Top 4 alternative Christmas songs
If you've been out of your house or switched on the radio or TV in the past month, chances are you'll have heard the usual playlist of well-known Christmas songs. It's the same thing year after year!
Fairytale of New York. Let it Snow. Winter Wonderland. All I Want For Christmas Is You. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.
While we aren't denying that these are all festive classics, it can get a bit tiresome listening to them over and over again. What people don't seem to know, however, is that the list of Christmas songs around today is ridiculously long and gets longer each year. We've scoured the internet to find the hidden gems, alternative anthems, and downright weirdest Christmas songs possible so you don't have to!
Kanye West - Christmas in Harlem
We're kicking off this list with something for all of the hip-hop heads out there. Kanye West has never done things by halves, and 'Christmas in Harlem' was no exception. Released in 2010, Kanye must have worked his way through his phone book for guests, as the track features a pretty impressive list of featured artists! The song was generally well received by critics, with some even citing it as a worthy follow up to the Run DMC classic 'Christmas in Hollis'.
Bob Dylan released 'Must be Santa' in 2009, and immediately divided opinions in the music world. For some people, this was a seen as an abomination, while for others it was an instant classic. Dylan drunkenly gargles the track over a ridiculous polka band and for some reason includes a bunch of US Presidents when reeling off the names of Santa's reindeers. Must be seen to be believed.
Clarence Carter - Backdoor Santa
Clarence Carter released 'Backdoor Santa' in 1968, and the track has been featured on a number of movies since then including 'Jingle All The Way', 'Filth', and 'Mission Impossible III'. The lyrics are more sexual than festive, so maybe not one to listen to with your in-laws!
Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer
We finish our list with one of the weirdest Christmas songs around. The lyrics for 'Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer' tell the story of a grandma who gets pissed from too much eggnog, forgets to take her medicine and then wanders out alone into a snowstorm. On her drunken wander she is ran over and killed by Santa's sleigh. A slightly dark track, but amusing nonetheless!
Merry Christmas!