MetaChat - This used to be the "edgy" Christmas song...

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20 December 2009

This used to be the "edgy" Christmas song... →[More:]but Friday night, LT and I went out to a local pub for their weekly singing session - the usual assortment of Mighty-Wind-esque, mostly baby-boomer folkies, with a smattering of younger crunchy folks, taking turns singing traditional songs and sea chanteys and playing fiddle tunes and the like. There were a lot of Christmas-themed songs, but when a guy sat down and started in "It was Christmas Eve, babe/in the drunk tank," I knew the moment had come when this song had passed into the folk tradition. Everyone knew it, everyone boomed out the chorus, and the women even supplied Kirsty MacColl's part adeptly.

post by: Miko at: 08:28 | 15 comments

I knew the song was passing into tradition when , on a X-mas eve flight to London on Virgin Atlantic, it was belting out of the speakers during boarding.

Also, when The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend sang it.

posted by The Whelk 20 December | 10:16

That has always been my favorite Christmas song. Then again, I'm Jewish, so you'll have to take that with a grain of salt.

posted by pinky.p 20 December | 10:32

For some reason I'd never heard this song until last year.

posted by octothorpe 20 December | 10:33

"I could have been someone", "Well so could anyone, you took my dreams from me, when I first found you". That line has always gotten me. I love this song. I miss Kirsty so much.

posted by msali 20 December | 10:43

We sing this every Christmas, spitting it at each other with slurs and swaying and squinting rage, our voices breaking (and me usually blurring over some lines). I love this song in a way that's hard to articulate.

posted by Elsa 20 December | 11:35

its a tradition with me . i think the song is beautiful and i just dont get into the xmas spirit until i hear it (and Darlene Love's 'its christmas baby please come home')

its also the obvious first choice for my xmas playlist on metaradio this wednesday at 9:30pm eastern

posted by rollick 20 December | 11:54

That's an all-time favorite. Here's another one.

posted by Hugh Janus 20 December | 12:41

I still haven't heard it all the way through. This seems to be a Mecha favorite, but I just can't listen to his singing voice.

posted by Doohickie 20 December | 14:35

Yeah, it's a great one. I will start playing it on Christmas Eve though, per my tradition. This year I'll get the kidling listening to it, for some good appropriate parenting :)

posted by gaspode 20 December | 14:39

It's a long time since it's been edgy. There's a horribly cringeworthy singalong to this in the otherwise-only-moderately-cringeworthy Hollywood romcom PS I Love You. It's been very crudely edited to jump straight to the scumbag line.

posted by cillit bang 20 December | 14:55

Always On My Mind was always much better anyway.

posted by matthewr 20 December | 19:05

oooooo nice one hugh, Thanks !

posted by rollick 20 December | 21:39

Coincidentally, we're listening to "Sinatra's Swingin' Session" right now.
Also: Please, world - Don't ruin the one Christmas song that I love.

posted by Triode 21 December | 01:56

I'm going to get flayed alive for saying this, but I really like the No Use For A Name cover of this song much better than the original. Admittedly, it's generic punk (almost *cringe* pop punk), but it resonates more for me than the Pouges version.

I'll go ahead and go into hiding now.

posted by gc 21 December | 11:48

AHAHAH! I can totally almost say this exact same thing!

That has always been my favorite Christmas song. Then again, I'm Jewish, so you'll have to take that with a grain of salt.

posted by eatdonuts 21 December | 15:04

← Bunny! OMG! || The Christmas Can-Can →

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