On A Good Note

By Logan Hampsey

Happy Holidays! 

Welcome back to another edition of On a Good Note 🙂 Last time, I covered the #FreeBritney movement and highlighted some of Britney Spears’ albums that were released around the date of my last edition. This time, we will get jolly, celebrate the holidays, and give recognition to some holiday classics and undergrounds that I have been listening to in hopes of my holiday spirit kicking in! All of the songs I have listed below are originals written by various artists, except for the last one, which is a cover originally written and performed by John Lennon.

• “All I Want For Christmas Is You” – Mariah Carey
  • I must start off by talking about this classic holiday hit. This may be one of the most recognizable Christmas songs of all time and it only took Mariah Carey fifteen minutes to write it. This song was written, recorded, and released in 1994 as well as the album it was on, Merry Christmas. At the time of its release, it was a very controversial decision for Carey to release a “Christmas album” so early on in her career – her record label felt it was a desperate cry for help and at the time, typically older artists released holiday albums. Carey stuck to her gut and wrote this classic, as well as so many others, and she is now praised every year around the holiday season for being a “Christmas Queen.” I was not always a fan of this song. It took a while to grow on me because I am not that fond of the wintertime, but I learned to appreciate the nostalgia of the song and how big it was at the time and still remains to this day. 

• “Christmas Tree Farm” – Taylor Swift
  • This cute little holiday song just makes you want to sit around a fire and watch the snowfall. This is a newer Christmas song, but it is one that I have been listening to and I feel should gain more attention. This song sounds like a normal holiday song, but with a Taylor twist. She reflects on her own experience actually growing up on a Christmas tree farm and what the holidays meant to her. In the music video for the song, she personalized it with many photos and homemade videos from when she was a child, and the whole aesthetic of the single feels very nostalgic.

• “My Only Wish (This Year)” – Britney Spears
  • The princess of pop wrote and released a Christmas song fairly early on in her career that has gained more attention as the years have passed. Though released in 2000, it has gained a lot more attention this year after being re-released back in November. This up-beat, catchy holiday bop will bring you Christmas feels and remind you of a simpler time. This is one of the only holiday songs I can listen to year round, not only because of my adoration for the artist, but because it just makes you want to get up and dance!

• “Cozy Little Christmas” – Katy Perry
  •  Newly available on all streaming platforms, this warm tune sounds like a typical Christmas song with the sleigh bells and the holiday melodies. It is a song that you can hear during any time of year and you would still appreciate it. This song just fills me up with cheer and I think it is so cute, more people should give it a listen! 

• “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” – Miley Cyrus/Mark Ronson/Sean Ono Lennon
  • I purposely saved this song for last, because it is not only a true holiday song, but it is a powerful, humanistic song that makes me cry every single time I hear it. I highly recommend listening to this song if you have not yet, whether it be this version or the original. I usually listen to Lennon’s version of this song, but for the purpose of the consistency of this article, I chose Miley’s cover of it because I think it is the best, besides Lennon’s himself. I think it is truly amazing how Miley and Mark got John Lennon’s son Sean on this track because he sounds exactly like him, it is kind of scary.

I hope you enjoyed these holiday picks! If you know some of these songs already, that is awesome!! If I taught you some new songs, I hope you give them a listen! 

I wish safe and happy holidays to everyone!