What about Christmas?

  • 21 Replies
  • 3017 Views

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

PeteS

  • *
  • Platinum Album
  • ****
  • Posts: 704
« on: October 23, 2020, 10:52:49 PM »
Just saying!

There aren’t many Christmas songs these days so how about it?
New album out now - Wrong Time, Wrong Place : https://open.spotify.com/album/7AKxi8xiendb9dY22v4QnP?si=AR0VZ1pjSDOwVosifVd_sA
Instagram @echodogsofficial

Sterix

  • *
  • Platinum Album
  • ****
  • Posts: 782
  • Devil may care, I do not!
    • Sterix Rocks!
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2020, 11:06:28 AM »
But Christmas is cancelled! :P

I don't listen to the radio any more so I don't know if there's been anything decent out the last few years.

I'm sure the guys and gals on the forum can come up with some suitable songs...
« Last Edit: October 24, 2020, 11:09:49 AM by Sterix »

Sing4me88

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 1191
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2020, 02:12:18 PM »
It's hard to beat, or even compare to, the classic Christmas songs; Slade, Shaking Stevens, The Pogue & Kirsty McColl, Wizard etc. All thee, and many more, have stood the test of time and are still as popular now as ever before. There are a few more recent ones that I actually quite like:

Leona Lewis - One more Sleep



This has the Christmas feel - complete with jingling bells - and has a nice old time 'big' Christmas ballad type vibe.

Arianna Grande - Santa tell me



I like how this is Christmassy but has a modern pop vibe too. Slight Mariah Carey vibes in the chorus vocal

PeteS

  • *
  • Platinum Album
  • ****
  • Posts: 704
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2020, 03:59:13 PM »
I think the 3 best recent ones for me are:

The Futureheads, Christmas was better in the 80’s -


Scouting for Girls, Christmas in the air -


Courteeners, Winter Wonderland -

New album out now - Wrong Time, Wrong Place : https://open.spotify.com/album/7AKxi8xiendb9dY22v4QnP?si=AR0VZ1pjSDOwVosifVd_sA
Instagram @echodogsofficial

PaulAds

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3477
  • Haemorrhaging Enthusiasm
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2020, 04:09:10 PM »
Lots of us wrote Christmas songs last year...

http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=16902.0

Not sure how much interest there'd be in doing it again this year...I think I'd go cold turkey on the idea  :P

heart of stone, feet of clay, knob of butter

MonnoDB

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 1265
    • Soundcloud Profile
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2020, 04:22:50 PM »
I wrote a Xmas song one year. It was absolutely awful! 😱😱

Standout favourite for me is Fairytale of New York!

It’s the first Xmas song many radio stations play over here on the 1st Dec - there’s a real sense of reverence around it...

K

adamfarr

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3166
    • SongEspresso
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2020, 04:35:00 PM »
Last years Chrimbo songs were so good that I reckon a rest could be in order. If it were up to me I'd rather go for a leisurely TV theme tune challenge. (Which I intend to do anyway - so of course you non-grinches out there should go for a Christmas song of course and I will eat my words with my sprouts)...

PeteS

  • *
  • Platinum Album
  • ****
  • Posts: 704
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2020, 05:40:30 PM »
Sorry, i wasn't here last year  :(

Onto the next then. 
New album out now - Wrong Time, Wrong Place : https://open.spotify.com/album/7AKxi8xiendb9dY22v4QnP?si=AR0VZ1pjSDOwVosifVd_sA
Instagram @echodogsofficial

MichaelA

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 1499
    • Sixth Beatle - a music themed novel by Michael A (not much about  The Beatles!)
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2020, 09:34:43 AM »
Over the next week I think we should think about what could be the next challenge. The ‘rewrite a TV theme tune challenge’ had about four of us up for it. That would grow more if we launched it properly though.

I agree that Christmas songs need a rest this year. But if anybody has any other great ideas for something that would pull in the writers, then let’s hear them.

Then maybe we could have a vote, or discussion, on which one to go with. If @adamfarr is doing TV Challenge, then I’d be prepared to roll along with that. We could then have a TV Game Show night on Zoom where the best song is picked. This could be based on a mixture of merit, luck and cheating, just like the Eurovision Song Contest. And the Spinning Wheel of Fate could even play a part.  :D
My latest novel: pls check it out!

‘Gavin & The Bodysnatchers’, a quirky comedy crime thriller. Easily found on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09GZ7C8M7?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

PaulAds

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3477
  • Haemorrhaging Enthusiasm
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2020, 10:00:45 AM »
I saw a quote I loved yesterday...

“Always winter, never Christmas”

I thought that was a great starting point for a song...but getting anything going on the forum these days is like pulling teeth.

The spinning wheel of fate is great fun. I wonder if there’s a virtual ouija board anywhere we could try using 😀

heart of stone, feet of clay, knob of butter

MichaelA

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 1499
    • Sixth Beatle - a music themed novel by Michael A (not much about  The Beatles!)
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2020, 10:18:09 AM »
... getting anything going on the forum these days is like pulling teeth.


Aaaarrrgghhhh don’t remind me @PaulAds. I have an emergency dental appointment this afternoon. I might be losing one of my old friends. I thought it might deserve a farewell song. Maybe the Pulling Teeth Challenge could be on!

On the phone, the dentist told me to wear a mask. Don’t know how that’s going to work tbh! 😉
My latest novel: pls check it out!

‘Gavin & The Bodysnatchers’, a quirky comedy crime thriller. Easily found on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09GZ7C8M7?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

PaulAds

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3477
  • Haemorrhaging Enthusiasm
« Reply #11 on: October 27, 2020, 10:26:48 AM »
Oh dear...best of luck @MichaelA

Masks much more effective at stopping pneumatic drills and pliers getting past them than they are at stopping covid-19  :-X
heart of stone, feet of clay, knob of butter

pompeyjazz

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 5668
  • pompeyjazz
« Reply #12 on: October 27, 2020, 10:40:04 AM »
Yeah ! Best of luck @MichaelA The TV theme challenge does seem to be the idea with the most traction atm although I suggest we keep it "loose" in that it can be a cover / alternative version of an existing theme or a brand new song.

That's unless anybody else has any knockout ideas ? Anyone ? What would encourage you to participate in a challenge ????

adamfarr

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3166
    • SongEspresso
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2020, 12:19:10 PM »
Yikes - @michaelA I hope it's not too "heavy" as they say here.

I think the take up of the latest challenges has been pretty good really. Definitely time to do one that allows people to do their own music in their own way without too many parameters.

The TV challenge thread seemed to generate quite a bit of action so maybe it is a good one. I liked it and it sparked an idea so I am kind of started whether or not there's a formal challenge or not.

CaliaMoko

  • *
  • Stadium Tour
  • *****
  • Posts: 3687
  • Strumming on the couch in pigtails
    • Late Bloomers Rock
« Reply #14 on: October 27, 2020, 05:48:01 PM »
Let's see...I am a fan of co-writing, so I would go for a co-writing challenge. Maybe have people sign up and then pair them randomly using the spinning wheel of fate? Maybe require at least one of each pair have some production skills? Or maybe not. Most of us can at least strum a guitar and sing and record that.

And/or maybe have some weird (or not so weird) requirement. For instance, I've participated in a challenge that required all the songs to be named "Mississippi Moon", another that required all the songs to have a two-word title, both words beginning with the letter P, another that requires the song to have one specific line in it--"You have no idea how much this email means to me", and a couple that required a specific chord progression somewhere in the song. Some of them had two of those requirements in the same challenge.