The Death of Christmas Music

 Christmas music is one of the most popular ways to celebrate the holiday season. Many people enjoy classic Christmas songs which feature sleigh bells and a catchy chorus. However, classic Christmas music is being slaughtered by modern remixes of the cheery genre. Country Christmas, Emo Christmas, and Hip-Hop Christmas are examples of these genre changes.

Everybody has their favorite and least favorite genres. Maeve Ellis, a Central Sophomore said she doesn’t like “really really loud rock”. Music is very subjective and Christmas music is especially a hit or miss. 

Country Christmas is an example of a Christmas music remix. Let It Be Christmas by Alan Jackson is a popular song within this genre. The song is sweet and mellow with a waltz feel. The song is mainly just vocals with string instruments, piano, and drums. I enjoyed the simplicity of the song.

Another very interesting genre is Emo Christmas. Initially, you wouldn’t think that the genres blend well together. Trying to mix your traditions with the music you listen to and making it sound good seems very difficult. Popular Emo bands like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy have tried to do this. 

Fall Out Boy made a song in 2017 titled Yule Shoot Your Eye Out. The song starts with sleigh bells and then gradually adds in guitar and vocals. Considering how sad the lyrics are, I wouldn’t recommend listening to it if you’re trying to stay in the holiday cheer. 

My Chemical Romance released a cover of Vince Vance & The Valiant’s All I Want For Christmas is You, perhaps most well known for its other cover by Mariah Carey. Since it’s a cover, there’s only so much they can do. The song is very heavy despite the light and airy lyrics. It features a lot of screaming and intense electric guitar work. Christmas music normally evokes a sense of happiness and nostalgia in people, but when there is aggressive and vigorous instrumentation, it can rip that feeling away. Don’t get me wrong, I love music with amazing guitar work, but I prefer it in a Jimi Hendrix or Led Zeppelin kind of way.

Hip-Hop Christmas is arguably one of the most forgotten genres. Holiday by Lil Nas X came out in November of 2020. Very quickly, the song was trending on multiple social media platforms. It has a very consistent beat throughout the whole song. Normally, when you think of a Christmas song, you think of joyful lyrics about spending time with loved ones and the snowy weather. However, this song says nothing about the joys of Christmas. Therefore, I wouldn’t even classify it as a Christmas song. The lyrics have a lot of profanity and not a lot of valuable content. They are also very repetitive.

 Christmas in Hollis by 80’s Hip-Hop group Run-DMC was featured in the 2018 animated revamp of the movie, The Grinch. The song samples Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Back Door Santa, and Joy to the World. The lyrics tell a fun and creative Christmas story while also having a solid beat and incorporating classics into the background.

Artists should just stick to what they know. A lot of the time, artist take it too far when trying to find a good marketing plan. Inevitably, they end up with a new Christmas album that incorporates their own genre. When asked about her opinion on whether Christmas music should be mixed with other genres, Central freshman Lucy Rank said “No, absolutely not. Christmas music is Christmas music,”.

I know that Christmas cheer can push people to want to contribute to the fun, but I think it’s better to just leave Christmas music as it is. However, Mrs. Morrisette, a music teacher at Central, changed my perspective when she said “People should sing music that makes them happy in the style that they prefer and if people don’t want to listen to it, they don’t have to.” 

There’s nothing wrong with classics like Last Christmas by WHAM!, White Christmas by Bing Crosby, or my personal favorite, Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney. In reality, there’s nothing wrong with Holiday by Lil Nas X or Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy either.