My three Favourite Christmas songs
With the help of Wikipedia for interesting facts, today I’m reflecting why these are my three favourite Christmas songs.
Stay Another Day by East 17 – 1994
I can still remember watching this on Top of The Pops in December 1994, while vacuuming the day room of a nursing home I had just started working in. Even now if I hear the song I’m immediately taken back to that time. I love the cheesiness of the song. I love the fake snow falling. I love the white suits the guys are wearing. I love the random woman swirling around in white clothes. And let’s just get it out there – some of the East 17 guys are pretty easy on the eye. C’m on, I bet you agree with me? I enjoy Brian Harvey as he says ‘Don’t you know we’ve come too far now, just to go and try to *frow* it all away.’ Now that’s the east London/Essex accent I know and love. The thing which I always love to hear about the song is that it was written by Tony Mortimer and was said to be about losing his brother who took his own life. This is still their biggest hit song and was ‘the fourth biggest selling boyband single of the 90’s in the UK.’ If that’s anything to go by...
Merry Xmas everyone by Slade – 1973
I checked when editing the Christmas Serendipity story, and that is the proper title of the song, not Merry Christmas. It was Slade’s best selling single. A friend told me this earns them £800,000 every year. And I've just fact checheck that, and it's right. There's a NME article about how much this, and other songs had earned by 9 December. Not bad for something ‘based on melodies from discarded songs written six years before.’ I love that the video for this song was taped during a blistering hot summer in New York City. I love the witty little touches in the lyrics which encapsulate Christmas with family – whatever your definition of family is. ‘Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall / Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall...’ Yes and yes to those from me!
Fairytale of New York by The Pogues – 1987
This song just means Christmas to me. Every year when I’m driving around buying last minute presents, running errands, picking up a Christmas tree – and I hear it on the radio I can’t help smiling. And a song which does that has to be in my list. I also enjoy the fact that some of the lyrics had to be banned, which according to Wikipedia only took place in 2007. Did the BBC take twenty years to realise those two words were offensive? Apparently the f word – which Americans use derogatively for gay people, is according to Mitch Benn, ‘Irish and Liverpudlian slang for a lazy person.’ All of this knowledge is purely Wikipedic you understand.
I’ve just realised I have no modern songs. Oh well, I’m evidently quite nostaligic at Christmas time.
What are your favourite Christmas songs? Do you despise some of mine? And if so, why?
I think you’ll notice mention of some of these in Christmas Serendipity as the songs David and Christian enjoy while spending the festive season together.
Christmas Serendipity my new novella, is available on JMS website, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com
I'm off to wrap the BF's presents as he's out tonight and I'm home alone...or I could have a bath and a Gilmore Girls marathon...decisions decisions...
Until next time,
Liam Livings xx
With the help of Wikipedia for interesting facts, today I’m reflecting why these are my three favourite Christmas songs.
Stay Another Day by East 17 – 1994
I can still remember watching this on Top of The Pops in December 1994, while vacuuming the day room of a nursing home I had just started working in. Even now if I hear the song I’m immediately taken back to that time. I love the cheesiness of the song. I love the fake snow falling. I love the white suits the guys are wearing. I love the random woman swirling around in white clothes. And let’s just get it out there – some of the East 17 guys are pretty easy on the eye. C’m on, I bet you agree with me? I enjoy Brian Harvey as he says ‘Don’t you know we’ve come too far now, just to go and try to *frow* it all away.’ Now that’s the east London/Essex accent I know and love. The thing which I always love to hear about the song is that it was written by Tony Mortimer and was said to be about losing his brother who took his own life. This is still their biggest hit song and was ‘the fourth biggest selling boyband single of the 90’s in the UK.’ If that’s anything to go by...
Merry Xmas everyone by Slade – 1973
I checked when editing the Christmas Serendipity story, and that is the proper title of the song, not Merry Christmas. It was Slade’s best selling single. A friend told me this earns them £800,000 every year. And I've just fact checheck that, and it's right. There's a NME article about how much this, and other songs had earned by 9 December. Not bad for something ‘based on melodies from discarded songs written six years before.’ I love that the video for this song was taped during a blistering hot summer in New York City. I love the witty little touches in the lyrics which encapsulate Christmas with family – whatever your definition of family is. ‘Are you hanging up a stocking on your wall / Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall...’ Yes and yes to those from me!
Fairytale of New York by The Pogues – 1987
This song just means Christmas to me. Every year when I’m driving around buying last minute presents, running errands, picking up a Christmas tree – and I hear it on the radio I can’t help smiling. And a song which does that has to be in my list. I also enjoy the fact that some of the lyrics had to be banned, which according to Wikipedia only took place in 2007. Did the BBC take twenty years to realise those two words were offensive? Apparently the f word – which Americans use derogatively for gay people, is according to Mitch Benn, ‘Irish and Liverpudlian slang for a lazy person.’ All of this knowledge is purely Wikipedic you understand.
I’ve just realised I have no modern songs. Oh well, I’m evidently quite nostaligic at Christmas time.
What are your favourite Christmas songs? Do you despise some of mine? And if so, why?
I think you’ll notice mention of some of these in Christmas Serendipity as the songs David and Christian enjoy while spending the festive season together.
Christmas Serendipity my new novella, is available on JMS website, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com
I'm off to wrap the BF's presents as he's out tonight and I'm home alone...or I could have a bath and a Gilmore Girls marathon...decisions decisions...
Until next time,
Liam Livings xx
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