Pop punk. It’s the sort of genre that elicits just as many groans as it does cheers. The one genre that elicits the closest reaction would have to be Christmas music. The two aren’t honestly that far removed, they both conjure up images of childhood and beloved memories of years gone past. So the fact that pop punk renditions of famous Christmas carols happen to exist isn’t really complex idea to grasp. With that said, here are 12 sugary sweet Christmas-themed pop punk songs, because god knows you need something light to get yourself through December 25th.
12: New Found Glory – Nothing For Christmas
Given the amount of cover songs on this list, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear NFG had covered some standard with their usual sense of proclivity for upbeat pop punk. Instead they choose to deliver a down-to-earth, mostly acoustic ballad. The main chorus of “Christmas is coming, so don’t buy me nothing/I got what I wanted, I got what I needed” stands in stark contrast to the general attitude of most pop punk songs, with many bands opting for bratty anthems about presents and materialism. But New Found Glory reinforce their ability to stand leagues above other pop punk bands by delivering a sincere and rather sweet song about the other, slightly less materialistic side of the holiday season.
11: Zebrahead – Deck The Halls (I Hate Christmas)
Zebrahead might cop a lot of shit for their less-than-normal mixture of pop punk and rap rock, but my god can they deliver a good Christmas song when needed. Ali Tatabaeee’s rapping might be in the same sort of ballpark as Vanilla Ice or MCA from the Beastie Boys, but he delivers his lines with such earnest that you just have to love him for it. It’s such a pissed-off anti-Christmas diatribe that you can’t help but crack a smile at it. Plus it’s not often you see many straight up Christmas songs that just tear the holiday to shreds, like some sort of second-hand wrapping paper. Thank God Christmas only comes once a year, am I right?
10: Less Than Jake – I’m Getting Nuttin’ For Christmas
Clocking in at just under two minutes, Less Than Jake do a great job of summing up the darker side of Christmas. A bratty little slice of punk that’s certain to bring a smile on your face come December 25th. An anthem for snotty little kids everywhere. Less Than Jake clearly realise not every kid gave a shit about Christmas as a kid, and that all the misbehaving kids in the world had something coming to them at the end of every year, no doubt. It’s also notable for being one of the few Less Than Jake songs to lack a horn section, since apparently not even Father Christmas can stomach ska punk.
9: Relient K – Sleigh Ride
Matt Thiessen’s quavering vocals work well with the band’s general sense of uneasiness and insecurity. Relient K give this classic quite the modern makeover, complete with the typical youthful earnest and cutesy trappings their covers often contain. Given Relient K’s penchant for leaning towards borderline Christian Rock at times, you’d think they’d have chosen a slightly less secular to cover. Nevertheless, their rendition of this holiday standard is sure to melt the heart’s of even the most cynical of Scrooges. Considering my Christmases usually consist of trying to outrun 30° heat for a good 24 hours, this song does a good job of making me picture a Wintery fairy land in my backyard, without a doubt.
8: All Time Low – Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass
All Time Low provide us with a delightfully bitter Christmas tune, filled with enough swagger and charm to appease any holiday-hating Grinch. The line “Last year’s Summer romance/is this year’s Winter blues” might seem a tinge sad, but the sheer exuberance on display here is nothing to sneeze at. Alex Gaskarth has always found a way to All Time Low have never taken themselves particularly seriously, and this song is no exception. The music video is absolutely hysterical as well, featuring a puppet by the name of Stuart slowly going insane and fantasizing over his co-worker amidst the backdrop of a Christmas party, proving that someone in All Time Low certainly has a wicked sense of humour.
7: Panic! At The Disco – White Christmas
Panic! At The Disco are probably the last band you’d ever picture covering this timeless tune, but lo and behold they did it anyway. The final result is surprisingly better than expectedThe scat singing and layered vocals lend the song a Wintery atmosphere. Brendon Urie croons and modulates his way through this Christmas classic with enough vigour to make Bing Crosby green with envy. The interpolation of Jingle Bells at the end is also quite a stroke of genius.
6: Fucked Up – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Canadian punks Fucked Up might seem like poe-faced critical darlings, but they know how to let their hair down when they feel like it. While it might be a stretch to call them “pop punk”, their take on this infamous 80’s tune is worthy of the finest pop punk accolades. Roping in a handful of their friends such as Andrew W.K, Tegan and Sara and Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, these punks tackle Band Aid’s holiday classic Do They Know It’s Christmas? with all the vigour of your drunken uncle after he’s had far too much eggnog and whiskey. The whole band just sounds like they’re having a ton of fun here and the chorus at the end is nothing short of adorable. Plus just like the original, all the proceeds went to charity so you know they were doing something right.
5: Jimmy Eat World – Last Christmas
Jimmy Eat World are somewhat famous for their cover songs, and their rendition of Wham!’s 80’s Christmas hit knocks the original out of the ballpark. Jimmy Eat World’s rendition is slightly more upbeat and more danceable than Wham!’s original, with a four-to-the-floor dance beat that works beautifully. Jim Adkins vocals sound far more hopeful than George Michael’s, lending the song a sense of closure and finality that the original lacks. Similarly, the gentle acoustic guitars lend the song a rather airy and uplifting aura that help the song much less dated than the original. It’s sure to instantly conjures memories of Christmases past, while also making you feel slightly emotional.
4: Brand New – Oh Holy Night
Brand New are many things. Intense, heavy, possibly a little bit overrated, but also quite honest with their musc. Listening to their rendition of Oh Holy Night is quite possibly as honest as they can get with their music. There’s seriously not a lot to say about this one. It’s Brand New covering an incredibly famous Christmas carol with all the sincerity and integrity you’d expect from them. It’s not really something to play while your uncle is getting drunk on eggnog, but rather the sort of song you play after all the festivities are done and you’re possibly getting ready for a good night’s sleep. And it’s a damn good rendition as well, so give Jesse Lacey a bit of credit for this one. The man certainly knows how to cover a Christmas carol, when he’s not whining over girls or the state of humanity.
3: Fall Out Boy – Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
Yule Shoot Your Eye Out is a deliciously venomous take on the usual Christmas tale, with singer Patrick Stump downright livid at a former girlfriend who just happens to contact him at Christmastime. This song is basically the anti-Last Christmas, it’s as vicious as a Christmas song can possibly get. TAside from being entirely acoustic, it’s sung in the softest tone that you could almost mistake it for being sweet if you didn’t pay attention to the lyrics. Fall Out Boy have built their career on songs about jilted exes and lost loves, so the fact that they managed to craft a Christmas-themed song around this idea is no surprise whatsoever. Still you’ve gotta hand it to the boys, they do it with such style and grace that you can’t help but love ‘em anyway for it
2: My Chemical Romance – All I Want For Christmas Is You
I wrote a good three paragraphs last year about how much I can’t stand Mariah Carey’s rendition of this stinker. For the longest time I just assumed All I Want For Christmas Is You was one of those unsalvageable Christmas songs. But suddenly, a revelation occurred. The song itself wasn’t bad, just the delivery. All I Want For Christmas doesn’t need to be delivered in the form of a sappy, R&B song. It needs a band like My Chemical Romance to inject it with enough yearing teen angst and punk-edge to The band’s choppy guitar riffs, Shrieking vocals and crashing cymbals certainly inject the song with the kind of energy it most desperately needed. Gerard Way goes from 0 to 100 in the span of a good 30 seconds, following up a sweet piano intro with the Frank Iero’s chugging rhythm section.
1: Blink-182 – I Won’t Be Home For Christmas
Would it really be a pop punk list without Blink-182? Probably not. The line“It’s Christmas time again/It’s time to be nice to the people you can’t stand all year” sums up most people’s feelings regarding Christmas quite succinctly, especially when all you want to do is find a corner to sit down in while your relatives get drunk and reminisce about mundane and relatively boring events. In true Christmas fashion, the addition of sleigh bells and soaring choruses go quite well with Blink-182’s usual upbeat style. The fact that it manages to sound miserable, world-weary, immature and downright funny all in the span of three and a half minutes is why I think it’s the greatest pop punk Christmas song of all time. Plus come on, how many other Christmas songs can you name that have a breakdown in them
Patrick's Music Reviews 