Santa is preparing his sleigh, the elves are busy wrapping presents, and stockings are being hung up all around the world, which can only mean one thing - Christmas is just around the corner! We have prepared a diverse playlist of modern Christmas classics by Eurovision and national final artists from Australia and beyond to help get you in the Christmas spirit.
1. ‘Every Moment Is Christmas With You’ - Daði Freyr
Back in May, Iceland’s Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið topped Australia’s ‘Eurovision: Big Night In’ countdown with their Eurovision song ‘Think About Things’. ‘Every Moment Is Christmas With You’ is a very wholesome Christmas song. Daði’s deep voice is perfectly suited to Christmas crooning and this song certainly has a wacky video! Can we say 👁️👄👁️?
2. ‘A Christmas Night To Remember’ - The Mamas
Earlier this year, Sweden’s 2020 Eurovision act and Melodifestivalen 2021 hopeful The Mamas released their Christmas EP ‘All I Want For December’. This original song ‘A Christmas Night To Remember’ is an upbeat number that will spread Christmas cheer to even the most miserable of Grinches. ‘All I Want For December’ contains a selection of original Christmas songs full of The Mamas’ signature gospel flourish and vocals for days!
3. ‘Spend Christmas With Me’ - Ulrikke
A self-confessed Christmas-lover, the Norwegian 2020 Eurovision artist Ulrikke also released a Christmas album this year titled ‘Spend Christmas With Me’. In the video, one can find a tempting taster of yuletide delights sampled from the album - a medley of covers and original songs to help get in the festive mood!
4. ‘S*ck My D*ck 2020’ - Little Big
Did you make Santa’s naughty list this year? Never fear, we have you covered! This irreverent festive tune from Russia’s 2020 Eurovision act is perfect for those who think that 2020 has been a horrible year and wish it would get in the bin forever. Containing everything from the obvious phallic imagery to online meetings, Coronavirus-shaped Christmas baubles, a bat served on a platter, and a very naughty Santa Claus, this humorous tribute to the year that was will delight Little Big fans everywhere.
5. ‘Dobrym Lyudyam Na Zdorovya’ - Go_A
Ukrainian band Go_A, who will represent Ukraine at Eurovision in 2021, have released a humble musical gift for Christmas in the form of ‘Dobrym Lyudyam Na Zdorovya’ which translates to “good health to good people”. The song is true to their Ukrainian roots, with the lyrics being derived from a folk song in a similar vein to their 2020 Eurovision entry ‘Solovey’, and the music composed by the band. This folkloric carol expresses the simple wish of good health and happiness between loved ones, evoking imagery of green pastures and good times shared together.
6. ‘A Winter’s Night’ - KEiiNO
KEiiNO were firm favourites of the Australian televote in Eurovision last year and it’s easy to see why - they are the gift that keeps on giving! Released in November, ‘A Winter’s Night’ is an original song about missing a loved one at Christmas. With a quiet instrumental soundscape showcasing Alexandra Rotan’s voice, the lyrics of ‘A Winter’s Night’ are filled with longing, describing the feeling of going into a cold winter’s night alone.
Tickets to the stream of KEiiNO’s Christmas concert ‘Christmas Spirit In The Sky’ can be purchased here and the stream can be viewed anytime until the 15th of January 2021.
7. ‘Alone on Christmas Eve’ - Måns Zelmerlöw
Back in February, Måns Zelmerlöw wowed the crowds (remember those?) at Australia Decides 2020 with his interval act performance of his Eurovision-winning song ‘Heroes’ and duet with Dami Im ‘Walk With Me’. In November, Måns released this melancholic, wistful ballad about yearning for companionship at Christmas time. He dedicates this song to those who have been forced to spend Christmas alone this year, describing it as “a hopeful greeting that everything will hopefully be back to normal soon.”
8. ‘Every Christmas Day’ - Saara Aalto
While Finnish pop diva Saara Aalto only came 25th in the final at Eurovision in 2018, she won in spirit, because she got to sing this very special Christmas song co-written by none other than our very own Kylie Minogue! Accompanied by pulsing synth pop beats rather than traditional jingle bells, this slick festive bop is fantastic for those who prefer their Christmas music to be on the more modern side.
9. ‘Merry Christmas To You’ - Olivia Newton-John & Delta Goodrem
Australian musical icon Olivia Newton-John represented the United Kingdom in Eurovision in 1974, where she came 4th with the song ‘Long Live Love’. To this day she is continuing to spread the yuletide love, where she has teamed up with fellow Aussie superstar Delta Goodrem to release the original Christmas song ‘Merry Christmas To You’. The song was performed at Delta Goodrem’s ‘Christmas With Delta’ concert, during which Montaigne also performed a cover of the Joni Mitchell classic ‘River’ with Delta.
One of the best parts of Christmas is sharing food with loved ones, and this theme features heavily in this song! ‘Merry Christmas To You’ certainly puts the “class” in “classic”.
10. ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs for Christmas’ - Kate Miller-Heidke ft. The Beards
This cheeky Christmas number was extensively featured in Kate Miller-Heidke a.k.a. Queen’s clues on ‘The Masked Singer Australia’ this year. Featuring lyrics poking fun about feminine pubic hair beauty standards, ‘I’m Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas’ was released as a charity single for Bowel Cancer Australia in 2015, to raise awareness about bowel cancer, which affects one in 10 men in their lifetime and is the second biggest cancer killer in Australia. The effort was praised by critics, being nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Comedy Release in 2016.
11. ‘It’s The Season’ - Didirri
In stark contrast to the majority of Christmas music, which usually focuses on holiday cheer, 2020 Australia Decides singer and Australia’s favourite sad-boy Didirri has penned this dark, nihilistic tune about loneliness during the holiday season. It’s the perfect Christmas song for people who don’t usually like Christmas songs.
12. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ - Jessica Mauboy
Of course, no Christmas playlist would be complete without a some form of ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, originally made famous by Mariah Carey. While many artists have taken on the Christmas anthem, nobody has covered it quite like Jessica Mauboy! In the video of her live performance on Sunrise, Jessica has put a reggae spin on the beloved holiday classic, entertaining audiences with her showstopping vocals, but a version more similar to the original can be found on our Spotify playlist. Speaking of...
Check out our Spotify playlist of all of these below:
And you can check out an even larger one we've put together here:
From all of us at Aussievision - we wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a joyous and safe New Year!