? if so, scrawl and dismemberment plan.

― chuck, Friday, 3 December 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Greg Lake -- "I Believe In Father Christmas"

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 3 December 2004 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

5 car pile-up - beatnik's wish

― chris andrews (fraew), Friday, 3 December 2004 01:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

I can't think of another song that took her career any higher.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 3 December 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

BTW, Dom, are we talking "Wonderful X-mas Time" or "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Raggae" (sic)?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Friday, 3 December 2004 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Not to denigrate her other work but
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

I almost said U2 based on the same song. I almost said Run-DMC based on the same album as U2, but that wouldn't be fair. I almost said The Royal Guardsmen, but I like the non-Christmas version of their song a little better.

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 3 December 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

xp 5000 miles is a xmas song? i had no idea

― bakers (thoia), Friday, 3 December 2004 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's get this right. It's Two Thousand Miles. But yeah, she mentions Christmas, snow and stuff.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 3 December 2004 04:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Ken L said what I was going to almost word for word. Except I like the Royal Guardsmen's Christmas version of Snoopy vs the Red Baron much better.

Tevin Campbell's artistic peak was his rendition of "O Holy Night."

Same for Eric Cartman.

Very good topic, by the way!

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 3 December 2004 04:20 (twenty-one years ago)

eleven months pass...

Pogues & Kirsty MacColl: Fairytale Of NY

18 years on...second time around

Pogues Classic for Christmas Number One ?
http://www.albumvote.co.uk/news/news.php?id=904

The Pogues aim to go one better this Christmas by re-releasing their classic single Fairytale Of New York. The single (Featuring Kristy McCall) originally made number two in 1987 but is to be re-released on December 12th

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 21 November 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

the waitresses, "christmas wrapping"

commercial peak, yeah (that and "i know what boys like"). but the waitresses had some v. cool material beyond those two songs!

― j b everlovin' r (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 21 November 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

(can i be a jerk and nominate david bowie? just to be a jerk? and cuz his duet w/ der bingle is one of the best things ever?)

― j b everlovin' r (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 21 November 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

Low - "Just Like Christmas"

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is so brilliant that, even if it's not Phil Spector's crowning achievement, it might be Darlene Love's.

― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Monday, 21 November 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

Trans-Siberian Orchestra?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 21 November 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

Vince Guaraldi?

― General Doinel (Charles McCain), Monday, 21 November 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

Any arguement could also be made for Joni Mitchell and "River" or The Drifters (Clyde McPhatter-era) and "White Christmas".

― General Doinel (Charles McCain), Monday, 21 November 2005 22:33 (twenty years ago)

The Pretenders song Geir cites is "2000 Miles," not "5000 miles."

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Monday, 21 November 2005 22:53 (twenty years ago)

burl ives?

― my name is john. i reside in chicago. (frankE), Monday, 21 November 2005 22:57 (twenty years ago)

Wham! songs that are better than "Last Christmas": "Wake me up before you go-go", "Careless Whispers", "Everything She Wants", "Freedom", "I'm Your Man".

― LeRooLeRoo (Seb), Monday, 21 November 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

And it's great! (xpost re: 2000 Miles)

Geir is also wrong about the Pogues but right about "Fairytale."

I'd nominate The Darkness but a) I haven't heard the xmas song and b) it can't be better than "Holding My Own."

I will nominate Everything But The Girl for "25th December."

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 21 November 2005 23:05 (twenty years ago)

Though "Fairytale of New York" is undoubtedly great, it is not the best thing Shane McGowan has ever written. (xpost!)

I second Mariah Carey. I think I've said elsewhere that I could forgive her most atrocities for the wonderful version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

My real answer: East 17's "Stay Another Day".

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 21 November 2005 23:09 (twenty years ago)

Vince Guaraldi?

three words LINUS AND LUCY am i riet

― j b everlovin' r (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 21 November 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

Servotron - 'Christmas Day of the Robots'

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

Foghat! "All I Want for Christmas is You."

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 01:12 (twenty years ago)

"Dumb ol' bells and shit . . . "

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 01:14 (twenty years ago)

"Christmas In Hollis" just might be my favorite Run-DMC song. I think the beat is great, plus the fact that it samples Clarence Carter's "Back Door Santa" for recursive Christmas action makes it even more genius.

― joygoat (joygoat), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 01:31 (twenty years ago)

some might say "I Was Born On Christmas Day" by Saint Etienne

― gear (gear), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

1. Dar Williams -- "The Christians and the Pagans" Maybe not her best song, but one of them, and she crossed the line permanently into self-importance and sanctimony shortly after it.

2. Bing Crosby -- A distinguished career, but what performances are better than "White Christmas" and "Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)"?

3. Georg Friedrich Handel -- "Messiah"

4. a-a-and whoever wrote "We Three Kings", "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Adeste Fideles", "Coventry Carol" . . . I don't remember who they were, but it's difficult to believe that any of them ever wrote anything better.

― Vornado, Tuesday, 22 November 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

How did I know this was a Geir thread? Well, actually, how could it be anything else but a Geir thread?

― Oh No, It's Dadaismus (and His Endless Stupid Jokes) (Dada), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

H-Town - "Knockin' Boots For Christmas"

― Dan (I Am Not Making That Up, Either) Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Tag Team - "Whoomp! There St. Nick Is"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

The Yobs.

I'm surprised no-one's said Jona Lewie yet too.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

The Pretenders song Geir cites is "2000 Miles," not "5000 miles."
For Geir it might be closer to 5,000 miles though (to Tucson, Hongrolina.)

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 18:55 (twenty years ago)

Check out the lyrics to my new punk band's Christmas hit. After two practices, it's clearly our best song:

Christmas
Written by T.McDougall (2005)
Performed by Burger

I love stuff – Gimme Stuff
I Want stuff – Gimme Stuff
How Much Stuff? – Can I get?
Gimme Stuff – All Your Stuff

Give ME The Pounds – How much pounds?
I Want pounds – I LOVE Pounds
Gimme those – All those pounds
Not yours Now – My Christmas Pounds

CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS

Too much food – Need a dump
Fuckin turkey – Gimme Stuff
Chriustmas Burger – Smashed My stuff
Gimme More – Smashed your stuff

CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS
CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS

Not for you – None none noe
Got my stuff – done done done
Getting pissed – Eating loads
Got new stuff – Now FUCK OFF!

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 22 November 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

King Diamond - No Presents For Christmas (not counting Mercyful Fate)

(I don't like KD solo much, y'see, but that song makes me laugh like there's no Tom Arrow)

― Øystein (Øystein), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

It's on A Very Special Christmas, isn't it? That whole album is fuckin' great. Madonna's "Santa Baby" is one of her most underrated (if not forgotten) moments.

John Mellencamp's I Saw Mommmy Kissing Santa Claus" is marvelous too.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 01:39 (twenty years ago)

Not too fond of the first "Very Special Christmas" album, which has Jimmy Lovine a bit too obviously all over it. The second one was great though.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 03:14 (twenty years ago)

jimmy iovine

― j b everlovin' r (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 03:22 (twenty years ago)

jody, one time I went to one of the local MDs and he told me that he had grown up with Jimmy Iovine and played in a band with him and that, if he had only had the cojones to stick it out in the music business like his friend, he wouldn't have ended up having to deal with slackers like me. As proof of his connection, he pulled a business card out of his wallet that had Jimmy I's mother's phone number written on the back.

― k/l (Ken L), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 03:52 (twenty years ago)

Bruce Springsteen "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

― steve ketchup, Wednesday, 23 November 2005 05:29 (twenty years ago)

I think it's awfully cute that tough-guy Sonny Boy Williamson's "Santa Claus" tells a story of his having to go to court after being caught going through his girlfriend's dresser drawers trying to peep his gift.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 10:15 (twenty years ago)

Probably that East 17 Christmas song which I can't remember the name of.

Also Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is the best thing she's done by quite some way.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)

gilbert o sullivan "christmas song"
kylie " santa baby"

― retrogurl, Wednesday, 23 November 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

I will nominate Everything But The Girl for "25th December."

I will nominate EBTG for "Come On Home":

"And every day's like Christmas day without you / it's cold and there's nothing to do."

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

YEAH, I agree on the Mariah Carey thing, A song where she just delivers it straight with none of the superfluous mellisima, or the "I see dead people" whisper thing she is currently doing.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 23 November 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

Gene Autry- "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Although it's really pretty much a tie with "Back In The Saddle Again."

― k/l (Ken L), Monday, 28 November 2005 01:58 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Jose Feliciano-Feliz Navidad

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Thursday, 15 December 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Gotta admit it gets played more than Light My Fire.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 16 December 2005 03:59 (twenty years ago)

nine months pass...

the walkmen - no christmas while i'm talking

― Charlie Howard (the sphinx), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 14:17 (nineteen years ago)

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