Loud night

THE SECRET OF LAST CHRISTMAS

For some, Christmas songs are the best way to get into the festive spirit – others prefer to switch radio stations at the drop of a hat, even before George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley breathe into the microphones in true heartthrob style. It has already been 35 years since Wham! released what is perhaps the greatest Christmas song of all time. Yet ‘Last Christmas’ shouldn’t really be described as such, as music expert Heiko Maus points out: ‘Apart from the word “Christmas”, the song has no connection to Christmas’.

Ironically, this makes it all the more fitting for today’s world: a shift away from songs with a religious background towards secular Christmas songs – a trend that Heiko Maus observes particularly among the youngest: “Children hardly know any Christian Christmas carols anymore.” The origins of this shift are not new and can be traced back to the 1930s and 40s of the last century.

Anti-war protest and must-haves

If one looks through the lyrics of the best-known Christmas songs, there is indeed little reference to the originally religious origins of the typical songs of this season. John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” was originally written as a sign of protest against the Vietnam War. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, originally sung by Vaughn Monroe and made world-famous by Frank Sinatra, was reportedly written in the summer of 1945 and makes no reference to Christmas in its lyrics. “One of the few exceptions is ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ by Boney M.,” explains the expert.

But what makes a real winter hit? “Certain sounds recur: bells, for example, are meant to remind us of ‘Jingle Bells’, which is about sleigh rides – though nobody does that anymore. Yet the sound is a must-have,” laughs Heiko Maus. “Besides, the songs have to be emotional; in terms of content, they mostly draw on clichés. They’re about love, presents, a white Christmas, a sense of security or being together, as in ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ by Chris Rea.”

“A dream for any composer”

Musically, then, familiar tunes are repackaged and released according to the current musical tastes of the masses – and the market is competitive: “For the artists, it’s all about making a lot of money,” says the Hamburg-based composer. No wonder stars like Robbie Williams are releasing albums featuring revamped classics and fresh creations. “Paul McCartney’s ‘Let It Be’ isn’t played at the same time every year, whereas ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ is. That’s a dream for any composer.”

The royalties for “Last Christmas” still amount to around ten million dollars a year and go to the estate of George Michael, who penned the lyrics. On German radio stations alone, the hit is played around 500 times per season; it has featured in the charts every year since 1997 – yet this success was not foreseeable over three decades ago. In 1984, the song couldn’t get past Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in England, whilst in West Germany Duran Duran set the tone with “The Wild Boys”.

Oh, occupational therapy

The question remains as to why we even enjoy this particular taste in music around the festive season, including our own web radio stations and playlists – especially since we now have virtually unlimited options thanks to YouTube, Spotify and the like. “We’re creatures of habit,” explains Heiko Maus, “and besides, it’s also a kind of occupational therapy. In the summer we’re often on holiday and out and about in the good weather. In winter we usually have to keep ourselves occupied indoors – and when baking biscuits, many people simply like to listen to Christmas carols.”