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Post Info TOPIC: Why Has Jarvis Never Written A Christmas Song?
Eamonn


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Why Has Jarvis Never Written A Christmas Song?
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Just reading about how Noddy Holder will be raking it in with royalties once again for his part in the creation of Merry Christmas Everybody and the thought struck that Jarvis has never written (or at least released) a Christmas-themed song (that I can recall, anyway). It would make sense for him to try it - turning something naff on paper into something great. He's expressed an interest in writing the UK's Eurovision entry, for Charlotte Church and when the challenge of writing a song for a big project in a short space of time came-up, Tomorrow Never Cries wasn't a bad attempt.  

I can't think of any Pulp songs that even broach the festive theme. Solo-wise, Happy New Year Baby is probably the most thematic (and, typically, miserable as fook) while there is a nod to the season of goodwill on Disney Time (and, apparently on the unreleased The Night They Let Me Out Of The Home) but maybe it's time to recycle those tubular bells from Bad Cover Version and crack on with it. A nice hook, some subversive, perverse lyrics with a Yuletide story and Bob's yer uncle. It would pay for Albert's university fees if nowt else.



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weej


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Been thinking about this while I was writing the latest entry and really can't come up with a single reason. I think the 80s were too serious, the early 90s more focussed on personal / sexual politics angles, the late 90s had their own themes too - Christmas doesn't really fit in with any of them. But then again, Christmas is often a time for interpersonal tensions in suburbia, that's surely doable. There may be something of the "don't want to be a novelty band" thing in there.

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saw119


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Surely Snow is the Pulp Chrimble song par excellence? They even play it at Christmas time, I'm sure it would have been a Radio 2 staple this time of year if they'd only bothered to record and release it.

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Jarvgirl


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I think that Jarvis hasnt released a Christmas song (apart from Snow if we're putting that in) because they are tacky and they age and you have to use terrible references to pressies and jingle bells and Santa. and in general they are terrible. Plus the only new christmas songs that have been released in this century have been attempts at comedy (failed) or by X Factor contestants and who wants to be either up against the excellence of Band Aid or lumped in with bullshit like Leona Lewis. 

 



-- Edited by Jarvgirl on Wednesday 18th of December 2013 10:18:40 AM

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Jarvgirl


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I would like to see a Pulp Christmas video though.



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Fran


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weej wrote:

But then again, Christmas is often a time for interpersonal tensions in suburbia, that's surely doable.  thing in there.

 Isn't this essentially "Last Christmas"? They did get an occasion-related boost from Disco 2000, shame new millennia don't come round that often.



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Panther


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Jarvgirl wrote:

I would like to see a Pulp Christmas video though.

 OMG. So would I. It could be brilliant and hilarious.



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Jarvgirl


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Panther wrote:
Jarvgirl wrote:

I would like to see a Pulp Christmas video though.

 OMG. So would I. It could be brilliant and hilarious.

 It would. And it's not at all because I'd quite like to see Jarvis tied up with tinsel and fairy lights on Christmas morning. Honest.



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Panther


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Tinsel. What a seventies word. Very Pulp.

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Jarvgirl


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It so is! 



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shotoki


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I think his lyrics are a bit inappropriate for a Christmas song!

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Jarvgirl


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I agree. And I think he's far too talented to be writing clichés about Santa.



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Eamonn


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Fran wrote:
weej wrote:

But then again, Christmas is often a time for interpersonal tensions in suburbia, that's surely doable.  thing in there.

 Isn't this essentially "Last Christmas"? They did get an occasion-related boost from Disco 2000, shame new millennia don't come round that often.

 

I like Last Christmas. 

Re Disco 2000, they withdrew the license for the song to be used in the media to mark the millenium but I guess many parties that night would have given it an airing.

(Actually, The Park Is Mine was on tv that night and I recorded it having never seen the performance or in fact heard a lot of the non-DC songs featured due to still being in my nascent fandom of the blighters.)

Also, regarding Pulp and Christmas, it is worth noting that the band often had a Christmas show - from their playing the Leadmill as a special one-off during the dormant Jarvis-at-Art-College years to the fantastic Theatre Royal performance in 1994 (19 years to the day according to Wiki. "On This Day" also notes they played an Xmas show at Highbury Garage in 1993) and although no Christmas lyrics featured, Jarvis' introduction to Underwear is quite memorable, pointing out as he does how Christmas is a time "when people cop-off with people they wouldn't normally cop-off with".

Even with the Sheff show last year they made an effort with the Xmas cards and pressie enclosed and Jarvis' acapella White Christmas complete with confetti from paper canons.



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liltman


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He loves Christmas songs , does Jarvis. Look how many he plays every year on the Sunday Service, as soon as December starts. I always wish Pulp had done a proper version of the Greg Lake one, didn't he once say that's his favourite?

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"Magic Works" is basically a Christmas song, it was written as the anthem for the Yule Ball.



-- Edited by Fuss Free on Thursday 19th of December 2013 07:42:41 PM

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Panther


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Yes, at heart Jarvis is a romantic and a proper Romantic (but covered in a thick layer of coolness).

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Jarvgirl


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Panther wrote:

Yes, at heart Jarvis is a romantic and a proper Romantic (but covered in a thick layer of coolness).

 I like and agree with this statement.



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weej


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If he did one, it might be something like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4s76oLcPTo



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Violin Thing


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Well he did do First of May, a cover but a Christmas related song.

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Panther


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I'd never heard of First of May till now. Just played it on Youtube. Ta for mentioning it, Violin Thing.

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ArrGee


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Jarvgirl wrote:

...the excellence of Band Aid

I think that is one of the worse.  Course I know it's fucking Christmas!



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ArrGee


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Eamonn wrote:

Also, regarding Pulp and Christmas, it is worth noting that the band often had a Christmas show - from their playing the Leadmill as a special one-off during the dormant Jarvis-at-Art-College years to the fantastic Theatre Royal performance in 1994 (19 years to the day according to Wiki. "On This Day" also notes they played an Xmas show at Highbury Garage in 1993)

 Also played Powerhaus in 1992 and Brixton in 1995.   And then it stopped.    I used to look forward to those dates.



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Fran


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ArrGee wrote:
Jarvgirl wrote:

...the excellence of Band Aid

I think that is one of the worse.  Course I know it's fucking Christmas!

 But it did give us Bad Cover Version (the video).



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Eamonn


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Magic Works is a good shout.
I heard an awful cover of I Believe In Father Christmas in a North London pub's Christmas show last weekend. Far better was the one another band did of East 17's Stay Another Day, complete with guitarist's hooded puffa jacket.

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calumlynn


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I think Pulp have written quite a lot of songs that sound like Christmas songs. I always associate Disco 2000 with Christmas, I'm guessing because it was released at the end of November and so was everywhere in the build up to Christmas, and just seeped into my consciousness (keeping in mind that I was 5 at the time).

I reckon the whole idea of a 'Christmas single' is very Pulp, especially as most of the classics were released in the 70s (besides Last Christmas, which I'd actually love to hear Pulp do).

 

I reckon this is the closest Jarvis has got to a Christmas song:

 

It was never a single, but I remember it being played a lot on this radio show I used to listen to, in the run up to Christmas 2003, as a "Christmas song that doesn't mention Christmas".



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