There’s a particular science that goes into writing a great Christmas song. While artists like Mariah Carey and Wham have been able to make modern Christmas classics in the modern age, there are just as many who try to capture the zeitgeist who end up falling flat on their faces. Considering how many legends have tried writing their holiday favourite, it’s only natural that all four members of The Beatles would throw their hats in the ring.
Although the Fab Four had been known for making various Christmas packages for their fans while they were still together, the holiday season showed each of them creating Christmas songs of their own, trying their best to capture the festive spirit. When looking at each song, though, there’s a definite pecking order regarding where each falls.
Before examining The Beatles’ various attempts at spreading Christmas cheer, it’s essential to realise the criteria for making a Christmas song. Not only does it have to be an excellent song for the season, but do the lyrics and the melody also reflect the sounds of the time, either through the singalong melodies or the jolly atmosphere that the song conjures up?
While none of these songs could be considered terrible by any metric, some do a better job than others at making people feel festive when the trees go up and the family comes together once again. The Beatles may have left the world with millions of optimistic songs, but this is where they could celebrate the season through music.
The Beatles’ Christmas songs ranked:
4. ‘I Wanna Be Santa Claus’ – Ringo Starr
It should come as no surprise that Ringo Starr falls just short of the rest of his bandmates as a songwriter. From the first time he sat behind the drums, Starr was just willing to play the songs the rest of the band wrote, providing the perfect heartbeat for every track they made. Although Starr may have gotten by with a little help from his friends during his solo career, ‘I Wanna Be Santa Claus’ feels more like a vanity project than a proper song.
Coming from his Christmas album of the same name, Starr is still absolutely charming singing this song, wanting nothing more than to be like the ‘Man in Red’. While the tune’s structure is typical of what many would expect out of latter-day Ringo, the groove proves why the drummer was known as one of the greatest in his field, still being able to keep the Christmas season swinging whenever he sat behind the kit. Even though the song lacks much more substance than his bandmates’ contributions to the holiday playlist, Ringo may have been one of the few artists who could make a Christmas classic based on pure charm.
3. ‘Ding Dong Ding Dong’ – George Harrison
When looking at the career trajectory of The Beatles, it would make sense for George Harrison to write a more spiritual song for the holiday season. Since he spent the latter half of The Beatles getting involved with spirituality and showcasing his faith in All Things Must Pass, Harrison was happy to spread out into discussing his faith whenever he got the opportunity. For every song like ‘My Sweet Lord’, though, there’s a track like ‘Ding Dong Ding Dong’ to show Harrison’s lighthearted side as well.
Taken as a celebration of New Year’s Day, Harrison’s ode to the New Year is still a ton of fun from the outset, featuring various melodic left turns that many fans had come to expect around this time. The only detractor for the song comes from Harrison’s voice, which still sounds incredibly weak from his work on the album Dark Horse. Even if he sounds a bit worse for wear behind the microphone, the dishevelled sounds of Harrison are one of the most optimistic ways to ring in the New Year.
2. ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ – Paul McCartney
For years, music fans have been either delighted or tormented by listening to Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’. While many see it as a contemporary holiday classic, others consider it one of the most singularly annoying songs ever created, complete with squelchy keyboards which timestamp it in the 1980s. For every detractor, though, there is much more to Macca’s Christmas romp than meets the eye.
Compared to the other Christmas standards heard around the holidays, this is the catchy melody that McCartney could write in his sleep, making different melodic leaps to keep everything interesting. Coming from the same era that birthed McCartney II, the song also benefits from McCartney’s ear for production, featuring instruments bouncing off each other to create a disorienting synthesiser symphony. While it might be one of the biggest earworms to affect December in recent memory, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of fun around the holidays.
1. ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ – John Lennon
Some of the greatest Christmas songs are about something more than celebrating the holidays. While it’s easy to capture the season’s spirit by saying the right buzzwords rapidly, Christmas is also about giving back to the people whenever possible. The holiday spirit is about promoting peace and goodwill for the world, and it was only natural that John Lennon channelled his advocacy for peace into a holiday classic.
Working off of a children’s choir, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ is the perfect kind of Christmas song, featuring a spellbinding guitar riff and Lennon reminding fans of the opportunities that come with bringing people together. Since many were still facing the aftershocks of The Vietnam War around this time, hearing Lennon’s hymn for peace is still relevant to this day, asking for everyone to leave their violent tendencies at the door and appreciate seeing another Christmas. Lennon may have had a reputation for being cynical about The Beatles’ breakup, but ‘Happy Xmas’ is the sound of him putting down his political doctrine to ask for a better world.
