Buzz
Christmas is often seen as one of the happiest times of the year, where friends and families come together to share meals, drinks, and laughter. While most Christmas songs highlight the joy and merriment of the season, there are some that take a darker turn.
A few holiday tunes explore the more somber side, from themes of despair to struggles with unemployment. So, light up your Christmas decorations because you'll likely need them to fend off the gloom these songs bring.
10. East 17 – 'Stay Another Day'
In the 1990s, East 17 were one of the UK’s most prominent boy bands, competing with Take That. Known for their edgier and more streetwise image, their biggest hit was 'Stay Another Day,' which topped the UK charts at Christmas in 1994. Although it might sound like a typical sad plea for a girl to stay, it's far from cheerful, despite its festive setting. There are many holiday songs centered around romantic love, but this one adds an extra layer of melancholy.
The true story behind 'Stay Another Day' is much darker than it seems. Written by band member Tony Mortimer, the song was not about a random girl but was inspired by the tragic suicide of his brother. Mortimer kept the lyrics vague enough for listeners to interpret them however they liked, revealing the real meaning only 25 years after the song topped the UK Christmas charts. It’s hard to say whether its success would have been affected if people knew about the song's somber origin at the time, but it certainly makes the video — with the band members trying to look tough while wearing fluffy white winter coats — seem all the more odd.
9. De La Soul – 'Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa'
The title of this 1991 track by 'daisy age' rappers De La Soul might sound like an over-the-top reaction to receiving socks for Christmas, but it's actually a dark tale of child abuse and murder. From the album 'De La Soul is Dead' (which hints at their mindset that year), the song follows Millie and her father Dillon, a man who is seen as a respectable figure due to his job as a social worker. However, Dillon's public image hides a violent and abusive nature, beating his daughter and forcing her to participate in disturbing games. The lyrics shift between Dillon’s public persona and the grim truth, eventually leading to Millie taking a gun and shooting her father while he’s dressed as Santa in a local department store. The track marked the end of the 'hippy rapper' label the band had carried since '3 Feet High and Rising,' but it rarely appears on Christmas playlists.
Behind Dillon's family man persona, he's a violent abuser who mistreats his daughter and forces her into a disturbing game known as 'the touchy-touchy game.' The lyrics skillfully alternate between what’s really happening and how Dillon is perceived by society. Eventually, Millie decides to end the cycle of abuse by taking a gun and shooting her father while he’s in his Santa costume at a local department store. The song ends with Dillon begging for mercy, which he doesn't receive. This track helped to shed the 'hippy rappers' image the band had been associated with since '3 Feet High and Rising,' but it is curiously absent from those TV holiday music countdowns.
8. Merle Haggard – 'If We Make it Through December'
Country music has long been known for its tear-jerking songs, often focusing on the struggles of working-class people trying to make ends meet. However, it’s not every day that a country song combines those themes with Christmas – which is exactly what Merle Haggard does in ‘If We Make it Through December.’ The straightforward, yet impactful lyrics tell the story of a man with a wife and child who has lost his factory job just before Christmas, leaving him unable to provide the festive joy he wishes for his family.
While this song will resonate with anyone facing financial hardship during the expensive holiday season, it also carries a glimmer of hope. The protagonist talks about his family coming together to endure the harsh month of December, with the promise of better times ahead, as expressed in the line: 'If we make it through December/ Everything’s gonna be all right, I know.' This mix of sorrow and optimism is a hallmark of country music, and this song’s message feels especially relevant in 2020 – even though there’s no mention of a pandemic!
7. Bing Crosby – 'I’ll Be Home for Christmas'
First performed by crooner Bing Crosby, this classic Christmas song has become an enduring holiday favorite. Yet, unlike many other festive tunes, it carries a hint of sadness that sets it apart. Crosby recorded the song in 1943, during the peak of World War II, and it’s sung from the perspective of a U.S. soldier stationed overseas, writing to his family to let them know he’ll be coming home for Christmas.
At first, the song seems to offer a heartwarming tale, but its final lines change the tone dramatically. After expressing his excitement to reunite with his family and experience the holiday traditions – from mistletoe to gifts under the Christmas tree – the soldier adds: 'I’ll be home for Christmas/ If only in my dreams.' The song thus becomes a poignant reflection of someone longing to be with loved ones, yet knowing that reunion is nearly impossible. The song resonated deeply during wartime, but its theme of separation and longing continues to strike a chord, as many of us find ourselves apart from family during the holidays. The powerful feelings of loneliness and yearning evoked by the song were so overwhelming that the BBC even banned it at the time, fearing it would lower morale. The wartime context also adds a darker layer, as soldiers abroad knew that Christmas could be their last.
6. LCD Soundsystem – 'Christmas Will Break Your Heart'
When it comes to sad Christmas songs, LCD Soundsystem definitely take the prize for creating the most bittersweet one. The band reunited after a five-year hiatus, solely to release this melancholic holiday track. After breaking up in 2011 and dismissing any chance of reform, they surprised everyone in 2015 with a track about holiday loneliness and despair. Frontman James Murphy revealed that the song had been in his mind for eight years, and instead of seeking therapy, he decided to release it as a single.
'Christmas Will Break Your Heart' is full of joyless lines like 'Christmas will break your heart/ like the armies of the unrelenting dark.' Murphy, when discussing the release, called it 'depressing' (no argument there). He even humorously said that the lyrics were initially 75 lines long but were trimmed down to prevent a spike in suicides. The final eight lines still pack a punch, making it a tough listen, especially in 2020. This one might be better left unheard unless you're stocked up on antidepressants.
5. Band Aid – 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?'
It's probably a bit harsh to include this one, as no one really wants a cheerful tune about famine and death, but 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' still manages to feel both awkward and unsettling. Written by Bob Geldof of Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox, the charity single was made to raise funds and awareness for the 1984 Ethiopian famine. It features a star-studded cast of the UK’s top pop talent from that time, but the tone of the lyrics is undeniably clumsy, making it an uncomfortable listen.
There is a lot about this song that’s cringe-worthy – the title, for instance, is problematic, as around 45% of Africa is Christian and already knows when Christmas is. The line about Christmas bells being 'clanging chimes of doom' is another oddity. Still, despite its awkwardness, the song carries an undeniable power. The darkest moment comes early when Bono delivers the haunting line: 'Tonight thank God it’s them/ instead of you.' This controversial phrase serves as a chilling reminder of our privilege and how we should be more thankful for what we have.
4. The Fall – 'No Christmas for John Quays'
At first glance, you might think this song is about a man named John Quays, stuck in some grim situation, perhaps in prison. But with The Fall, things are never as simple as they seem. This iconic band from Manchester, led by the unique Mark E. Smith, produced fragmented lyrics inspired by the Vorticist art movement, as well as literary figures like William Burroughs and H.P. Lovecraft. All these influences are present in 'No Christmas for John Quays.'
Taken from their 1979 debut album 'Live at the Witch Trials,' the title is a clever pun on the word 'junkies.' The lyrics depict a drug addict who, caught up in his habitual cycle, doesn't even notice that it's Christmas, as every day feels the same. Some might say this is akin to listening to The Fall's records, but we won't go that far.
3. John Denver – 'Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)'
John Denver is often remembered as the cheerful, carefree country boy, but he also recorded a Christmas song that’s as raw as anything Merle Haggard could put out. In this song, he takes on the perspective of a young boy desperately pleading with his alcoholic father to avoid drinking during the holidays, as the child simply doesn’t want to see his mother cry.
The lyrics recount a past Christmas when the boy found his father unconscious under the Christmas tree. It’s a difficult listen, but it also carries the air of a parody of a tear-jerking country ballad—similar to Billy Connolly’s ‘D.I.V.O.R.C.E.’, though with fewer laughs. Despite the somewhat melodramatic tone, Denver was serious, and the song’s stark portrayal of alcoholism and child neglect could certainly dampen the Christmas spirit if you’re brave enough to listen closely.
2. Judy Garland – 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'
The title might lead you to think this is a typical festive tune, but the somber melody gives us an early clue that there’s more going on beneath the surface. Composers Ralph Blaine and Hugh Martin, in an interview in 1989, explained that the song was inspired by Spanish madrigals, but it’s the lyrics that really reveal the sadness at the heart of this iconic song.
Written for the movie ‘Meet Me in St. Louis,’ the song appears during a scene where Judy Garland’s character comforts her younger sister about their impending move to New York. Garland found some of the original lyrics—such as 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ It may be your last/ Next year we may all be living in the past'—too dark and requested a rewrite. Given that both the song and the movie were made during World War Two, these lines take on even darker meanings. The final version of the lyrics mixed a sense of hope with a melody that hints that those hopes may not come to pass. Even that was too heavy for Frank Sinatra, who insisted on another revision before recording it in the 1950s.
1. Nat King Cole – 'The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot'
Originally performed by the British singer Vera Lynn in 1937, this sorrowful song is most famously associated with Nat King Cole. It tells the heartbreaking story of a child without a father, who writes a letter to Santa, asking for a drum and toy soldiers for Christmas. The tale has the melancholic spirit of a Charles Dickens novel, but lacks the comforting, redemptive ending Dickens often provides.
The boy in this song experiences no Christmas joy—he wakes up to an empty room, with no presents to open. While other children are celebrating, he’s left alone to play with his broken toys, questioning why Santa has forsaken him, just as his father did. Despite its somber tone, this song became a big hit for both Vera Lynn and Nat King Cole, and it has remained a holiday favorite for those who prefer to spend Christmas in tears rather than cheer.
