Image Credits: GoodFon
As a matter of fact, I’m quite partial to a Christmas song; I suppose everyone is. So as I miraculously live to fight another day in Whamageddon, I thought I’d celebrate by giving you this Leftie Guide to Christmas Music, in which we will look at the poignant political messages behind four well-known festive tunes which all too readily enter public consciousness at this time of year. Why do we have to make Christmas political? Consider it my Christmas gift to you. Or don’t – I’m going to write about it anyway!
Band Aid is the one to start with, if we’re going in chronological order. It’s also in the title of the article, proving I do at least try to write these articles to a logical and coherent structure. Do they Know It’s Christmas? (1984) is a charity song written by Bob Geldof for the 1983-85 famine in Ethiopia.
The all-star cast of household names, which featured in the music video (Paul Young, Boy George, George Michael, etc) helped raise £8 million in famine relief, selling one million copies in its first week. Aided by its upbeat melody, this single provides is one of the more overtly political Christmas songs in the English-speaking world: The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life/ Where nothing ever grows/No rain or rivers flow/Do they know it’s Christmas time at all?/[…] Feed the world/Let them know it’s Christmas time again.
In 1984, £8 million was an even more significant amount of money than it is today. Furthermore, the enormous popularity of the subsequent 1985 Live Aid Concert (featuring Freddie Mercury) is an indication not only of the success of the song itself, but the importance of the issue it tackles. Nowadays, it serves as a vital reminder of our blessings at this time of year; it urges us to remember and support those who are less fortunate than us (a societal handicap which is present all-year round).
In Fairytale of New York, by the Pogues (1987), the music video alone is enough to reveal the not-so-subtle struggles of the working-class at Christmas – proven by the images of cops throwing drunks, addicts and petty criminals in jail at an NYPD precinct. Yet the lyrics themselves give us the clearest indication of the dark side of this holiday: You’re a bum, you’re a punk/You’re an old slut on junk/Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed/You scumbag, you maggot/You’re cheap and you’re haggard/Happy Christmas your arse/I pray God it’s our last.
These famous lines hit the vein of true Marxism in their depiction of the ‘scum of the earth’, and the reality of what Christmas means to them. The pertinence of this song is to highlight the precarious nature of the dispossessed working class, and our ideological trend of blaming the ‘other’ in society.
I have to talk about Mariah. I don’t think anyone would read the article if I didn’t! All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994) is the ultimate anti-consumerist anthem (though it doesn’t appear so from the music video – featuring Mariah prancing about in the snow and dancing around the Christmas tree in a Santa outfit)! But the lyrics tell a different story: ‘I don’t want a lot for Christmas/There is just one thing I need/ (And I) Don’t care about the presents/ Underneath the Christmas tree/[…] I just want you for my own/ More than you could ever know (you could ever know)/ Make my wish come true/All I want for Christmas is you.
The intentional rejection of festive traditions in these lines acts as a subtle, yet significant critique of an industry which will bring in $5.62 billion in 2025 (US), as well as the widespread mindset of materialist consumption which enables it – when in fact, all we need is love. In fact, it’s a fairly complex message; you just need to look past the shoulder-length sexy Santa costume to see it!
A rather more nuanced message is promulgated by the more recent festive hit Merry Christmas by Ed Sheeran and Elton John (2021). The music video for this song reinforces the traditional and comfortable ideal of Christmas (Pour out the wine, let’s toast and pray for December snow). In this case, the political message of internal struggle can be found hidden more subtly in the lyrics: I know there’s been pain this year, but it’s time to let it go/Next year, you never know/But for now, Merry Christmas/[…] While we’re here, can we all spare a thought/For the ones who have gone?/Merry Christmas, everyone. The brilliance of this, is that the upliftingly catchy tune which has become typical of all Ed Sheeran songs, is harnessed to tackle instances of loss, pain and uncertainty, and convert them into empowering feelings of hope, promise and goodwill.
So what have you taken from this brief guide to Christmas ditties? Perhaps it’s a mental note to never invite a leftie over for Christmas dinner – and if so, fair enough. Writing this article hasn’t compelled me to drop my mince pie and rush off to Feed the World, nor should it have such an effect on you. In fact, writing this article has merely succeeded in getting yet another Ed Sheeran song stuck in my head for weeks to come! Ultimately, these are all lofty ideals which require the action of people who are far more important than me to make them a reality.
As a leftie, I am no stranger to seemingly unachievable lofty ideals. But just by acknowledging difficulty and struggle at Christmas, we become part of a small, yet significant force for positive change.
If I don’t see you before then, I encourage you to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas time!
