AC/DC’s Christmas song about one of Donald Trump’s affairs
We could have a huge debate about whether Christmas music is actually any good. The likes of Wham, Elton John, and Mariah Carey have all contributed classics, but do we actually like them?
There’s a theory that Christmas songs are no good, but they’re actually just addictive because of the good times that they remind us of. There is something built into the music that is released at this time of the year that triggers an emotional response embedded in happiness. That’s why you very rarely hear a serious or emotional Christmas song, because at that time of year, people are mainly just looking for something joyful.
Chord sequences, lyrics and sleigh bells all contribute towards these joyous feelings, to the point that a set formula can be followed when it comes to writing a good Christmas song. Professor Joe Bennett studied Christmas music to try and see if he could put this formula together and found that there are specific words and phrases, as well as chord sequences, that go into writing these songs.
Of course, while there might be a set formula for writing a Christmas song, not every band follows it. AC/DC, who are renowned for their specific heavy rock sound, heard the standard Christmas song and politely rejected it. They have a specific sound, and they decided to stick to it, even if they were tasked with writing a Christmas song. As such, did they decide to write about Santa, snow and sleigh bells when putting their song together? No, instead, they opted for the song ‘Mistress For Christmas’.
The song has that traditional AC/DC distorted guitar and R&B sound, while the lyrics focus on an affair that takes place during Christmas time. We focus so predominantly on Donald Trump as a president in the modern age that we forget just how much of a public figure he was before he dabbled in politics. Controversy has always followed the man like a shadow, and that was the case even back in 1990 when AC/DC were putting together a song for the holiday period.
Donald Trump was in the news a great deal because of an affair that he had allegedly had with Marla Maples. When AC/DC were looking for inspiration to use to write their Christmas song, they decided this alleged affair would be a great place to start. As such, they sat down and started putting the tale to music. The result was one of the most unconventional Christmas songs of all time. Some of the different sexual exploits that Brian Johnson wrote about in the song include a festive threesome, carefree sex and extramarital fun.
“That song’s about Donald Trump,” said Angus Young when discussing the track and the inspiration behind it, “He was big news at the time, so we thought we’d have a bit of fun and humour with it.”
There is no escaping the fact that this isn’t AC/DC’s best song, but it’s funny to hear what went into the band writing a Christmas song. What else would it be other than rock ‘n’ roll, killer guitar riffs and sex?
