The Juxe: Sad Christmas Songs
/I’m a huge Christmas fan. I love the movies and the music. I’m not really into the “Santa” aspect (although that’s fine). And I’m not really religious so I don’t connect too much to the Jesus part either (although I do go to church on Christmas eve and I appreciate the ceremony and ritual of it all). I’m more into the the Christmas season and “good will towards men” and the customs and the gifts and singing and baking and all that good stuff.
When I was ten years old, I wrote this Christmas parody song, to be sung to the tune of White Christmas:
I’m dreaming of a tan titty
Just like the ones I used to suck
With a big red nipple
That shakes and ripples
When all the milk comes pouring through
(A later version changed it to: “With a big red nipple, right in the middle, where all the milk comes pouring through.”)
Now, that just might be the happiest Christmas song ever written, but I’ve also always enjoyed a good sad Christmas song throughout my life.
Today I’ll post three of my favorites.
Sister Winter by Sufjan Stevens
When he introduced this song on stage with Rufus and Martha Wainwright in 2008, he said it was about seasonal affective disorder and it got a laugh from the crowd, but I think that is what it’s about. (Although it’s not so specific that you have to interpret it that way. )
Oh my friends I've
Begun to worry right
Where I should be grateful
I should be satisfied
[…]
But my heart is
Returned to sister winter
But my heart is
As cold as ice
So he starts off talking about the good things he has. But despite those things, his heart has “returned to sister winter.”
Then he goes on to lament about a lost love
Oh my thoughts I
Return to summer time
When I kissed your ankle
I kissed you through the night
All my gifts I gave everything to you
Your strange imagination
You threw it all away
The song build and builds before taking a turn towards Christmas at the end. I would let it take you along that journey and not skip ahead in the song, or you won’t get the experience of the building emotion.
Some comments from the youtube video:
“this is one of the most beautiful things i've ever heard in my whole life”
”The best Christmas song? Maybe... just maybe.”
”’but my heart is returned to sister winter’ makes the hair on the back of my neck prick up... really beautiful song”
”How does he do it? Just so fucking beautiful. So poignant.”
”That falsetto makes me cry. Precious (in a good, great way)”
Okay, enough build-up, here’s the song…
And here’s a really excellent cover by Joseph, three sisters out of Portland…
Christmas Tears by The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons Christmas Album was far and away the most played Christmas album in my house growing up. This was one of the originals from that album, written by Bob Crewe and Sid Bass. Bob Crewe wrote many of the Four Seasons big hits (“Walk Like A Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,”)
The song is a little hokey, but the vocal arrangement is really great. And when I was a lovesick middle-schooler, I would listen to it and think of whatever girl I was crushing on during that Christmas season.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Belle and Sebastian
I don’t know if this is technically a “sad” song, but it was written 1200 years ago before people knew that music should sound happy. It’s like when photography was first introduced and people didn’t think to smile in pictures—they just sat there looking dour. Well, this is an old Christian Hymn from before anyone learned that music didn’t have to be a solemn affair. So it feels like a sad song, even if it’s technically not.
This is my favorite version of the song. In fact it’s the only one I really like. It was recorded by Belle and Sebastian back in 2002, at the height of their powers and with their best line-up. Each verse is handled. by a different member of the band with the vocals and the instrumentation building until the final, beautiful verse.