Tis the Season to cram the airwaves with crooning bleeding hearts, nostalgia, slurred lines and festive one liners! Bah bloody humbug! There’s only one song about Christmas that I actually like and it’s ‘Fairytale of New York’ because nothing says Christmas like being crude and slightly offensive! So in the spirit of sticking it to traditional carols, here are my Christmas song alternatives… songs that sound great for this time of year even if they’re not strictly about the Holiday!
Lily Allen – Somewhere only we know
Shove it! This is not a Christmas song… it’s a song used in a Christmas advert that’s only peddled out this time of year! Lily Allen’s cover of Keane’s “Somewhere only we know” speaks more about the commercialisation of Christmas after the song which when first released by Keane only reached number three in the charts and Lily’s version which featured as part of an advert for John Lewis Department Store went to number one in the UK and in Ireland… where we don’t even have a JL!
Ane Brun – True Colours
For a while there I tried to prove that I was the long lost orphaned son of 80’s music star and pop culture icon Cyndi Lauper – that’s how much I love her and her music. So whenever a cover pops up I’ll give it a listen with sneered trepidation that is until I heard this version by Ane Brun and fell for her soft voice and very delicate handling of this song.
Sarah McLachlan – Blue
Sarah McLachlan could rattle of my shopping receipt from Lidl and make it sound as if a thousand strong choir of Angels were bellowing the words of God. McLachlan’s voice may seem like it’s not suited to a Joni Mitchell song but trust me, she makes ‘Blue’ her own!
Jane Siberry – Calling All Angels
Every playlist needs a track to make you cry your eyes out and Siberry’s ”Calling All Angels” always reminds me of ‘Pay it Forward’, the Helen Hunt/Kevin Spacey movie where a little boy changes the world just because he thought he could… *strong Declan… strong Declan…*
Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata
I first encountered, no wait let me first point out that I know as much about Classical Music as I do about Astrophysics… NOTHING! I first encountered Beethoven/Classical music like most other kids… Bugs Bunny! The first time I heard Moonlight Sonata played on piano Jill Valentine was exploring the Spencer Mansion, I heard it again in the South Korean horror movie ‘Phone’ and there’s always been something haunting about the piece… haunting, silent and relaxing!
Yoko Kanno – Heaven’s Not Enough
When I think of Christmas I think of Wolf’s Rain and in particular the music of Yoko Kanno.
Nobuo Uematsu – Song of Prayer, Shiva Temple
Ice? Snow? Cold? Stunning beauty? It could only be Shiva and Nobuo Uematsu’s Song of Prayer from Final Fantasy X still sends shivers up my spine! It’s short and sweet and while the Song of Prayer is heard in every Temple you visit on Yuna’s Pilgrimage, Shiva’s has always been the standout version for me.
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
