Holiday Special: Depressing Xmas playlist!

I have been trying to plan out what I want to do for the holiday season, and there's one thing I decided I definitely wanted to get done. For quite a while now, I have had my own Youtube channel, so far consisting entirely of playlists. Over several years, I'v put together quite a few, and I've tried to keep them... interesting. There's one in particular I'm ready to curate. I had previously tried my hand at listing "weird" Christmas songs, which by now is practically "mainstream". I then decided it was time to make another go at it, and my working title was my "depressing" Christmas playlist. My ground rules were that these wouldn't just be songs that are "dark" in a funny way, but the ones that absolutely mean it. So here at last is what I have to say about it.

1. "Christmas Day" (Squeeze, 1996): This was one that I first considered for an earlier playlist, chosen in part because it sounds cheerful. In brief, it's a satirical song that puts Mary and Joseph in the amenities of a cheap, very modern motel room. I'm genuinely unsure what they were going for, but to me, it's always had a slightly-askew feel that really ramps up as you go. It might take a few hearings to start to "see" it, or maybe you won't; if not, feel free to move on.

2. Father Christmas (The Kinks, 1977): This is one that could have been my anthem during chronic unemployment. A guy talks about dressing up as Santa/ Father Christmas, only to be mugged b a group of young miscreants. The setup "story" doesn't exactly work, but the chorus perfectly captures the desperation of being poor and out of work.

3. River (Sarah McLachlan, 2006): This is the one that's the "obvious" pick, a breakup song originally composed and performed by Joni Mitchell. What takes it above a standard lost-love song is the middle verse. It's an honest picture of what it's like to hurt the people who care about and for you that will really resonate for anyone with mental illness in their background.

4. Christmas At Denny's (Randy Stonehill, 1989): Now we're already up to the darkest one by far. There's simply nothing that can prepare you for this song. It starts out as "funny-dark", but when you get to the narrator's backstory, it's not just lost-love sad but outright tragedy. It's absolutely brutal, with no sign of hope outside of the refrain, "silent night, holy night/ when things were all right."

5. Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis (Neko Case, 2000): After getting the last one out of the way early, I went to one that really is "funny-dark". It's a good cover of a Tom Waits original (see, of all things, my review of The Earth Dies Screaming), by a very gifted singer. There's really nothing to add, so moving along...

6. Merry Christmas, I Don't Want To Fight Tonight (The Ramones, 1989): This was one I had to replace because a previous video was deleted, which might well happen again. It's a song that can be funny, especially accompanied by the music video, but far from tongue-in-cheek. If it doesn't make you think of your own relationship, it will probably remind you of someone else's.

7. Christmas Eve Can Kill You (The Everly Brothers, 1972): This is the song this list was created around. It was one of the last recordings by a legendary rock duo just before a 10-year retirement, and will defy any expectation you might have from their career and work. The title sounds like a theme song for a horror movie, but it's actually the meditations of a hitchhiker on Christmas eve, which quickly becomes a poignant exercise in ethics and ideals.  The chorus is all too timeless: "God forgive the man who drives on by the other man..."

8. Christmas Will Break Your Heart (LCD Soundsystem, 2015): I chose this as a "middle of the road" song before the very end. It's a reflection on being lonely, whether or not you're alone, all done in a mockingly faithful 1980s-early '90s style.

9. Joel the Lump of Coal (The Killers, 2014): I went soft picking the last song. It seems to be one of several songs from this group that make Santa the bad guy, but the only one I've explored far enough to find any further depth. It follows the main character through a genuine emotional roller coaster (with amuch anthropomorphism as needed) before a happy ending.

That's all for now, more to come!