Five Forgotten Christmas Songs from the 80s and 90s
Every holiday season, we all hear what Mariah Carey wants for Christmas. We’re reminded that George Michael gave someone his heart last year on the radio over and over and over… and over again. Yet, many Christmas songs are forgotten and lost to new generations. Well, I’m here to bring some of them back! Here are just five, among many, forlorn Christmas songs from the 80s and 90s that need a reintroduction.
Another Lonely Christmas - Prince (1984)
Yes, Prince made a Christmas song. Because its Prince, you’d think to hear the melancholic carol played on the airwaves a lot more than it is. Alas, this song is, in large measure, forgotten. Perhaps its because the tune is about a lover who died on Christmas day. That’s likely too darn sad for most Yuletide fans who prefer upbeat ditties with sounds of sleigh bells and visions of sugar plums… all the sappy, happy, gleeful stuff.
“Another Lonely Christmas” was released on the b-side of Prince’s 1984 album “I Would Die 4 U”. Prince only performed the woeful song in concert once the day after Christmas, 1984 at the Civic Center in St. Paul near his hometown. Prince insisted the work was fiction, but some who worked with him felt it came from a lonely part of his soul few were exposed to.
If you are going solo this holiday, and all the cheerful Christmas tripe gets on your nerves to no end, be sure to spend some time with Prince and a bottle of mulled wine. Embrace your sorrow. Listen to his soulful, crestfallen hymn and take satisfaction that “Another Lonely Christmas” was the only Christmas song Prince ever produced.
Audio: Prince performs “Another Lonely Christmas” live for the first and only time on December 26, 1984.
Christmas at Ground Zero - Weird Al Yankovic (1986)
Do you want to inject some warped humor into your holidays, but tired of hearing about grandma’s run-in with a reindeer? I’ve got the song for you. Give “Christmas at Ground Zero” by Weird Al Yankovic a try. The song was released on his 1986 album, “Polka Party!”. It parodies the upbeat, maudlin Christmas songs produced by Phil Spector. Scotti Brothers Records asked for a Christmas album and Weird Al gave them this tune about celebrating Christmas as a nuclear bomb hits. Remember, this was the 1980s and the Cold War was still in full force.
Scotti Brothers was a bit put off and would not release the song as a single. Thus, Weird Al self-funded a music video which juxtaposed old stock footage from the 1950s of both archetypal Christmas activities and nuclear holocaust preparedness videos. Al was mixed in singing the song with carolers in gas masks. The low-budget video proved popular on MTV during the holidays. His record label finally capitulated to Yankovic’s perseverance and released the darkly comedic ditty as a single.
Persistence pays off.
Hey Santa! - Carnie and Wendy Wilson (1993)
What happens when Chynna Phillips breaks up with the Wilson sisters? Well, you can’t call your group “Wilson Phillips” anymore. You’d think the sisters would call their duo “Wilson” (a la “Nelson” like Mathew and Gunnar). Nope. They went full-on descriptive with “Carnie and Wendy Wilson”.
Anyhoo, the sisters released a Christmas album called “Hey Santa!” in late 1993 with a single of the same name. The tune features Carny and Wendy singing about a lover who wishes Santa would return her man home for Christmas. Spoiler: her man returns. The track has a corresponding music video that treats us to a Santa saxophone solo.
The album and song were not commercially successful, and although you may hear “Hey Santa!” every now and then on the radio today, I don’t think it gets nearly enough credit and attention as a bona fide, original Christmas song. Its a fun, catchy holiday ditty that deserves more recognition.
I was also enlightened to learn that that Carnie and Wendy's father is Brian Wilson, a founding member of The Beach Boys. Their uncle is Carl Wilson, another Beach Boys co-founder. Carl provided backing vocals for this track!
Carnie and Wendy wishing their man could hitch a ride on Santa’s sleigh and come home for Christmas.
Oi to the World - The Vandals (1996)
If you’re looking for a more punk rock theme to your holiday playlist, “Oi to the World!” by The Vandals might be right up your alley. The song was a single on their Christmas album of the same name in 1996 with a limited release on the band’s own label, Kung Fu Records. The tune is about Haji and his band, presumably of South Asian decent, who are attacked by Trevor and his skinheads. The band then challenges the gang to a fight on Christmas that involves nunchucks and swords. Haji injures Trevor but shows some Christmas compassion and saves him by using his turban as a tourniquet. The two then escape the cops and drink bourbon together at a pub.
You know… typical Christmas spirit and unity type stuff.
This song remained somewhat obscure for a time. But The Vandals were pals with the popular band No Doubt, who covered the track with their signature “ska punk” style in 1997. They also produced a corresponding music video. The song’s association with No Doubt gave more visibility to The Vandals and their original version. So much so that The Vandals re-released the song in 2000. How’s that for a heartwarming Christmas story?
Everybody Knows the Claus - Hanson (1997)
Face it: Everybody likes Hanson’s “MMMbop” whether they admit it or not. If you want an MMMBoppy Christmas tune, then Hanson’s carol, “Everybody Knows the Claus” is for you… whether you want to admit it or not. The song is an anthem for how truly badass Santa Claus really is, referring to Ole’ Saint Nick as “The Big Man” and “The Boss”. This song was released on Hanson’s 1997 Christmas album “Snowed In”. Yes, Hanson did make a Christmas album, and its vastly overlooked.
After their fall from fame, the Hanson brothers opened a beer brewery in Oklahoma. Before you start typing your cleverness in the comments about “Mmmhops” beer… stop. They already did that. Its a pale ale that won the Gold Medal in the 2013 World Beer Championship. Incidentally, they also have a holiday brew called “Festive Ale” which is a spiced farmhouse ale.
Hanson wants you to know that Santa Claus is “The Boss”!
What do you think about this list of overlooked, underrated holiday jingles from the 80s and 90s? Are there any you know of that should make this list? Let me know in the comments. With that, I leave you with this quote:
“The main reason Santa is so jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live.”
We’re joined by Shaleena of the “Everything 90s Podcast” to discuss the amazing and sometimes tragic life of Mariah Carey.