Sorry, but it is a joke that this annoying song beat such Xmas classics :angry:

 

I don't rate the song or the band myself -_-

#7 Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (138 POINTS - 28 votes, 2 1sts, 2 2nds & 3 3rds)

- John Lennon & Yoko

 

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a song by English singer-songwriter John Lennon with Yoko Ono (UK#2 in 1980). It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October of 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. It features soaring, heavily echoed vocals, and a sing-along chorus. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir and are credited on the song's single.

 

Although the song is a protest song about the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas standard and has appeared on several Christmas records.

 

John & Yoko, 1969, WAR IS OVER!The lyrics are based on a campaign in late 1969 by John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven cities around the world that read: "WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko." The cities included New York, Tokyo, Rome, Amsterdam, and London. At the time the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line "War is over/If you want it/War is over/Now!", as sung by the background vocals, was taken directly from the billboards.

 

The record starts with a barely-audible whisper: Yoko whispers "Happy Christmas, Kyoko," then John whispers "Happy Christmas, Julian." Kyoko is Yoko's daughter (from her marriage to Anthony Cox), and Julian is John's son (from his marriage to Cynthia Lennon). Both children were 8 years old at the time the song was recorded in 1971.

 

Directly following John Lennon's death on December 8, 1980, the song was re-released in the UK on December 20 of that year.

 

Lyrics:

So this is Christmas

What have you done

Another year over

And a new one just begun

 

So this is Christmas

Hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

 

A very merry Christmas

A happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

So this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

 

So happy Christmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let's stop all the fight

 

A very merry Christmas

A happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

So this is Christmas

What have we done

Another year over

A new one just begun

 

So this is Christmas

Hope you have fun

The near and the dear ones

The old and the young

 

A very merry Christmas

A happy new year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

 

War is over

If you want it

War is over

Now

 

John & Yoko

 

Celine Dion & Gloria Estefan (:puke2: to their mawkish comments before they start singing :rofl:)

 

:o This should'be been so much higher. Shame on BJ voters :P

 

An absolutelly amazing song in general, not just at Xmas :wub:

I will reveal the order of the Top 6 Christmas Songs at 19:00 Hours.

 

They are:

 

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid/2/20

Fairytale Of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

Last Christmas - Wham!

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

 

See if you can predict the Top 6 in the correct order?

Oh dear lord at the Celine covers :puke2: :puke2: :puke2:

I will reveal the order of the Top 6 Christmas Songs at 19:00 Hours.

 

They are:

 

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid/2/20

Fairytale Of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

Last Christmas - Wham!

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

 

See if you can predict the Top 6 in the correct order?

 

The Pogues are by far the best imo, but Mariah will most definatly win :(

 

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

4. Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid/2/20

2. Fairytale Of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl

6.I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

5. Last Christmas - Wham!

3. Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

Oh dear lord at the Celine covers :puke2: :puke2: :puke2:

 

I was going to stick in the Idols (Pop Idol 2 Finalists) massacre of the John Lennon classic, but when I found the Celine/Gloria cover version, I had to stick it in because it is much worse IMHO.

 

Personally, I'm very disappointed that Kate Bush's December Will Be Magic Again & St Etienne ft Tim Burgess' I Was Born On Christmas Day failed to make the Final. :(

East 17 :wub:

I think:

 

1 All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

2 Fairytale Of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl

3 Last Christmas - Wham!

4 Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

5 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

6 Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid/2/20

 

Best version of Happy Christmas (War Is Over): Delta Goodrem.

Was A B Side to her 'Not Me Not I' single in 2003 sameyear the wretched Flop Idol 12 released their erm 'version'. :puke:

Best version of Happy Christmas (War Is Over): Delta Goodrem.

Was A B Side to her 'Not Me Not I' single in 2003 sameyear the wretched Flop Idol 12 released their erm 'version'. :puke:

I like the Idols version :blush:

Wham & Slade are both great songs but I hope Mariah or The Pogues win.

Oh God...Gloria and Celine's version of Happy Xmas is awful...I hate the original too

 

There are good versions by Delta Goodrem, The Corrs and Sarah McLachlan...

Poor Shaky - that's easily my favourite christmas song.

 

Bing Crosby did well to make the top ten, considering how old the song is. Wonderful singer.

I think:

 

1 All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

2 Fairytale Of New York - Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl

3 Last Christmas - Wham!

4 Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

5 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

6 Do They Know Its Christmas? - Band Aid/2/20

Me too

#6 Do They Know Its Christmas? (176 POINTS, 32 votes 1 1st, 2 2nd & 4 3rds)

- Band Aid/2/20

 

Do They Know It's Christmas? is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 specifically to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. The original version was produced by Midge Ure and Trevor Horn, and recorded by Band Aid in 1984.

 

In late 1984, a BBC report by Michael Buerk was aired highlighting the famine that had hit the people of Ethiopia. Irish singer Bob Geldof had seen the report and was moved so much that he decided that a pop record should be used to further increase awareness of the famine and to raise money. Aware that he could do little on his own, he called Midge Ure from Ultravox and together they quickly co-wrote the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

 

Geldof kept a November appointment with BBC Radio 1 DJ Richard Skinner to appear on his show, but instead of discussing his new album (the original reason for his booking), he used his airtime to publicise the idea for the charity single, so by the time the musicians were recruited there was intense media interest in the subject.

 

Using powers of persuasion which have since become a major part of the Geldof legend, he put together a group (Band Aid), consisting of leading Irish and British rock and pop musicians, all of whom were at the very top of the industry.

 

According to its co-authors, the lyrics were largely written by Bob Geldof while Midge Ure is responsible for the melody and vocal arrangement. The song comprises two parts: a verse and bridge which allow individual singers to perform different lines; and a chorus in the form of two repeated phrases by ensemble. The chorus was added by Midge Ure shortly before the recording session and is similar in style to many of his Ultravox songs (such as 'Hymn'). It is also the most effective hook in the song.

 

Lyrics:

The first line of the recording is sung by Paul Young on the 1984 version, Kylie Minogue on the 1989 version, and Chris Martin on the 2004 version. The line was originally written for David Bowie who finally sang it at the Live Aid concert. See the Band Aid article for the full list of contributors.

 

Another lyric which appears to have been tailored to the singers performing in 1984 is The bitter sting of tears performed by Sting.

 

The most controversial and, many would say, powerful, line in the song is: Tonight thank God it's them instead of you. Bono was unhappy with this line and tried to change it at first, due to thanking God for inflicting misery on other people rather than on them. Later, he admitted that it is a painful truth that, while we can feel sympathy and guilt about the plight of others, we're still not prepared to take their place.

 

The lyrics are unashamedly biased towards a western audience and present at best a simplified and stereotypical description of the situation in Africa. Lines such as Where nothing ever grows are particularly naive given that the area in Ethiopia where the famine took place is normally fertile and not a desert at all. The sole purpose of the song was, as Geldof admits, to use the power of celebrity to raise as much money as possible as quickly as possible. It had to be sufficiently well written to avoid putting off the pop stars from taking part.

 

The following morning Geldof appeared on Mike Read's Radio 1 Breakfast Show to promote the record and promised that every penny would go to the cause. This led to a stand-off with the British Government which refused to waive the VAT (tax) on the sales of the single. Geldof made the headlines by publicly standing up to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and, sensing the strength of public feeling, the government backed down and donated the tax back to the charity.

 

The single was released on December 15, 1984, and went straight to number 1 in the UK pop charts outselling all the other records in the chart put together. It became the fastest selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million in the first week alone. It stayed at Number 1 for 5 weeks selling over 3 million copies.

 

In the United States, the music video was played on MTV frequently throughout the holiday season.

 

The single was released just before Christmas with the aim of raising money for the relief of the famine. Geldof's somewhat cautious hope was for 70,000 pounds. Ultimately, however, the song raised many millions of pounds and became the biggest-selling single in UK chart history. (It has since been passed by Elton John's tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, but it is likely to keep selling in different versions for many years to come).

 

Band Aid 20 recorded a new version of the song in November 2004 for the twentieth anniversary of the original recording. (PS. Well Done to "Sir" Bono!). :dance:

 

The original (1984)

 

(1989 version) :puke2:

 

(2004 version)

The original of this is legendary and a classic, 2004's remake although ruined by the awful rapping was vastly superior to that truely sickening joke that is the 1989 version :puke:

#5 I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (195 POINTS 35 votes - 1 1st, 6 2nds & 3 3rds)

- Wizzard

 

Roy Wood's Christmas anthem was released in the same year as Elton John's Step Into Christmas & Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody (1973 UK#4). However it's Phil Spector inspired Wall of Sound have made this song an enduring classic.

 

Lyrics:

When the snow man brings the snow,

Well he just might like to know,

He's put a great big smile on somebody's face.

If you jump into your bed,

Quickly cover up your head,

don't you lock the doors you know that sweet Santa Claus is on his way

 

CHORUS

Well I wish it could be christmas everyday,

When the kids start singing and the band begins to play,

oh I wish it could be christmas everyday,

Let the bells ring out for christmas.

 

When you're skating in the park,

If the storm clouds make it dark

Then your rosey cheeks will light your merry way.

Now the frosticles appear,

And they've frozen up my beard

So we lie by the fire 'til the heat simply melts it all away

 

Repeat Chorus

 

Instrumental Break

 

When the snow man brings the snow,

Well he just might like to know,

He's put a great big smile on somebody's face.

So when Santa brings our sliegh,

All across the milky way

I saw the name on the roof-top in the snow that he might decide to stay

 

Repeat Chorus (Twice)

 

Why don't you give - your love - for Christmas

(Fade) When the snow man brings the snow

 

So far Jester and I are right

At #4 it is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:unsure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.jokovystranky.wz.cz/c/slade/img/SLADE.JPG

 

#4 Merry Xmas Everybody (200 POINTS 33 votes - 1 1st, 4 2nds & 6 3rds)

- Slade :wub:

 

Merry Xmas Everybody is a single by the English glam-rock band Slade.

 

Written by Noddy Holder and Jim Lea and produced by Chas Chandler it was the band's sixth and final number one single in the UK holding the coveted UK Christmas Number One slot in December 1973. It is affectionately held in the same regard by UK residents as Bing Crosby's White Christmas is by US residents. The song is particularly memorable for frontman Noddy Holder's typically screeching delivery of the line "It's Chriiiiiiist-maaaaaaaaaaas!" towards the song's close.

 

Holder described his reasons for writing the song in the November 2006 issue of MOJO Magazine:

 

"I wanted it to be a working-class British Christmas song. And it fitted right with the political and social things going on at the time. It was very grim: there was the Three-Day Week, power cuts at 10 o'clock at night, television finished early because there was no electricity, there was a miners' strike... the whole country was in turmoil. That's why I came up with the line 'Look to the future now/It's only just begun.' That's what everybody had to do. The country couldn't have been at a lower ebb. In times like that, people always turn to showbiz." Despite the song's association with British working class Christmases it was actually recorded in New York in the Summer of 1973.

 

Since hitting number one, the song has been deeply ingrained in the country's consciousness, and remains so even today; it is still a regular feature at UK nightclubs around the Christmas season, especially on Christmas Eve where midnight is signalled by Noddy's screeching finale. The song re-entered the UK Top 40 singles chart a further four times in 1981, 1983,1998 and 2006 eventually selling a little over one million copies.