Any music fan who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s knows that whenever there was nothing on television, we could always switch over to MTV (and later MTV2, VH1, or even Fuse TV) to catch some music-related videos or content. While most of those opportunities are gone now, I’ve found that AXS TV can be a suitable replacement and will check the channel from time to time and at least DVR a few of the upcoming shows. The AXS original series like Classic Albums, Rock Legends, The Big Interview, and AXS TV Concerts can be pretty good, and I also sometimes watch the Top Ten Revealed. (If you don’t know about AXS TV, I recommend checking your cable to see if you get it.)
I recently recorded the Top Ten Revealed episode “Rockin’ Christmas Songs,” and I wanted to see if I agreed with the show’s choices. Below I’ll list the Top Ten, along with my rating (out of 10) for each song.
10. Bing Crosby and David Bowie – Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth
At Snow in Southtown (and even on my horror podcast), we tend to rip on Little Drummer Boy a bit, mostly stemming from the Little Drummer Boy Challenge that my friends and I discuss each year. But I honestly don’t mind the song, I still have the Ezra Jack Keats book I grew up with, and I think this version is pretty special.
What AXS taught us: The pair had an hour to rehearse and three takes to record.
9/10
9. The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
The Ramones are in my Top 10-20 bands, and they’re an influence on so much that I do. This song is definitely in my top tier of Christmas rock songs.
What AXS taught us: Dee Snider LOVES Christmas music.
10/10
8. The Kinks – Father Christmas
As a power pop nerd and musician, I was super late to the Kinks party. And when I did jump into the band’s discography about 10-11 years ago, they weren’t on the streaming sites, so it took more work. That being said, this song is more of a recent favorite, but it’s quickly shot up to be near the top of my Christmas rock songs.
10/10
7. Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime
This is the first song on this show that has been reviewed on our podcast, way back on our first episode, All Year Long. I’m sure I made it clear there that I’m a huge fan of the Beatles, McCartney, his music, and this song.
What AXS taught us: McCartney makes $400,000 each year from this song.
10/10
6. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Jingle Bell Rock
We discussed this song on episode four, The Jingle Horse, and I’m guessing we touched on the Hall & Oates recording. I’m OK with the song, but I’m not a huge fan of this recording.
What AXS taught us: Sebastian Bach somehow thinks this recording is a highlight of the Christmas season. And he owns a Slayer Christmas sweater.
4/10
5. Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
I’m not quite the Elvis Christmas fan that Rusty is, but I definitely like it and appreciate it.
What AXS taught us: Elvis’s Christmas record is still the all-time best-selling Christmas record.
8/10
4. Wham! – Last Christmas
This is one that I’ve grown to appreciate and enjoy more and more over the years. I’m not really a fan of any of the covers, but this track is a big part of my Christmas soundtrack.
What AXS taught us: George Michael “wanted to be like Prince” and recorded every instrument on this track.
9/10
3. The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
This is my favorite band, and I was glad to see them listed in the show’s top three. This track is obviously in heavy rotation at my house each year.
What AXS taught us: Sebastian Bach thinks they’re singing about Santa surfing. (They also discuss how Mike Love sued Brian Wilson to receive writing credit on this and a bunch of other songs, which is probably useful info for casual fans.)
10/10
*Weird show note: After splitting up the first seven songs over two segments, the show returned from commercial break and discussed only “Little Saint Nick” in this segment before returning to commercial and coming back with the final two tracks.
2. John Lennon and Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
The Beatles are also in my top three bands, and like the Beach Boys track, I believe this song would be a classic even without the Christmas theme.
What AXS taught us: The song sounds VERY similar to “Stewball,” a song recorded by the Hollies and many others. Even as a huge Beatles fan, I don’t always pay attention enough to hear about controversies like this, so I did learn about this from the show. Still, as a songwriter, I also understand that this just happens sometimes. And even if you consider it an “interpretation,” Lennon elevates it to be something that it wasn’t.
10/10
1. Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
So the show ends by taking my favorite Christmas song and giving the top spot to one of my least favorite versions of it. And speaking of ripoffs, they even note that this is just a cover of the Crystals’ version from the great Spector record. Why not just use that version? I’m OK with the Boss overall (even when he says the pitcher threw a “speedball”), but I just don’t like this recording or the fact that it is played SO often.
What AXS taught us: The song was recorded in 1975 and was actually first released on a Sesame Street compilation in 1982, before finally becoming a single in 1985 (ruining our Christmas seasons with hourly attacks ever since).
4/10
Final Thoughts
Overall, I was surprised to find I was mostly in agreement with the show’s Top Ten. I didn’t find myself yelling at the screen nearly as much as I thought I would, at least not until the end. Off the top of my head, the list’s biggest omission by far is Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Which Christmas song do you think should have been included on this list?
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 