Tim: Let’s have another!
Tom: I should be clear here: as Tim Drunkenly Rants About Christmas Songs Week continues, I’m not just playing the cynical, bitter straight man for the hell of it. I really am cynical and bitter. Every damned producer releases a horrible cash-in Christmas track, and they’ve scarcely got any thought behind them.
Right. Deep breath. Onward. Still on the port, Tim?
Tim: Certainly am. Lovely stuff.
Tim: Now, annoyingly, I haven’t a clue what the lyrics mean, although I can tell you that the title translates to “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, which is nice. My initial thought was to, quite sensibly, assume that it’s a direct translation of Bing Crosby’s 1943 wartime classic.
Tom: I think that’s unlikely somehow, given that’s it’s a completely different song.
Tim: Well, you say that, but I’m not convinced.
I do think that that would make it a bit depressing, though, and really doesn’t fit with the sleigh bells and all that, so I’ll reluctantly change my mind and assume it’s an original track with the basic meaning being “missing you at the moment, but it’s going to be awesome, and I’ll be there.”
Tom: And even I have to admit that it succeeds at that: it is nice, and well sung, and pleasant. In a world where Stop the Cavalry can be a Christmas classic, there’s no reason this couldn’t be.
Tim: It’s lovely. There’s no big overstated key change like yesterday – obviously there is one, but it’s presented calmly and gently. We’ve got a nice festive ballad which works perfectly well, and would fit wonderfully behind a video of gift-giving. Behind a video of a gym workout, not so much, but let’s just ignore that, shall we?
Tom: Hey, you work with the footage you have. Bit of a creepy stare at the camera right at the end, though.