SW picks the best alternative Christmas songs
By: Tatat Bunnag
No matter that we’re a predominately Buddhist country, Thais love to party and always embrace the fun of Christmas celebrations every year. For us, Christmas is a time for shopping, eating, having fun with your friends and family and singing along with Christmas tunes that seem to be heard everywhere.
Apart from those classics that we all know, there are many catchy Christmas songs that have been recorded by performers such as rock ‘n’ roll stars Elvis Presley and John Lennon, punk rockers The Ramones or indie rock group The Killers.
To get into the swing of Christmas, Student Weekly has compiled a diverse list of tunes for you to sing along with during this festive season.
“Blue Christmas”
Elvis Presley
"Blue Christmas" first became popular as a country song by Ernest Tubbs, recorded in 1948. In 1957, rock legend Elvis Presley, accompanied by the vocal group The Jordanaires, turned it into a festive rock ‘n’ roll classic. Elvis’s performance of "Blue Christmas" was part of his famous TV show, ’68 Comeback Special.
“Happy Christmas (War is Over)”
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
This beautiful song was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their New York City hotel room in 1971. The couple spent a lot of time in the early 1970s promoting peace, and this memorable hit comes with a timeless anti-war message.
“Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”
The Ramones
Taken from their 1989 album Brain Drain, the Ramones take on the Christmas spirit into this three-chord punk rock with catchy doo-wop hooks. Its lyrics of “I love you and you love me. And that's the way it's got to be. Because Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts,” remind us that Christmas is a time to be nice to each other.
"Don't Shoot Me, Santa"
The Killers
Popular indie rockers The Killers released this amusing song during the 2007 Christmas holidays, and it has become one of the band’s most popular songs. Frontman Brandon Flowers sings the song with passion, and the arrangement goes through all kinds of dramatic musical and time changes.
In keeping with the Christmas spirit, all proceeds from the song were donated to AIDS charities.
"Baby, It's Cold Outside"
She & Him
She & Him consists of talented American singer-songwriter M. Ward and Hollywood actress Zooey Deschanel. "Baby, It's Cold Outside," taken from their 2011 album A Very She & Him Christmas, is a perfect way to update classic songs into a modern style. This version is a sweet duet by M. Ward and Zooey which can’t help but make you sing along.
“Run Run Rudolph”
Cassie Ramone
After her indie rock bands Vivian Girls and The Babies broke up, Cassie Ramone released her debut solo album The Time Has Come in 2014. Her new album, Christmas in Reno, is packed with her versions of festive standards like “Blue Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” “Run Run Rudolph,” is a cool holiday pick that Chuck Berry first recorded in 1958, and Cassie does it in her own way as a fun, lo-fi rock tune.
Vocabulary
- diverse (adj): showing a great deal of variety
timeless (adj): not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion
frontman (n): the leader of a group of musicians
proceeds (n): money obtained from an event or activity
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