One of the most cherished aspects of the holiday season is the music. We hear the merry songs while we shop for gifts or decorate the Christmas tree, and sometimes we may just want to dance to festive Mariah Carey or Michael Buble tunes. Although this season contains a lot of music, not all of the songs are lovable. Some have odd lyrics, some have negative themes, and some are just annoying. Let’s learn WHS student and staff opinions on holiday music.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
Many have heard the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. It is likely the most widely recognized and successful holiday song of all time. The message Mariah Carey is sending with this song is that she doesn’t care about any holiday traditions, all she wants is to be with her loved one on Christmas. Although this song was released in 1994, it has held the top spot on the Billboard Global 200 charts for the last 15 weeks, which explains why many hear the tune more often than any other holiday song.
Math teacher Mr. Joe finds Carey’s song to be his favorite. He said, “You’ve got to appreciate her more because that’s one of the best songs ever. She’s collecting that December check right about now.”
Junior Willmy Ruiz and robotics teacher Ms. Finis disagreed, saying that the song is “annoying” and “overplayed”.
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
In 1958, when Brenda Lee was just 13 years old, she recorded the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. In this song, Lee sings about the ambience of a Christmas party.
Senior Adam Hanafy said this is his least favorite Christmas song. Hanafy felt that the lyrics are too repetitive.
“I think that there are many better options that get me in the holly jolly mood,” he said.
Drama teacher Mr. Terrell agrees, saying he gets “a little burnt out” by Lee’s song, but it’s good during the first listen.
“The Christmas Shoes” by NewSong
In 2001, the Christian music group NewSong released the song “The Christmas Shoes”. The song is about a boy who wants to buy a new pair of shoes for his terminally-ill mother, but doesn’t have enough money. It has a heartbreaking message, and ends with the lyrics “I want ‘er to look beautiful if mama meets Jesus tonight”. This song can be found on many “worst Christmas song” lists on the internet because of its dispiriting lyrics.
Art teacher Ms. Garcia strongly dislikes the song, “It’s just sad for no reason.”
English teacher Mr. Lynch agreed and said, “It’s the opposite of what Christmas is. Christmas is supposed to be happy and exciting.”
“Last Christmas” by Wham!
This song is right behind Carey’s song on the Billboard Global 200 chart. Released in 1986, “Last Christmas” is from the pop duo Wham!. George Michael sings the song and Andrew Ridgely is the instrumentalist. The song is about dealing with an unsuccessful relationship during the holiday season.
This is senior Matthew Vacirca’s favorite holiday song. Vacirca believes the duo is amazing and recommends their song “Club Tropicana” for after the holiday season.
Adam Hanafy’s favorite is “Last Christmas” as well, “You can play it any time of the year. I listen to it in the summer sometimes because it’s just that good.”
