Christmas music is thriving
On the radio and in the shops, yes almost everywhere, it is played right now - Christmas music. Familiar classics such as "White Christmas" and "Tänd ett ljus” are mixed with more modern artists' new Christmas songs.
“Music contributes to giving Christmas a positive charge,” says Alf Björnberg, professor emeritus of musicology.
Today, many people associate Christmas music with hits and pop songs that have Christmas as a theme. Already in the gramophone's childhood, it was an important music category and the first Swedish record catalogues from the beginning of the 20th century had a section for Christmas records, which over the years became increasingly extensive.
With the launch of modern media such as gramophone and radio, and later digital media, music produced and distributed via these media became increasingly important, not least commercially. Today, a large number of new Christmas albums are released every year, both digitally and as CD albums.
”Judging by the large number of new releases of Christmas music that appear every year, many artists see it as important to place themselves on the Christmas music map.”
Not everything becomes a Christmas classic
Last year, many did so by launching Christmas songs with a pandemic theme. No one knows how long their life expectancy is. But it is clear that far from all Christmas songs continue to be popular.
“The measure of the significance of a Christmas song is probably about the degree to which it has been incorporated into a kind of Christmas music canon as an evergreen or classic. Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" from 1940, primarily associated with Bing Crosby's recording, was for a long time the best-selling piece in music history in recorded form.”
Another example is "Do They Know It's Christmas" with Band Aid from 1984. The connection between the Western Christmas celebration and the urgent need for aid to the deprived was something new at the time, but the song has since remained a Christmas classic.
“Among Swedish Christmas songs, "Tänd ett ljus” with Triad from 1987 seems to have a lasting status as such a modern classic.”
More varied Christmas music
According to Alf Björnberg, Christmas music has become more and more varied over time. No matter what the listener thinks about Christmas, it is always possible to find songs that express just that opinion: devout and solemn, sentimental, playful, ironic or critical.
“It is striking that a couple of the most played modern Swedish Christmas classics, "Juligen" with Just D and "Mer jul" with Adolphson & Falk, both give evidence of an ironic distance to the excesses of the Christmas celebration”.
A few years ago, the trade union Handels conducted a large survey of how those who work in stores experience music in the workplace. Many people thought that the Christmas music was more disturbing than the music that was played the rest of the year. That stores continue to choose it as background music during the Christmas shopping has to do with the power of tradition, says Alf Björnberg.
“I think there is a widespread perception that Christmas music works to promote purchasing and that relatively few store managers would dare to deviate by playing a completely different type of music.”
What do you think about the status of Christmas music in the future?
“Christmas music will live and thrive as long as the cultural and commercial position of the Christmas celebration persists,” says Alf Björnberg, professor emeritus of musicology.
BY: Thomas Melin