12 songs of Christmas: The essential holiday tracks you need this year

John Lennon and Yoko Ono – ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’

Despite the fact that it would be years before the war in Vietnam officially ended, John Lennon was preaching peace like it were mere moments away.

Abandoning the original Christmas song traditions, such as sleigh bells and joy, Lennon asked people to think about those who might be worse off and consider the idea that peace in the world could be a possibility, so long as that’s what the people willed.

“War is over, if you want it” are the words we hear over and over again, profound in their beauty and relentless in their repetition. Lennon’s message is hammered home, and in the process, he manages to make a Christmas song which isn’t conventional but is still haunting, a must-have for any Christmas playlist you might be putting together this holiday season.

Paul McCartney – ‘Wonderful Christmastime’

If you ever needed to understand the difference between John Lennon and Paul McCartney, look no further than these two Christmas songs, where Lennon opts to use the pretence of a holiday banger to preach his idea of peace, there McCartney leans into his pop roots, making something catchy, fun, and not at all that serious.

The song was made while McCartney was putting together his album McCartney II, during which the former Beatle was experimenting with more electro-pop recording techniques, and in turn, managed to put together a Christmas classic for the ages. The hard-hitting synth sound that plays throughout the song is the result of his newfound adoration of synthesisers, and it’s now an individual sound that seems to mark the beginning of the festive season.

Run DMC – ‘Christmas In Hollis’

Christmas rap songs are always pretty hard to get right, but the benefit of rap music is that it gives you an opportunity to say a lot within a little amount of time, which is why it’s the perfect vessel for more serious subjects such as politics and society as a whole.

When you have what can be a relatively serious form of music and then assign it to something as fun as Christmas, it can be hard to make the two extremes work, but this wasn’t a problem for Run DMC.

The band released the song in 1987, and in doing so, succeeded where many have failed: making a good Christmas rap song. The lyrics are funny but in keeping with Run DMC’s tone, and the breakdown of various Christmas jingles in the middle, put together so effortlessly by Jam Master Jay, make for the best hip-hop adjacent Christmas offering to ever come out of Hollis, Queens.

Bruce Springsteen – ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’

It seems to be an unwritten rule that the minute you have a good Christmas song, you also consent to having a number of awful covers of that song played throughout the years. Look no further than Maroon 5’s abysmal attempt at John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ for example, as people seem more than willing to ruin any Christmas classic that pokes its head out of the snow.

For the most part, Christmas covers are a no-go zone, but trust Bruce Springsteen to be the exception to this rule. His cover of ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’ may well be better than the original, as he and the E Street Band continue to show everyone within earshot why they’re one of the greatest rock outfits on the planet.

If this song doesn’t get you banging your head and excited for festivities, simply put, nothing will.

The Pogues – ‘Fairytale of New York’

There has been a bit of a disagreement surrounding this song in recent years about what words can and can’t be said, but setting that aside for the time being, one thing we can all agree on is that ‘Fairytale of New York’ is one of the best Christmas songs out there, and you can sign me up for this combination of a compelling narrative and one of the catchiest pieces of music any day.

The way that this song develops a back-and-forth between two twisted narratives is truly a thing of beauty, capturing the magic of falling in love and the bitterness of falling out of it, as well as the time that passes with each fleeting Christmas, standing as a unique holiday song packed with majorly contrasting ideals, and yet, working together wonderfully.

Mud – ‘Lonely This Christmas’

It’s important that Christmas songs appeal to a range of people, and that means that not every offering can be one riddled with major chords, happiness, and sleigh bells, wherein there are times when you need to ditch the smiles and soak up something more sombre, something which reminds you that not all Christmases can be merry.

That’s exactly what you get with Mud and their song ‘Lonely This Christmas’, which, sure, is a depressing track on its surface, but that doesn’t take away from its beauty. The band’s musicianship and harmonies show loneliness in a way that could also be considered quite sweet, so amongst all the happiness that comes with Christmas, it’s nice to be humbled by something quite depressing, especially if it sounds as good as this.

Judy Garland – ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’

While writing early versions of ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, Judy Garland felt concerned that the lyrics were too depressing. Written for the MGM movie Meet Me In St Louis, the original was ultimately adjusted to hold more hope, with lyrics like, “It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past” being swapped out for “Let your heart be light / Next year all our troubles will be out of sight”.

Although still fairly melancholy, the version that we all came to know and love feels special because it’s bittersweet, providing comfort to all those who have ever struggled during the festive season and sought belonging in their friends and family.

As the song states, the future, and even the present, to an extent, is always uncertain, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost; if anything, it means we should be more grateful for what we have.

Wham! – ‘Last Christmas’

One of the best Christmas songs of all time, Wham! truly pulled out all the stops for ‘Last Christmas’, the sleeper hit that somehow holds more meaning than any other festive tune you could think of.

Packed with all the themes you associate with the Christmas period, ‘Last Christmas’ is an absolute force that bridges the gap between the nostalgia of the present and the hope and heartache that we feel when looking forward to the future.

One of the best features is the lyrics themselves, often delivering just the right amount of poetic without seeming superficial or pretentious, as George Michael sings about a lover who did him wrong and how he’s learned his lesson more than once to protect his heart so that he’s not picking up the pieces around Christmas time.

While he’s yet to experience such joy, he hasn’t lost hope yet, and that’s all we can hope for when our hearts are still in the trenches.

Bing Crosby & David Bowie – ‘Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy’

Duets can be a recipe for disaster in music, especially if they veer too much towards corny, and at Christmas time, when there’s a fine line between charming corny and insufferable corny, it’s even harder to get it right. However, a match between Bing Crosby and David Bowie might just have been the secret ingredient that was immune to that all too familiar seasonal trite.

‘Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy’ is a delight year on year, one that feels universal and versatile despite incorporating the more religious themes.

Such a collaboration might seem a little strange in hindsight, but it still resonates, especially with how much it became a staple of togetherness and unity during a time when that’s all that matters.

The Waitresses – ‘Christmas Wrapping’

Most Christmas songs have an interesting backstory, but The Waitresses’ ‘Christmas Wrapping’ seems especially poignant when you consider that they initially wanted nothing more than to reject such an idea, caught in the flames of a challenging tour when they were commissioned by their label to write a festive tune for a compilation record.

As a result, the lyrics reflected this frustration, following the story of a woman who refuses to become an active participant in the busy Christmas season. She remains resigned throughout, as is mirrored in the detached nature of the vocals and melody, and only changes her tune towards the end when she meets a man and realises she “couldn’t miss this one this year”.

It’s a refreshing take that feels authentic and honest, capturing the serendipity of enjoying yourself because of those who mean the most to you.

Nat King Cole – ‘The Christmas Song’

A festive tune that holds more cultural significance than perhaps any other in the history of music, Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song’ isn’t just a nostalgic classic; it captures all of the unspoken grace and wholesomeness about the Christmas season and everything that it should yet could never be, making it a dream, in song format.

One of the simpler seasonal tracks, ‘The Christmas Song’ feels especially emotional, whether it’s your third, fourth, or 50th listen, such that every year, the first notes immediately take you somewhere familial and intimate, like gathering around in front of the fire, reminiscing about childhood memories or how great things were before you grew to learn the meaning of worry or loss.

Queen – ‘Thank God It’s Christmas’

1984 was a pretty good year for beloved Christmas classics, with the release of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’, Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’, Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’, and Queen’s cosy, warm festive hug, ‘Thank God It’s Christmas’.

Written by Brian May and Roger Taylor, the song captures all the quintessential festive charm you want at Christmas, without all the over-the-top embellishments that make you want to cower with your hands over your ears.

The shining star is Freddie Mercury’s velvety-smooth voice, which does most of the job before the rest of the arrangements even kick in, pulling you into the spirit and nurturing you there without making it feel like some kind of artificial ritual that you have to force yourself to enjoy; you just do, as simple as that.