Steve Grutzmacher: Music for the Many Moods of Christmas

Thanksgiving, which just passed, is a relatively easy holiday when you compare it to Christmas. Sure there can be lots of cooking and cleaning and dishwashing, but it spans just a couple of days, at most. And the music choice for Thanksgiving is simple: Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” in the morning followed by football and food the rest of the day.

Christmas, however, is a season. Gatherings and parties stretch through weeks and often into the next year. And because the Christmas season is so long, we are all likely to go through many, many moods and feelings during these weeks. Sure, there is an endless selection of music for Christmas, but not all of it will be appropriate for a mood we may be experiencing.

So here’s a selection of less conventional Christmas music for at least some of the moods and feelings you will, no doubt, experience in the coming weeks.

Anxiety/Discomfort

“Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl

This is probably the least likely Christmas song you can imagine that has, in fact, been repeatedly voted the best Christmas song in a wide variety of polls in the years since its release. The Pogues offer a curious mix of Irish/Punk/New Wave music and they have achieved considerable success but this song is their all-time bestseller. It’s grim and gritty and should probably not be played until after the children are in bed, lest you find yourself having to explain some uncomfortable lyrics. That having been said, I really love this song. Shane MacGowan, the lead singer, nasals his way through his portion of the lyrics while Kirsty MacColl comes across like a singing Irish barmaid. For some reason this song always makes me think of those holiday parties I went to (years ago, folks) where an old girlfriend showed up unexpectedly and a vague feeling of discomfort suddenly invaded my chest.

Unrequited Love

“Last Christmas” by Wham!

I know George Michael went on to be discovered as a creep but if you can somehow look past his many transgressions you have to admit the guy can sing. As of October this year, this song had sold more than 1.77 million copies. The lyrics cover the tried and true theme of forsaken love but this song, like The Pretenders song listed below, never really feels as sad as the lyrics, largely courtesy of Michael’s flawless crooning.

Romantic/Sexy

“Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt

Okay, it may not be the first thing you think of during the Christmas season, but when your significant other gets you that magical gift that you either wanted with all your heart or that you never knew you wanted with all your heart until you opened the present, romance might just blossom. Eartha Kitt makes Santa (and Christmas) sexy in ways you never dreamed possible. So if that present lit your fire, and the children are off to bed, let Eartha work her magic.

Anticipation

“Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea

The reality for many of us is that we will make a long trip to share Christmas with family. Whether you are making the trip to see family or whether you are waiting for family to arrive at your front door, this song plays perfectly to that feeling of excited expectation.

Religious/Holy

“Mary Did You Know?” by Pentatonix

Christmas is, first and foremost, a religious Holiday and while I am not a particularly religious person there are certainly some exquisitely beautiful Christmas hymns. This particular song comes from an acapella group that has put out several Christmas albums and, though they suffer from an appalling poor name that makes one think of ’80s hair bands, they have gorgeous voices and harmonies. Check this out on YouTube to see the video, which was filmed in a cavern with candles and quietly captures the religious mysteries and overtones of Christmas.

Joy

“Linus & Lucy” by Vince Guaraldi Trio

This is arguably the greatest purely instrumental Christmas song of all time. We all know it as the theme to the animated A Charlie Brown Christmas, which receives regular airings when the holiday season rolls around. And because we have all seen the show we can’t help but smile and picture Linus playing his toy piano and all the characters dancing – in one form or another – on that animated stage.

Relief

“Thank God It’s Christmas” by Queen

This song was never appeared on an album until 1999’s “Greatest Hits III” even though it was recorded in 1984 and spent six weeks on the UK charts over that holiday season. This is one to play when you’ve had an especially tough year – it reminds you that the year is behind you, it’s Christmas, thank God, and, best of all, the incomparable Freddie Mercury sings it.

Nostalgia/Sadness

“2000 Miles” by The Pretenders

Another song recorded in 1984 from one of my all time favorite bands. This one is to listen to when you are gathered with friends and/or family during the holiday season and begin to think about the ones who are not there to share in the camaraderie. Yes, this is a sad song in subject, but with Chrissie Hynde’s wonderful voice you are left with just poignancy…with maybe just a single tear in the corner of one eye.

Curmudgeonly

“Father Christmas” by the Kinks

If you wake up Christmas morning, go to your stocking, and find a red- and green-striped Christmas tie featuring a reindeer with an oversized head that – presumably – is meant to go with last year’s green- and red-striped Christmas socks featuring the same reindeer with the oversized head…this is the song you need. Telling the story of a poor sot working as Santa outside a department store who is mugged by children who want money not toys, this cynical little song has a jaunty tune that is perfectly incongruous with its lyrics.

Gaiety/Silly

“Must Be Santa” by Bob Dylan

Sometimes you just feel silly and giddy – usually when children are involved. In 2009, Bob Dylan put out a Christmas album that was, in all honesty, mediocre at best. But this song is almost worth the cost of the album. Fueled by an accordion, with a building recitation as a chorus, this is one Christmas song you can actually dance a polka to if you feel so inclined.