A flipflop of this thread.
Judging from the title, the Bee Gees “First of May” is not a song about Christmas, but it begins with “When I was small and Christmas trees were tall”
Others?
“He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas day” – “Levon” by Elton John
“She was born in Monterey/All the Christmas songs were sung” – “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me” by Butch Hancock
“All aboard the family coach
It’s leaving Greenband Road
Christmas 1981, Christmas when it snowed”
‘Family Coach’, written by Stephen Duffy (I’m certain he recorded it but can’t find any info) and covered by Robbie Williams in 2005. Amazing, amazing song.
“I’m older than my years
Drowning in my tears
Surrounded by the fear
Since you went away, a year ago, at Christmas”
Sugababes - ‘New Year’. This one is arguable because it was released as a single in December 2000 but really has nothing at all to do with the holiday, it’s just a relationship-breakdown ballad that happens to have the word “Christmas” in it.
“I remember back one year when daddy had no money
Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up
And stuck 'em under the tree and said some of 'em were from me
Cause daddy couldn’t buy 'em
I’ll never forget that Christmas I sat up the whole night crying”
Eminem - ‘Mockingbird’, rapped/sung as if it were a letter to his daughter.
There’s Art Alexakis whinging about the folks who" have never had the joy of a welfare Christmas" on Everclear’s “I Will Buy You a New Life”. I would have posted this sooner but I couldn’t remember which whiney ass song of theirs this line is from. Needless to say I had to wade through a lot of self pitying crap before I hit the crybab jackpot.
Dick in a Box by Lonely Island
“Every day is Christmas,
And every night is a New Year’s Eve…”
–Sade “sweetest taboo”
I don’t think anyone would describe Prince’s “Another Lonely Christmas” as “Christmassy.”
From Jim Croce’s “Photographs and Memories”:
Photographs and memories,
Christmas cards you sent to me.
All that I have are these
To remember you.
Or Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish”:
Looking back on when I was a little nappy headed boy,
And my only worrry was, for Christmas, what would be my toy?
I wondered if I should include that but then it opened up questions about other songs - ‘Fairytale Of New York’ doesn’t sound Christmassy either but it is most definitely a Christmas song, so I wasn’t sure whether to include it. I feel the same about ‘Another Lonely Christmas’.
Or Bobby Goldsboro’s cheesy #1 hit “Honey”:
She was always young at heart
Kinda dumb and kinda smart and I loved her so.
And I surprised her with a puppy
Kept me up all Christmas Eve two years ago.
“Wasted Words” by the Allman Brothers
Ain’t no saint,
sure ain’t no savior,
every other Christmas,
I’d practice good behavior
From “Beautiful White” by the Pursuit of Happiness:
I bought her that sweater for Christmas,
Now it lies on the floor.
One black sock, then another black sock,
She is hidden no more.
I’ve mentioned this one before, but…
“Last Christmas” by Wham!. It mentions Christmas in the title and in the opening line, but it is decidedly un-Christmassy. That’s why I get a bit irked when radio stations play it as part of their Yuletide programming.
“Christmas” by the Who from Tommy. It certainly takes place on Christmas, but it does describe a pretty miserable holiday.
(final line, spoken, well shouted)
This year, CHRISTMAS, will be OURS!
Nightmare Before Christmas Jack’s Obsession
Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You”. Basically runs through every holiday on the calendar (to indicate that there is no special occasion regarding which the singer is calling), naturally concluding with “no giving gifts and other Christmas joys you bring.”
It’s just as well that the song predates Martin Luther King Day.
And the fact that none of these songs are the least big Christmas-y does not stop the local soft rock station from adding them to their “all Christmas songs all the time!” line up starting the day after Thanksgiving.
The Wham! song alone is enough to make me want to ask the FCC to revoke their license.
I love Wham! and even I don’t want to hear ‘Last Christmas’ around December. Any other time of the year it’s fine, which probably says a lot about how un-Christmassy it really is.
Weezer - Christmas Celebration
not Christmassy, although, obviously, about Christmas
“Six AM, day after Christmas
I throw some clothes on in the dark…”
Ben Folds Five, “Brick”. About abortion, not Christmas.
“I don’t love anything
Not even Christmas
Especially not that
I don’t love anything”
Belle & Sebastian, “I Don’t Love Anyone”