Playlist: Anti-Claus, An Antidote to Holiday Schmaltz
by John Taite, EVP, Global Brand Partnerships + Development
‘Tis the season for family, figgy pudding and ear-torturing schmaltz. But if that scene ain’t for you, this playlist might be. It’s a soundtrack for that time in your life when you shake off your parents and make new holiday traditions with your chosen family.
You’ll hear interesting holiday covers, unique takes and genres that would make your poor Granny grimace. And when you meet old Saint Nick in these songs, he’s getting mugged by greedy kiddies, doing the mambo or in need of some lovin’:
We open with some smooth sonic palate cleansers from Harry Nilsson, Remi Wolf and Khruangbin. Julian Casablanca from The Strokes salutes SNL with his “Christmas Treat.” There’s funk (Aloe Blacc), punk (The Ramones) and Ho Ho Ho-Hop from Run DMC and Tyler, The Creator. Then like a sleigh outta hell, The Darkness crash the party with their riff-tastic pomp-rock theatrics.
Of course, it’s not all fun and rebellion. There’s plenty of melancholic reflection from LCD Soundsystem and The Killers. Phoebe Bridgers, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits deliver some touching tenderness for the down and outs. We close with the Gary Jules cover of “Mad World” and Kate Bush’s “Snowflake,” which is just as beautiful, unique and fragile as its namesake.
Whether you’re celebrating solo or with family and friends this year: happy holidays from all of us at Made Music Studio!
Keep scrolling to hear from the MMS team on some of our favorite tracks from the playlist.
“Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” by the Ramones
Written by Joey Ramone; produced by Bill Laswell, Daniel Rey, Jean Beauvoir
For what seems like a cheesy, Christmas cash-grab by a punk band more than a decade into their career, there’s some hidden genius in this song. In fact, it might be one of the more realistic Christmas songs ever written. It’s not about peace on earth or mercy mild. It’s about surviving that very specific holiday energy, where emotions run high, patience runs thin, and you’re one small inconvenience away from cracking. All of this feels incredibly relatable, especially since my daughter just turned two.
In a season full of overly sweet cheer and attempted “new classics,” this song feels honest. And sometimes the most Christmas-y thing you can wish for is just getting through it.
– Mike Burke, VP, Business + Product Operations
“Listen, The Snow Is Falling” by Harry Nilsson
Written by Yoko Ono
The backstory of this song is almost as interesting as the music itself. Yoko Ono wrote and recorded the track originally, remaking it with John Lennon for the B-side to “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).”
For Harry to cover this song was almost akin to an apology to Yoko — especially if you’re familiar with Lennon and Nilsson’s “Lost Weekend” phase. The track was originally intended for an album to resurrect his career in the early ’90s. Tragically, Nilsson passed away before the project could be completed, and the song eventually surfaced on the Losst & Found collection 25 years later.
The cover itself is a delicate low-fi gem that’s as enigmatic as the man himself. A Japanese koto plays tag with a warm steel guitar. Harry’s soothing vocal delivery sounds like a crackling fire at the end of the night with a tumbler of whiskey in hand. And just like Die Hard is a Christmas movie (don’t start!), there are plenty of subtle mentions to make “Listen, The Snow Is Falling” a holiday classic.
- John Taite, EVP, Global Brand Partnerships + Development
“Blue Christmas” by The Misfits
Originally written by Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson; produced by Ed Stasium
This “Blue Christmas” cover was released about 30 years after the Misfits’ first Glenn Danzig-helmed, golden era had ended. It marks the official recorded debut of a song they had been performing in style as early as 1978.
The Elvis Presley to Glenn Danzig influence pipeline is well-tread territory. Lesser tread — but no less iconic — is that of Jerry Only’s tenure leading the Misfits through a whirlwind cultural reappraisal from the mid ’90s through the mid 2010’s.
After a big Misfits reissue push from Caroline Records in 1995, Only relaunched the band back into the alternative landscape. From there, Only’s Misfits began popping up in some of the more esoteric pop culture of the time: the Insane Clown Posse’s feature film Big Money Hustlas, the (proto-Jackass) Big Brother crew’s “Crap” video, and at Vampiro’s WCW matches. One looking to understand the pervasive nature of the Misfits’ Fiend Skull logo only needs to look back on this absolutely strange run of alternative cultural omnipresence.
– Joseph Ohegyi, Director, Content Studio
“Christmas in L.A.” by The Killers ft. Dawes
Written by Brandon Flowers, Mark Stoermer, Taylor Goldsmith; produced by Steve Lillywhite
I grew up with California Christmas. Fresh tamales, lawn reindeer, palm trees wrapped in lights. We don’t get white Christmases, but somehow the sky always seems to be bluer that day.
I lived in New York City for a long time, and don’t get me wrong, that place looks magical this time of year. So did Connecticut the one time I spent the holiday there, where I was dumbfounded to find that deer just run around in the snow storybook-like. No matter where I was, I still longed for the Christmas I remembered, one that didn’t require your puffy coat. “The one I used to know.”
That’s why this Killers song struck me — how could this guy be so sad to be in LA? I guess it’s because he went there to be in showbusiness. Or maybe because he’s only hanging out on the west side. But mostly it’s because it’s not home.
– Danielle Gutierrez, Director, Marketing + Communications