Any list of songs, best or worst and in between, contains the potential of inspiring polar emotional responses, but perhaps on no topic is this more true than Christmas music. After all, personal feelings and memories play such a key role in how we evaluate holiday tunes that often our selections have far more to do with nostalgia than musical quality. Having registered that disclaimer, here's my take on the most memorable (and not necessarily the best) pop/rock holiday songs of the '80s, offered merely as a starting point for debate.
1. Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Perhaps no rock and roll Christmas tune was heard more often during the '80s or was more emblematic of the decade than this charity song recorded to support Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof's Band Aid project. Geldof gathered many of the UK's most popular early-'80s new wave artists for the record, released during the holiday season in 1984 to raise money to aid famine-stricken Ethiopia. Though sometimes dismissed as over-the-top and treacly, the song sports a soaring melody, provided by Midge Ure of Ultravox, and an unbelievably talented vocal ensemble to communicate Geldof's lyrics.
2. Alabama - "Christmas in Dixie"
As a native Southerner, perhaps I was exposed to this song more heavily than listeners in other regions, but it definitely holds a strong, nostalgic place in my holiday memory. Released in 1983 at the height of the country-pop superstars' career, the song functions as a gentle, picturesque take on the holiday season across the nation. While it will probably never gain the status of all-time holiday classic, at least the tune stands on its own as an original, seasonal composition instead of merely a run-of-the-mill reinterpretation of previously successful Christmas music for a specialized audience.
3. The Waitresses - "Christmas Wrapping"
Although this tune functions most clearly as an early-'80s time-capsule piece that falls just short of novelty, it certainly qualifies as one of the most unique holiday offerings of the decade. Featuring the underrated, somewhat deadpan vocals of Patty Donahue and a bouncy, repetitive melody, the song dares to tell a specific story of romantic holiday happenstance, and even if it gets a little silly at the end with the whole cranberries twist, it provides a fresh and light-hearted take on Yuletide lyrics that at least doesn't seek to manipulate listeners with overly earnest sentiment.
4. Dan Fogelberg - "Same Old Lang Syne"
As only a slightly closeted Dan Fogelberg enthusiast (I can't seem to avoid feeling mildly ashamed when I tear up listening to "Leader of the Band"), I freely admit a soft spot for this rather lengthy, bittersweet narrative about a Yuletide encounter with a former lover. With a lyrical approach that sounds quite autobiographical, the song paints a surprisingly moving, rather unflinching portrait of the passage of time and how people often swallow romantic disappointments they may never quite forget. The song's placement of the events during the holidays, when people are most inclined to reflect upon the past, is successful and appropriate.
5. U2 - "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)"
One of the most signature '80s bands makes an old holiday chestnut its own here, as Bono's typically overwrought vocal style fits the bittersweet quality of the tune perfectly. Bono has always had the ability to transform various styles of music into inspirational affairs, and here he does so with the same abandon that characterizes the band's best work. As such, the song dances on the verge of gospel with its sweeping, epic delivery. This one makes Christmas heartache somehow much more bearable.
6. Elmo & Patsy - "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer"
I don't want to do this, but I must. Just like I don't want to remember this brutally unfunny Christmas novelty song as sharply as the chill of a windswept winter afternoon. But I do, and therefore I include it here, in all its stupefyingly silly glory. The quasi-country arrangement of the tune is mockingly twangy, so as to not scare off a large, generalized audience. I'm not sure exactly who found or still may find this to be laugh-out-loud, feel-good comedy, but I'm as certain that such people exist as I am that the piercing memory of this song for me is the polar opposite of favorable Yuletide nostalgia.
7. Eagles - "Please Come Home for Christmas"
Although this song was actually released in 1979, I rationalize its inclusion here by pointing out its status as a transitional marker between eras. As one of the last tunes released by the Eagles before that band's highly publicized breakup, it serves as a haunting and moving swan song, and for my money it has become the signature version of another longtime holiday classic. And while Don Henley's vocals bring the song into a far more middle-of-the-road place than its bluesy origins, that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Eagles' arrangement actually exposes the song's wonderful pop sensibilities better than ever.
8. Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime"
OK, so I'm doing it again, making flighty exceptions in the face of the calendar's rigidity. But I really think Paul McCartney's synth-laden holiday romp belongs far more to the '80s than the preceding decade. More than that, its constant place within my holiday memory remains stronger, for better or worse, than probably any other Yuletide song I can think of. Maybe that's just a personal thing, but I think this jaunty tune fits the season particularly well because, like much of the season's music (and even McCartney's solo efforts), it functions as a rich, syrupy confection that would be perfectly at home with any number of tasty party treats.
