Flex's Ultimate 25 Days of Christmas (Songs) World Cup: Group D

[Flex]

Here it is folks. The group stages. Excitement. Mayhem. A great chance for some giant-slaying. Out of our 24 song nominations* 16 will go on to fight another day. For the group stage we'll have 4 groups of 6 songs, with the bottom two songs in each group getting eliminated. I've tried to group them so no one has both their nominations in the same group. I'll include music videos and any comments that were provided with the initial nomination in this post below.

Because voting for stuff is fun, each person gets FOUR votes - four get to move on after all - so use them wisely. Voting will continue until the morning (in the United States, anyway) of Saturday, December 10th. Anticipate the Round of 16 polls going up that same day.

*For those keeping close track, I included all FOUR of revbob's suggestions - the scamp - and also LDL's suggestion of Tom Waits' Silent Night so we could have an even number of songs when all was said and done.

Group D

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York (nominated by Olaf)


The Kinks - Father Christmas (nominated by revbob)


The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping (nominated by JennyB)


Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue (nominated by weller259)


"One Christmas Catalogue by Captain Sensible, another of my all-time faves. Another must-have if anyone asks me."

Otis Redding - Merry Christmas Baby (nominated by WestwayKid)


"...a little Stax Christmas"

Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (nominated by Flex)


"The most epic song on the most epic Christmas album of all time. The instrumentation, the vocals, the heartbreakingly perfect seasonal lyrics, this all adds up to not just one of the best Christmas songs of all time, but one of the best songs of all time period."

[matedog]

I predict some weird "only in IMCT" outcome where some obscure 80s UK song beats Darlene Love.

[Flex]

I predict some weird "only in IMCT" outcome where some obscure 80s UK song beats Darlene Love.

Maybe. There are definitely a few Freedom Eagle vs Limeytown divisions possible here. In any case, I plan on giving each group a nice relisten over the next few days and trying to really think through each pick. Should be fun. It's a great collection of songs overall. I'm a little surprised at how traditional a lot of it is, but then again, maybe I'm not.

[Silent Majority]

First difficulty in choosing here.

[Toppers Boppers]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

[Flex]

Okay, final group and there are some real titans in this one. Let's see.

-The Pogues - Fairytale of New York

I've long extolled the virtues of this song as one of, if not the, best Christmas songs of all time. Me and everyone else on this board, I think. I do agree that in recent years the f-bomb and some of the general misanthropy don't age so well ever so slightly. I don't want to sound overboard with criticism, I still love this song and listen to it a bunch. Songs for a low down Christmas that's still full of heart and soul, even if it's broken, is a terrific subgenre of song and plays well for a lot of us 'round these parts, I suspect. An enthusiastic "yes" vote from me.

-The Kinks - Father Christmas

The king of the "santa read your karl marx" songs. 'Nuff said. Yes vote.

-The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping

Okay, the titans of new wave christmas keep on coming here. Great thumping beat, cool as heck vocals and an amusing story-song all add up to a mega-classic. One thing: third degree burns? Yikes, that's pretty serious. I feel like that's underplayed in this song. Anyways, I adore this song. The slice-of-life lyrics are really endearing. Another yes vote, easily.

-Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue

This was cool. I... am not sure I've ever heard this song before (or if I have, it didn't stick in my brain). Definitely the Captain doing more of his new wave thing. In some ways, not totally dissimilar to the Waitresses song, with it's thumping beat and cool-as-a-cucumber vocals. Songs that are new to me in this exercise are tough, because it's hard to react to a song you're hearing for the first time with the thought that "yes, this reigns above all these christmas songs I've listened to year after year" which is really no fault of the song, but perhaps the nature of the exercise. Maybe next year we should do a "the greatest christmas song you've probably never heard" competition. Very pleased to be acquainted with this song now, and this will be a very genially meant "no" vote from me.

Otis Redding - Merry Christmas Baby

God, those opening bars. Timeless, imho. Redding is on brilliant form here, with a timeless Christmas song. This may be the first song in this group round that I'm about to vote "no" on that I feel could have a claim to the title of christmas song champion. It's just such a tough group, and my own predilections are naturally going to fall towards the punk/new wave/alternative side of things. It can't be helped. An extremely reluctant and regretful "no" vote from me.

-Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Again, this was my nomination so I'm going to vote it forward. I'll never tire of the impressive arrangement and Darlene's vocal performance here.

[matedog]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

[Dr. Medulla]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

[Toppers Boppers]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

Indeed, mildly limey but not the full Chas n Dave Christmas Jamboree Knees Up. And I left out the Cap'n coz it's a load of old tosh.

[revbob]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

Or Slade just winning out of the blue.

[Heston]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

Or Slade just winning out of the blue.

You can't say the Slade song isn't absolutely ace.

[revbob]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

Or Slade just winning out of the blue.

You can't say the Slade song isn't absolutely ace.

If it was any good Im sure Quiet Riot would have covered it.

[Dr. Medulla]

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

Or Slade just winning out of the blue.

You can't say the Slade song isn't absolutely ace.

If it was any good Im sure Quiet Riot would have covered it.

Absolutely perfect.

[weller259]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

And yet I nominated it, Mr. "Straight-out-of-central-casting" New Yorker. I just always dug the melancholiness (sp) of the song, with the sampling, it just hits me hard.
I am not surprised its the least voted on, kind of a metaphor of my existence really. lol.

[Dr. Medulla]

Three finalists in one group with Kinks, Waitresses, Pogues.

There's that Limey nonsense I was expecting.

No, that would mean Captain Sensible running away with things. (Nothing against him or the song, just that that would be peak Limey.)

And yet I nominated it, Mr. "Straight-out-of-central-casting" New Yorker.

Ha! Maybe you're one of … them … at heart. (Check his car for "petrol" and a "torch" in the "boot.")

I just always dug the melancholiness (sp) of the song, with the sampling, it just hits me hard.
I am not surprised its the least voted on, kind of a metaphor of my existence really. lol.

Again, nothing against the song whatsoever. But it is going up against a tough field in this group.