Songlist Help Flash II: Christmas Trips

“ Come back, come home, for Christmas ”: a message embedded in the brains of generations and generations of television viewers. It's impossible to read those words without automatically playing the melody in our heads. Logically, if there's one journey we all associate with Christmas, it's the journey home. So there couldn't be a better theme for our Christmas travel songlist : songs that speak to how we long, miss, and long to return home.

Our top 10 Christmas songs

Before we begin, a quick reminder of the rules : the list must be as varied as possible, and no group or soloist can be duplicated. Of course, not just any Christmas song will do; the journey must be the focus of the story. Let's go with them now.

10. IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS TIL YOU COME HOME, NORAH JONES (2021)

Twenty years ago, we first heard Norah Jones's voice: " Come Away With Me " was released in February 2002, selling 27 million copies worldwide. Those were different times, of course, but the number speaks volumes about Norah's impact, something like the perfect combination for success: talent, daring, distinction, beauty, and a family background that predisposed her from birth. A large part of the class that Norah always conveys is a respect for tradition, including that of releasing Christmas albums. One of them includes that wonderful song, in which Norah tells you how much she misses you: " If you're not here / the snow isn't white / the stars don't shine / the bells don't ring and Bing Crosby doesn't sing." Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/0Os0i5x2edR3hsjZmP2elh?si=ee38b17c99434cf

9. (THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE) HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, PERRY COMO (1954)

Since we're talking about classics, let's get serious: Perry Como, in the Champions League of crooners, alongside Sinatra and Dean Martin. Class and elegance personified (" The man who invented Casual ," according to Bing Crosby). Pierrino Ronaldo Como dreamed of being a hairdresser and so began his career, at 14, singing to entertain his clients, between haircuts. He eventually became a singing star (and a TV star, hosting shows for 50 years). With a voice like his, even the laziest lyrics (" From Atlantic to Pacific / Gee, the traffic is terrific ") are irresistible. Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/7B11rU6HFY0MM6TbgRIFVd?si=31e95a575fcf47d7

8. DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS , SAINT ETIENNE (1995)

Going on stage after a star like Perry Como is no easy task, so we've chosen one of the most defining bands of the late 20th century. Saint Etienne were cooler and better looking than anyone. Curiously, they also made great covers of classics, like Billy Fury's " My Christmas Player ," which they released in 1993, as a single only, with a kitten on the cover and in the company of Tim Burgess, of Twitter's Listening Parties (https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/). Could it be cooler? But in the end we decided on this other version, which greatly improves on Chris Rea's original and captures the spirit of this list with charming simplicity: " I'm driving home for Christmas / I can't wait to see those faces ." Listen to the song here https://open.spotify.com/track/5z7VAGliBQc7M0BrTCUpqR?si=a6f0ad551ee24c96

7. 200 MORE MILES, THE PRETENDERS (1983)

“ Learning to Crawl ,” to put it mildly, was a record recorded after a tough time for The Pretenders. It would be easy to resort to rock mythology, but it’s time to leave all those clichés behind and talk about real feelings: “ It’s snowing, and it’s getting colder every day. I miss you,” sings Chrissie Hynde, distilling absence, reinterpreting it into a kind of Christmas tale about distance (“ She’s gone, 2,000 miles, so far away ”), memory (“ Sometimes in a dream you appear / Under a purple sky, diamonds twinkle in the snow ”), and how life, after all, goes on (“ I can hear people singing / It must be Christmas ”). Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/5wTM2Bm8phDwHAuOsfBwhU?si=ee9bcd080f2d470c

6. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, LANA DEL REY & KACEY MUSGRAVES (2019)

Okay, Christmas has its melancholic side, but if we keep going like this, we'll feel like going to bed before the nougat plate is brought out. Instead, we'll get two divas together, Kacey Musgraves and the inimitable Lana del Rey, gather around the fireplace (or curl up on the couch), and get a little silly, it's only for a couple of minutes: " I'll be home for Christmas / You can count on me / Please let there be snow and mistletoe / and presents under the tree ." If after listening to this song you don't get a sweet, charming, and slightly silly smile on your face, you don't have a heart. Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/0dEAzedAp3dKqhvGa1BRIC?si=4d1c859f2fc24830

5. HIGWAY HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, TESKEY BROTHERS (2020)

We can hear it from here: “ What's all this nonsense? Please! ” The brother-in-law section of the table, the rocker couple, and the guy trying to pretend he's sentimental are already asking for a beer, a party, we're celebrating, man. Okay. How about a pair of Australian brothers who play good blues rock, with their own little touch, just the way it should be? No, we're not talking about AC/DC, but the Teskey Brothers. The title of their second album, “ Run Home Slow ,” already indicated that they were going to try something different, closer to soul . And yes, we're celebrating, but it's not about throwing a rave. With a similar approach, that same year they released a Christmas single, which included this " Highway Home for Christmas ": the story of a truck driver who spends December on the road, " Denver to Chicago / Load it up with cargo / Tryin' to get home to you." It's going to be tough, money won't be abundant, but " I have presents for the kids and I'm going to keep my promise ." That's how you talk, bro. Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/5SuXHSWVxhdwMQg3MM8rup?si=8b9bf95b0bd641b8

4. I WANT TO COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, MARVIN GAYE (1972 – 2019)

When it comes to soul, let's bow down before its prince: Marvin Gaye, one of the most important figures in popular music of all time. Critics, musicians, and fans all agree on Marvin's assessment: Rolling Stone considers him one of the 20 most important artists in history , and albums like " What's Going On " and " Let's Get It On " remain invaluable to millions of fans. It was precisely between those two works that " You're the Man " would appear, an album that was withdrawn at the time and would end up being released almost half a century later, to celebrate what would have been Gaye's 80th birthday. That album included " I Want to Come Home for Christmas ," a song in which a prisoner dreams of just one thing: returning home for Christmas: " Wish they wouldn't worry so much about me / Just try to get us home In time for the Christmas tree ." Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/79XX797KcCCXMQFvgWkU6h?si=78e16144abe848d6

3. NEW YEAR'S DAY, TAYLOR SWIFT (2017)

A Christmas trip doesn't have to mean traveling thousands of miles on the road, hopping on a high-speed train, or climbing aboard a plane. Sometimes, all it takes is a taxi to make the journey, no matter how short, a memory you'll cherish for a lifetime: “ You squeeze my hand three times, in the back of the taxi / I can tell it's gonna be a long, long road / and I'll be right there by your side / Whether you're the town's pretty boy / Or you fail and have to crawl home .” Returning after the New Year's Eve party, all those early-morning snapshots Taylor painstakingly reviews: “ There's glitter on the floor after the party / Girls holding shoes walking down the hall / Candle wax and Polaroids on the wooden floor .” Among all those ephemeral images, the important thing remains: “ You and I forever .” Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/7F5oktn5YOsR9eR5YsFtqb?si=f27e883e086b436e

2. THE RINGS OF ALCYONE, THE BLUE HOUSE (2012)

When we make lists, we like twists and turns. We go from the most commercial rock to the most underground electronica, from the latest single to the great classics. So we weren't going to be any different with Christmas trips. Did we just describe a taxi ride lasting a few minutes? Well, now we're going intergalactic to talk about some aliens who have staged their own exit operation: " This Christmas, in the midst of galactic catharsis / This Christmas, the founding mothership / Will land in the center of Montmartre / The visitors wish you a Merry Christmas." ET (who, as Nacho Vigalondo rightly says, should really be called E, because "extraterrestrial" is one word, not two) wanted to return home. These guys prefer to spend Christmas at ours. Listen to the song here. https://open.spotify.com/track/4P2PZ1qKoJos6rKhnmPFtI?si=d7c15f2c2b274b2c

1. JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS, LOW (1999)

If Christmas is more than just a few dates on a calendar, if it transcends the religious, social, and even commercial, it's because of how it makes us feel. That spirit that year after year we repeat shouldn't end on January 6th. And it's true: Christmas can be any day of the year, in any situation you find yourself in. That's the simple and irrefutable truth hidden in this contemporary Christmas carol, released by one of the bands that has done the most to maintain the tradition of Christmas albums. In the first of them, the one we are discussing, they included versions of such universal classics as “Silent Night” and “Little Drummer Boy.” But it is this “Just Like Christmas” that best reflected the joy of sharing a Christmas. A rock band tours Europe and discovers that in a small hotel in a Scandinavian capital you can find a time tunnel that takes you back to the nights of your childhood: “ Leaving Stockholm / It started to snow / And you said it was just like Christmas / But you were wrong / It wasn’t like Christmas at all / By the time we got to Oslo / The snow was gone / We got lost / The beds were too small / But we felt so young… / It was just like Christmas. ” Whether you travel or not, whether you go home or not, enjoy the best Christmas possible: one shared with those you love, one that makes you feel like you're five again. Gifts included, of course.