Pop Shots – 5 More Christmas Songs You Absolutely Need To Know Exist

Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, with Christmas coming up this week it’s time to build on my annual holiday tradition of finding random, but amazing, Christmas songs you absolutely need to know exist.

It seems like every artist has, at some point in time, recorded a holiday tune, but many of those tunes end up lost to history. That’s why I’m here, to unearth the best, the wildest, and the most bizarre Christmas songs I can find from artists you know, and love.

This year’s edition features quite possibly the very first hip-hop holiday song, some new wave legends, a ‘90s icon, and two artists from my One Hit Wondering series of columns.

So let’s get into these five songs of Christmas cheer! Of course, since this is Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.

Blondie and Fab 5 Freddy – Yuletide Throwdown

If you like to get caught up in the “Rapture” of the holidays, you’re gonna love Blondie and Fab 5 Freddy’s holiday collaboration, “Yuletide Throwdown.”

I honestly had no idea this song existed until researching this column, but man what an amazing discovery!

Apparently “Yuletide Throwdown” was originally released in 1981, but only as a special flexi-disc that was given away by the UK music magazine Flexipop. It was rediscovered roughly 40 years later, and included as part of a Blondie box set.

Now you can include it in your own holiday playlist!

Devo – Merry Something to You

Whip enough problems into shape, and you might find yourself enjoying a merry … something.

This is the wish of the men of Devo, who in 2010 gave listeners “Merry Something To You,” a song that clocks in at under 90 seconds, and has the band wishing everyone of every religion, and belief system a happy holiday of their choosing.

Since it’s Devo’s only holiday song, I think it’s pretty cool they covered pretty much everything here.

Liz Phair – Ho Ho Ho

The holidays aren’t always filled with cheer, and in 2014 Liz Phair released what she referred to as a dystopian Christmas song titled “Ho Ho Ho” that dives into when you have more pressing concerns in life than getting the last Tickle Me Elmo on the shelf.

So if your heat isn’t working, your holiday decor is non-existent, or you’re just tired of being pushed into being a consumer, this one’s for you.

The song isn’t all gloom and doom, as she sings that she believes in the spirit of forgiveness, but she follows that by saying nobody gets a perfect Christmas.

The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)

The first of two One Hit Wondering artists in this column, The Darkness once had us believing in a thing called love, but did you know they also wanted us to believe in a thing called Santa?

Well, sort of.

With “Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)” the rockers gave us a holiday song that’s actually about yearning to be with a significant other who isn’t around all that much.

Of course, the vocals are insanely amazing, we’re talking about Justin Hawkins here, and it’s nice to have a Christmas song that truly rocks.

Taco – It’s Snowing In My Heart (Bad Santa)

The second One Hit Wondering artist in this column, Taco was “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in 1983, but 40 years later he was puttin’ on a Santa suit for his R&B Christmas song “It’s Snowing In My Heart (Bad Santa).”

Taco’s Santa is exhausted, lonely, and in need of assistance on Christmas after losing his lady.

It’s the rare Christmas song that will have you saying “Damn!”

Click play, and you’ll understand.

Still need more holiday tunes? Check out my previous “Christmas Songs You Absolutely Need To Know Exist” columns here, and here.

That’s all for this edition of Pop Shots, but come back next Monday for more shots on all things pop.