“Father Christmas”

by The Kinks

Listen to the Song:

[audio:01_FatherChristmas.mp3]

Just listen to the first fifteen seconds of this song if you don’t think this is the number one Christmas Rock song. *Fifteen seconds later* You see! It’s amazing! For those of you who refused to click the link and return here I will detail why this song is the number one. It starts Christmas-y enough with a happy piano melody and sleigh bells before a guitar and drums crash in with the impact of a meteor! The drums pound out a perfect punk rock intro while the guitar rocks in the truest sense of the word. At this point Ray Davies vocals come in.

This is a really awesome part of the song. Davies sings as two characters in the song. The first is a department store Santa. He opens the song, but in true rock Christmas fashion he is accosted and robbed by poor kids from the neighborhood. “A gang of kids came over and mugged me/And knocked my reindeer to the floor!” From here Davies sings as the kids, and what really works is the way Davies makes his vocals more forceful for their demands, “Father Christmas give us some money!” I have long thought Davies is probably the most underrated singer in Rock, and the Kinks may be the most underrated band in rock history. What other band appeared in the British invasion did a few concept albums and then practically invented punk rock!?

I digress, back to “Father Christmas”. Dave Davies lead guitar is fantastic, definitely the most entertaining work in any of the Christmas songs on this list. The drums are also a huge high point as they roll franticly between verses. I mean come on people! What is more rock than a department store Santa being robbed by kids who yell, “Give all the toys to the little rich boys!” The guitars, bass, and drums are music to my ears. Nothing rocks like that kind of classic line up.

If you are one of those types who need some kind of Lennon-ish message in your songs try this, “Have yourself a good time/ but remember the kids who got nothing!” See this song really has it all! This IS Christmas Rock! If you needed a definition of it I would point you to this song. It’s really so good I can’t think of much else to say about it. Just listen to it and enjoy!