After having gone through the top shelf catalog of the local festive seasonal music library, it is time to uncover some of the ones that are unfortunately overlooked by people, for several reasons.
Warning: In this list there are existentialist songs, heartbreak songs, songs of social criticism and even a stoner Christmas song. Christmas lovers’ discretion is advised.
‘Another Lonely Christmas’ by Divine Sinners
This lyrically sour take on Christmas is beautifully juxtaposed to its merry tune, leaving us with a different experience of the season. It also reminds us to engage with some sense of perspective: maybe not everyone’s in such a cheery mood, maybe some people are in grief, whilst others are in heartbreak. In the end, the song itself picks you up in its melodic tongue-in-cheek nature.
‘Tinsel Mal-Wires tad-Dawl’ by Karmaġenn (feat. Keith Fenech)
Let’s start by saying that this whole album is worth a listen, and that this is just the only—incidentally—Christmas song, in the same way that Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It is but, you know what I mean.
This beautiful track depicts a mundane Christmas setting set in Ħamrun. The title captures this imagery of something which is meant to be decorative (the tinsel) spiraling around a cable which is not the most aesthetically pleasing thing, but somehow it captures a certain kazin-like Maltese aesthetic.
As the characters engage in their everyday life taking photos, getting dressed, and enjoying the smell of the neighbor’s cooking, the neverending construction and land development in the country goes on and on without a break.
‘Christmas Time (Original Christmas Carol)’ by Duħħan
Alternative Christmas songs tend to be slightly cynical by nature since the optimism that comes with classic Christmas songs is sometimes a bit too much when you consider the harsh realities of the world. Nevertheless there are plenty of exceptions to this rule, and whilst ‘Another Lonely Christmas’ by Divine Sinners is somewhat one of them, ‘Christmas Time’ by Duħħan is definitely the one.
Maybe it is time for this great stoner song to become the hit it was meant to be, especially with the reference to smoking the Christmas tree and getting high in the chorus; we’d have to admit, it’s quite before its time.
‘Milied Mingħajr Tiżjin’ by Michael Azzopardi
The most recent addition to the Maltese Christmas catalog, this song by singer-songwriter Michael Azzopardi is a beautiful song of yearning. The suggestion is that the persona in the song is grieving the death of some relationship that clearly meant a lot to him.
Although the song’s melody is groovy and enjoyable, and somewhat Christmassy, the lyrics are romantically melancholic, bringing a lovey-dovey mood to Christmas.
‘Oh Shit It’s Christmas Time’ by David Schembri
David Schembri’s song is a short but hard-hitting song about another year being over. Quite existentialist and some would say depressing, it is definitely something everyone relates to, perhaps a feeling that is more prevalent after all the festivities in the beginning of January.
The production of the song disguises it as almost a medieval hymn of Christmas, and although it’s lyrically very far from being one, in the end it expresses the sense of loss with time passing but also emphasizes the that in being aware of this doesn’t necessarily mean we have no control on how to live our lives.
All five of these have made it to our list for a reason. We can’t pick our favorite. Can you?
