Christmas Song Bingo 2022

[Gangster Octopus]

First Last Christmas of the year. The World Cup's got summat to recommend it, the lack of Christmas tunes in pubs...

[DCI Harry Batt]

First Last Christmas of the year.

Sad you had to wait so long. I play it every day, in case I don't accidentally hear it.

[Gangster Octopus]

I don't actually mind the song, it's just that I'm usually already sick of it, and many others, by this time in December.

[delicatemoth]

It's an absolute top tier Christmas song, like 'Christmas Eve Can Kill You' by The Everly Brothers. You're less likely to hear that in shops though.

[treibeis]

Had a "Driving Home For Christmas" for the first time five days ago. And a "Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time" today.

Pair of cunts.

[3 Colours Red]

Strike off so far:
Slade
Carey
Wizzard
Band Aid (II, strangely enough i.e. the one you never usually hear now, not even on the 24-hour music video stations on the arse-end of the EPG)
McCartney
Shaky
Lewie (included despite the fact that I think it's not strictly a Christmas song)
Lake

Still haven't been Pogued or Whammed yet.

[Artificial Hipster]

I heard Chris Rea on Smooth Radio before we'd even hit December. I've never been so happy to hear the dentist's drill.

[Satchmo Distel]

In the US you won't get the British stuff but do get Perry Como, Sinatra, Brenda Lee, etc. Xmas songs in the US are like rock and roll never happened, except for the Phil Spector album.

[Sits]

We don't get Wizzard, Louie, Rea or Slade here but I've already been Whammed, and Careyd. Mariah's sounds better every year, having not even liked it at the time.

[Jon]

It is, indeed, an absolute tune. I remember working in a record shop the day it originally came out. My brother was also working on the same day, at a different record shop. We used to play the new releases in our respective shops and discuss them together at the end of the day. We had both singled out Mariah Carey as being the stand out track of the day. Yet, I don't think it was even a hit first time round.

As to what I've heard so far this year. Not much if anything but it's mostly radio three and Spotify for me nowadays. I'm sure things will ramp up when I'm out and about this weekend.

[treibeis]

We don't get Wizzard, Louie, Rea or Slade here but I've already been Whammed, and Careyd. Mariah's sounds better every year, having not even liked it at the time.

Are there seasonally-adjusted Australian equivalents of northern-hemisphere crap? Like, instead of "Christmas time / Mistletoe and wine", it's "Christmas time / A punch-up with a bloke in a vest called Shane on the beach because he barbied the rabbit wrong, then a firm concilatory handshake over a couple of tinnies at the local creek"?

[Sits]

If only

[San Bernardhinault]

I got Whammed in November. The weekend after Thanksgiving. I think Brenda Lee's Rocking Around The Christmas Tree might be the most ubiquitous tune I've heard over the last 5 years. It seems to be absolutely everywhere, played by everyone. I used not to hate it, and it's probably not terrible, but I've heard it so often that it almost makes me vibrate in anger now.

[ad hoc]

Nothing here, but then again I don't listen to the radio, or go out much. The shop round the corner and the supermarket I go to roughly once a week don't play music, so I could easily avoid hearing anything until Xmas eve. I might put some carefully curated Xmas playlist on Spotify that weekend before to introduce some festive sounds

[Sits]

Are there seasonally-adjusted Australian equivalents of northern-hemisphere crap? Like, instead of "Christmas time / Mistletoe and wine", it's "Christmas time / A punch-up with a bloke in a vest called Shane on the beach because he barbied the rabbit wrong, then a firm concilatory handshake over a couple of tinnies at the local creek"?

I should be careful what I wish for. Wandering around Woolworths this evening in search of dog food and bread rolls, this came over the PA. Nothing could have prepared me for the pure, teeth-grinding horror. I apologise to OTF for this, but challenge anyone to get to the end:

[Auntie Beryl]

It is, indeed, an absolute tune. I remember working in a record shop the day it originally came out. My brother was also working on the same day, at a different record shop. We used to play the new releases in our respective shops and discuss them together at the end of the day. We had both singled out Mariah Carey as being the stand out track of the day. Yet, I don't think it was even a hit first time round.

I started in the record shop in November '94, so that was my first Christmas there. By early December I was running a book as to who might be Christmas number one - unofficially like, no money changed hands, but the regulars liked to talk about it and so it just evolved that way. My reading of the situation was that Bon Jovi - coming off a huge hit with Always and who were high in the album chart with their best-of, Cross Road - were favourites with Please Come Home For Christmas. Mariah was definitely in the running as she was on a run of six consecutive top ten hits, had made the top with Without You earlier in the year, and meagre purchases of her Merry Christmas album weren't eating into single sales - by and large the good people of the UK were not buying entire seasonal artist albums yet, at least until Buble came along.

Other candidates included Cliff Richard and Phil Everly (All I Have To Do Is Dream) which ended up at number 20, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers via a younger Simon Cowell (number 4), PJ & Duncan / Ant & Dec (14) and Boyzone's first hit Love Me For A Reason which was number 3 at Christmas.

Bon Jovi tapped out at 9, Mariah made it up to number 2 but December was dominated by East 17 with Stay Another Day, a moving ballad about the passing of Tony Mortimer's brother. London Records and manager Tom Watkins slapped cascading bells over the outro, dressed the Walthamstow boys up in furry-hooded coats for the video and Bob was indeed your uncle.

That 1994 Christmas chart here.

[Jah Womble]

I heard that Waitresses tune earlier, if that counts?

As for the 'usual suspects', well, I don't listen to Smooth or any of those stations, so I should be okay until I go shopping.

[DCI Harry Batt]

included despite the fact that I think it's not strictly a Christmas song

Why not? What is "a krismas song"?

[Jah Womble]

Of course it is.

'Wish I was at home for Christmas...' is the actual lyric, is it not?

[DCI Harry Batt]

People have all sorts of stuff about what is and what isn't, but I've never seen a coherent set of rules written down by anyone.

[Sits]

On one of our threads last Christmas (DYSWIDT) someone said that The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog is a Christmas song because it has sleigh bells on it.

[ad hoc]

Is Frankly Mr Shankly a Christmas song? It has the word Christmas in it.

[DCI Harry Batt]

No, it's not.

[delicatemoth]

Christmas song = song that is or becomes associated with Xmas for whatever reason. So Lewie and Pogues defo count.

First hearing of 'Backdoor Santa' klaxon.

edit - and now The Supremes' festive version of 'My Favorite Things', looks like I might be tuned into an Xmas music show.

[Jah Womble]

People have all sorts of stuff about what is and what isn't, but I've never seen a coherent set of rules written down by anyone.

Well, quite. Surely if a song is released at this time of year and contains said reference therein - then what is there to debate? (The Pretenders' 2000 Miles is another that I'd have considered questionable were it not to contain the word 'Christmas' within the lyric, but there we are...)

Christmas song = song that is or becomes associated with Xmas for whatever reason. So Lewie and Pogues defo count.

Both of these contain direct (and repeated) lyrical references to Christmas, so indeed have to count.