Tim: CHRISTMAS TIME, and Tom, you’ve only got yourself to blame for this – for some reason you decided that the very first post on this (ostensibly) Europop-based blog should be a Hanson track, and, well, revenge it seems is a dish best served wintry, so a Hanson track is what we’ve got to kick us off this season.
Tim: Though I say ‘revenge’, it’s actually not a remotely bad track.
Tom: Yeah, I was going to say…
Tim: They’ve had Christmas songs before — a whole album of covers and originals, in fact, 20 years ago, which makes me think the opening to this video might be a callback–
Tom: Callback? It’s literally from their own 1997 Christmas special, designed to promote that exact album!
Tim: Well I was about to say that it’ll take someone with more dedication than me to check that, so thanks.
Tom: …ah, damn. Anyway, I love how awkward they seem to be in the camera shots when they’re not singing here.
Tim: That is fun, isn’t it? I’ve got to say: this is a pretty good sound. The instrumental tropes are all out in force – tambourine jingling on every other beat, chiming bells dropping in and out – but it’s got fairly hefty rock vibes to it as well.
Tom: And a saxophone middle eight! I mean, this isn’t going to enter the pantheon of Classic Christmas Tracks or anything, but it’s a solid entry for this year.
Tim: Lyrically as well we’ve some good variation – it’s nice to have a change from the more usual “Christmas is time to be all lovey dovey”, because instead we’re Just. Celebrating. CHRISTMAS. And I love that. We’ve a good few tracks coming up, Tom, so let’s hope you’re as excited as I am.
Tom: Despite this song, Tim, it’s not Christmas yet — but this is one of the best openings we’ve had to our Christmas season in all the time we’ve been doing this. Nice try on the “revenge” thing, though.