Alvin M. Keeling 
Turn on the radio in December and nine out of ten times you’ll be greeted by Mariah Carey or The Pogues.
Christmas is the only time of year when everyone on the planet listens to the same music. After all, it is tradition!
Yet what if it was time to bring new voices to this tradition? Should we welcome Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s new single with open arms to our beloved annual playlist?
Or maybe a few Christmas carols have become classics in recent years because they just aren’t good enough?
Two members of the Extra.ie the team had their say.
It’s Christmas time to change – Liam De Brún
Ed Sheeran is not going to change the current trajectory of Christmas music. Of course, he is almost guaranteed to receive his 9th Irish number one with “Merry Christmas” (with Elton John). We’d be lying to ourselves if we pretended we predicted this will become a Christmas staple.
Whether that’s an attempt to keep the momentum going after Subtract released last month or whether Ed really enjoys the holidays is up for debate. Still, isn’t it refreshing to have a new Christmas song?
Who was the last mainstream artist to bring the bells out of the attic? The problem at this point is with the musicians rather than the listeners. The few Christmas carols released over the past five years have been appalling. I shudder at the thought of Robbie Williams’ strange Christmas album he released last year.
It would be foolish to forbid new artists to create festive music. We should be pushing our favorite musicians to give it a try at least once in their careers. Taylor Swift may be better than Michael Buble as far as we know.
Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber both showed in the early 2010s that there was room for new Christmas carols. “Santa Tell Me” and “Mistletoe” were adopted by holiday fanatics because they are really good songs.
A huge problem is that Christmas songs all stick to the same kind of pop. Over the years, the music industry has moved away from pop.
Who Said Christmas Carols Have To Be Pop? Hip-hop has been the most popular musical genre in the world for almost a decade.
A Christmas song by Kanye West or Cardi B may raise eyebrows, but that’s the problem. If the Christmas parties don’t get new music, it could be gone in the distant future.
Mariah, Wham, and Bruce Springsteen have set the standard for Christmas carols to a remarkably high level. Let’s not ban those who wish to try their hand at joining the elite club of Christmas classics.
Stick to Christmas Classics – Emma Costello
I love a good Christmas tune as much as the next person – but is there really a need for more songs that don’t add anything new to the mix?
While modern artists can do their best to make us feel festive, they don’t hold the candle to big hits like “Last Christmas” by Wham or “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” by Andy William.
The only big name artist who has had a pretty decent song since Mariah Carey’s 1994 banger “All I Want For Christmas” is Ariana Grande who released “Santa Tell Me” in 2014 – but the track still wouldn’t make it into the album. top 10. for many.
Some might say that Michael Bublé should be appreciated, and of course I do, but until he comes up with an original Christmas song that I remember the lyrics after a few hot toddies, he didn’t have his place in this discussion.
Christmas is the season of reflection; last year, remembering past Christmas celebrations and embracing our family traditions. These are the days of nostalgia, and what could be more nostalgic than a Christmas song at least two decades old?
Ed Sheeran might be doing his best to break into the Christmas song market with Elton John, who has one of the funniest party tunes with “Step Into Christmas”, but the musical duo don’t give me chills like the opening of Shakin ‘Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone” does.
Make no mistake, “Merry Christmas” has everything you could want from a standard Christmas song with ringing church bells, the swell of a children’s choir and the mellow, sickly sound of stringed instruments. .
There are also more celebrity cameos than needles on a Christmas tree, which is a tactic but one that I have to admit I appreciate.
The whole duo is clearly a tribute to the Christmas carols we all know and love; Ed flying through the sky with a snowman is a nod to “Walking In The Air” while Ed and his famous friends – Jonathan Ross, Michael McIntyre and Big Narstie – donning big fluffy white coats is clearly theirs. an attempt at a tribute band at East 17 you would see in your local pub on Christmas Eve.
It doesn’t make me stop and think, “Christmas is here”. It’s just another Christmas song that ticked all the necessary boxes on the party tunes checklist – and without a doubt, Ed ticked it twice.
I feel like even Ed might have felt at one point that “Merry Christmas” would be a one-time hit. He sings, “I know there has been pain this year, but it’s time to let it go” – a line that is very topical.
It is safe to say that last Christmas and this Christmas are very unusual circumstances which we hope will not happen again. While it might not be joining the classics, it could spark a new wave of pandemic Christmas carols. Personally, it’s a difficult pass.
