I love Christmas and if I was marooned on an Island one Christmas these five songs would remind me of Christmas back home. The five I have picked in no particular order are what I would regard as my favourites.
This song means Christmas to me and I have already played it a few times this December, ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham. Yes, this old two tone/ska boy likes a bit of the Wham boys at Christmas. I love the video so Christmassy about a friends gathering with a touch of jealousy and helps to put one in the mood for Christmas well it does me. It’s been covered by a myriad of other artist since 1984 with the original nearly always making a return to the low end of the charts. Sad George Michaels is no longer with us having passed away last Christmas.
It never reached number 1 in the charts that fell to Band Aid and ‘Do They Know It's Christmas?’ charity single.
Can it be Christmas without Slade's ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ blasting out in every shop? Slade released ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ in 1973 and I am still mad for this Christmas tune. That the height of their popularity it was a deliberate ploy to have the Christmas number one spot.
The band said:“We'd decided to write a Christmas song and I wanted to make it reflect a British family Christmas. Economically, the country was up the creek. The miners had been on strike, along with the grave-diggers, the bakers and almost everybody else. I think people wanted something to cheer them up – and so did I.”
It was battle of the Glam bands with Wizard also releasing a Christmas song in 1973, but only managed fourth in the charts. I actually prefer Wizards track to Slade.
In the long run I hated Glam Rock but for Christmas I could live with it for a few weeks.
They had a Christmassy video, bobby hats (remember them) and fancy dress and a liberal use of children help get you in the Christmas feeling. Add lots fake snow and a catchy tune and you have the making for the winning Christmas formula. But not a number one down mainly to the popularity of Slade.
Mariah Carey belting out ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ and back in 1984, all I wanted that Christmas was Glenys McCowen as my girlfriend and a month or so she was and in October my wife.
When I hear it I always find it up lifting and besides me now I have a little plaque with the saying "All I want for Christmas is You". There were two video's to the song a modern one with Carey playing around in the snow but my favourite by far is the 60’s themed black and white version.
The previous four songs had a strong Christmas theme in their lyrics where has my final choice ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood does not. Released in November 1984 it made the number one spot for a week in December the video had a strong a biblical aspect depicting the birth of Christ.
Holly Johnson, who co-wrote the song, later reminisced: "I always felt like The Power of Love was the record that would save me in this life. There is a biblical aspect to its spirituality and passion; the fact that love is the only thing that matters in the end."
If it was possible for me to put together a top 10 of my all-time favourite tunes somehow I would have to find room for this version of ‘The Power of Love’.
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