Harry’s Place Arts

Does East 17’s “Stay Another Day” count as a Christmas single?

I mean, it’s not explicitly Xmas-y - but it’s got bells on it.

And obviously it was a Christmas number 1.

Well thats one from the eighties - but it isn’t really a Christmas single is it? I mean even Mariah Carey made more of an effort.

During the punk wars you were nobody unless you had released a three chord version of a Christmas carol.

Really? Like who?

Graham,

How can you have forgotten the man? Shame on you!

Oops, sorry Graham! You did mention him!

Really? Like who?

The Dickies, they Yobs and Stiff Little Fingers (to name but three.)

The best Xmas song, I reckon, is The Darkness single, Don’t Let The Bells End. Great video too - the bit where he slips on the threshold gets me every time:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W-eslNwGXrI

And then there’s The Fall’s excellent, and weirdly effective, version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing.

Crap non-band-related video here:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVvp3vFqas

One has to be very careful mentioning Cliff on these threads Mikey! There have been terrible arguments about him in the past!

Cliff Richard is cool!

Talking about artists who get HP backs up, I was crossing my fingers for eminem’s Stan to take the xmas top slot in 2000 cos I saw it as a sort of anti nativity story.
Got held off by bob the builder though iirc which was more in line with previous xmas #1s cos really it’s historically been novelty singles rather than explicitly christmassy singles that take the title.

I saw on “Have I got news for you” that criminals somewhere in America were being made to listen to Barry Manilow records for an hour.

I vote we subject arrested Tory MP’s to Cliff Richard’s latest album.

I see that Cliff’s about to embark on his last-ever tour with The Shadows. Brett must be wetting himself.

Xmas number ones are now ruined, of course, by the X-Factor.

Graham,

First - cliff and now Barry! Barry is one of my heroes.

Do they do a Xmas song on the X factor?

For the second year in a row, my vote goes to “Christmas in Jail” by the Youngsters.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cM38kN4AOys

The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) by Nat King Cole gets my vote. And “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney. No, really. Incidentally I’m pleased to note that doing most of your shopping online means you can avoid hearing Jona Lewie’s “Stop The Cavalry” endlessly in shops.

Also, I know that all Harry’s Place readers are ardent Strictly Come Dancing fans, and will therefore be thrilled to learn that John Sergeant is releasing a single called “Let’s Not Fight This Christmas” this Christmas, written by Squeeze’s Chris Difford.

“December” by All About Eve, by being culturally/religiously inspecific, but decidedly wintery in tone, should satisfy all comers, at least in the Northern hemisphere. (It is terribly, terribly English, actually.

Conversely I would discourage anyone within reach of South-East Essex from attending the fake and dire and entirely unBavarian “Bavarian Christmas Market” that the cultureless (and uber-thatcherite cost-cutting but incompenent and repeatedly throwing bungs the way of their management consultant mates) buffoons of Southend Council have placed, presumably out of good (if cheapskate) intentions and presuming that no-one who goes to Southend High Street has ever been to Bavaria, on Southend High Street. It’s really embarrassingly bad!

(Nice Portuguese Xmas touches at various places along the way in Westcliff, though, presumably with Italian ones to come: then in due course I presume also the giant channukia (spelling?) on the cliffs there to come. All of this beats the centre of the biggest town in Essex hands down)

Venichka,

On the occasions I have been to Southend, I have not really been in Southend, but in Westcliff. Rather than attending a “Bavarian Christmas Market,” I would far rather sit in Rossi’s and have an absolutely awesome ice-cream! Indeed, I would say that Rossi’s is a fine reason for people to travel from afar to visit. Having said that, I have been to Southend itself. I have very fond memories of taking the train that travels the length of the pier. All this reminiscing makes me want to take a drive down there. I may even eat a candy-floss and get all that pink gooey sugary stuff stuck all over my face…. ahhhh.. those were the days…

Yes, Mikey, seconded re Rossi’s (also Oldham’s fish and chip restaurant on East Road in Westcliff), and about Westcliff in general: far more characterful than Southend itself

I have heard that the the X factor winners christmas single is to be Hallelujah, the wonderful (and ironic isn’t it?) Leonard Cohen song. I bet that’s cheered you all up.

I think they should cover Who By Fire. Well, it gets me in a festive mood.

Fwiw and oddly enough Cohen’s halleluja seems to be on a heavily advertised classical crossover xmas cd called ’sacred arias’ by some woman I’ve never heard of. There’s a lot of it about it seems, the ad breaks on ITV3 are full of weird and wonderful albums that wouldn’s sell at any other time of year. Bagpipe bands, welsh choirs, irish folk etc.

Roy Wood and Wizzard
Wishing it Could be Xmas Every Day
when I were a bit of a
where’s me shert ma
clubber
with hardly no brass
in me skyrocket
and me bruvver
on the cadge for cigs
and the old folks at home
with all their sherry
and their Ken Dodd
and Diddymen LPs
only now it’s just me
with me bottle of Metaxa
and me stockings hung
over the awd Zimmer-frame
like yer no
waiting …

Christ on a bike, how could you all leave out this?

Dig those kettle drums.

Haha, been looking for the German lyrics for years and just found them:

Lüge dirigiert die Welt, Ehrlichkeit bringt selten Geld,
Jeder möcht’ Sieger sein, wer verliert bleibt ganz allein;
Doch manch Will’ ist möglich durch die Fantasie
Du stirbst um zu leben und nimmst um zu geben;
Einmal im Jahr wird alles wahr
Zu Weihnacht vergiss nicht,
Vergiss es gewiss nicht.

Just made a small xamas poem based on brownie’s German text:

Mendacity turns the world
and honesty seldom
brings riches,
each must be
the winner,
for losers stand alone;
though for those
with imagination
it’s possible
to die to live
and to take to give
‘cos once in the year
all is truth;
so at Christmas
don’t forget
don’t forget this.

I always well up when I hear “The Little Drummer Boy”. That’s my credibility down the pan.

Just for you then:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fYgw_btXD8Q