Poll of the Day > Does anyone realize the majority of popular Christmas songs come from the 1950s?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Once that generation dies off will these songs dies off as well?
Also what is the relationship between this and the rise of the US as a global superpower in a Post World War 2 global economy?

Also this extends into the 1960s as well.

They're timeless for a reason.

Judgmenl posted...

Once that generation dies off will these songs dies off as well?

Considering that every generation since has basically grown up hearing them constantly spammed over the radio (and everywhere else), they're not really tied to the 50s (any more than Carol of the Bells or 12 Days of Christmas are tied to the 1910s), and they probably aren't going anywhere.

It's why new Christmas songs occasionally get added to the traditional repertoire, but you rarely see the older ones falling out of fashion. Sure, it can happen - and you occasionally get a situation like people realizing that "Baby It's Cold Outside" is kind of rapey so growing adverse to it - but generally once a song enters the "universal playlist" it's probably going to be there long after the people who heard it first are dead.

If anything, the more interesting thing is that there really haven't been all that many big Christmas songs becoming "universal" since the 90s (Mariah Carey being the last big one that caught on). Everything else since seems like more of a flash in the pan that might be trendy for a year or two, or sort of an also-ran for a bit after - but it feels like people are more likely to forget every song from the last 50 years before they start forgetting the ones from the 1950s.

Basically, the growing cynicism of the public and the homogeneity of corporate music may have made it nearly impossible for new Christmas songs to catch on at all. So far from the older ones eventually going away, they may wind up being the only ones we ever have.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Basically, the growing cynicism of the public and the homogeneity of corporate music may have made it nearly impossible for new Christmas songs to catch on at all.

That, and the also the fact that only a small portion of the public hears any particular new music today. Back in the 1950s there wasn't nearly as much getting put out, so people were much more likely to hear any particular song and it became 'traditional' much more easily.

Judgmenl posted...

Also what is the relationship between this and the rise of the US as a global superpower

I don't think it was so much that the US was powerful, but it was a time period where the national mood was good (the depression and WW2 were over) and people were wanting to feel relaxed and happy. Makes for good holiday music.

MagicalPrincess posted...

They're timeless for a reason.

This.

I'd much rather listen to the 50's crooners than, for example, Mariah Carey.

i like banging my cougar milf to santa baby. its a classic

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Basically, the growing cynicism of the public and the homogeneity of corporate music may have made it nearly impossible for new Christmas songs to catch on at all. So far from the older ones eventually going away, they may wind up being the only ones we ever have.

I agree with your conclusion, and my favorite Christmas song isn't even likely to be heard by anyone no here (It's a Japanese song named Snow Halation, although I am just a giant weeb and Love Live fan anyways).

Christmas songs from the 1950's always remind me of the Christmas bar scene in Goodfellas.

I don't listen to 1900's Christmas music unless someone else puts it on the radio or something for the most part. I listen to actual timeless Christmas music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaTeascyDq8&list=OLAK5uy_mAf_hfuGnXdDoZnGB8jgbtghr_5Ueshf4&index=2&ab_channel=BostonCamerata-Topic

They won't die off. Traditional Christmas music has existed for thousands of years. Christmas seems to replicate itself culturally over time.

MagicalPrincess posted...

They're timeless for a reason.

Some would say you've experienced the Baby Boomer's 40 year stranglehold on society. I read an article a few years back where a sociologist made the same observation about Christmas songs while listening to Whams! "Last Christmas" on the radio. This prompted him to do a study where he found that most of the 20th century pop Christmas songs came from the 40s and 50s.

Half these songs came from "The Greatest Generation", but the Baby Boomers would have been listening to their parent's music. He came to the conclusion American society has been recreating the Baby Boomer's childhood experiences of Christmas for the past 40 years.

Fun fact: I do not hate on that Mariah Carey song even half as much as people seem to love doing. I even think it's the best thing she's ever done.

Now, compare her song to either a bunch of kids spouting random Christmas themes off-key while an actual singer performs seemingly half of a generic song, or, more recently, that stupid "Text Me Marry Christmas," and you might well think that either Mariah's song is actually not bad at all or the season is rife with shit music.

*shrugs*

Judgmenl posted...

Once that generation dies off will these songs dies off as well?
Also what is the relationship between this and the rise of the US as a global superpower in a Post World War 2 global economy?

Also this extends into the 1960s as well.

You cant possibly actually believe this.

But you probably just wanted attention so hear ya go I guess.

it's not like they will vanish, they are dozens of records

wpot posted...

That, and the also the fact that only a small portion of the public hears any particular new music today. Back in the 1950s there wasn't nearly as much getting put out, so people were much more likely to hear any particular song and it became 'traditional' much more easily.

True. Similar to how I've said in the past that I think we've essentially seen the death of shared pop culture as a sociological phenomenon, because kids today are growing up with so many options vis-a-vis shows on streaming services and Internet videos that they're not really going to have any universally shared cultural touchstones once they're adults. For every kid who's seen [insert popular kid thing here], there's going to be 10 who've never heard of it.

It'll be interesting to see what it looks like when the Internet keeps people more and more connected, yet people simultaneously have less and less in common than ever before.



Entity13 posted...

Fun fact: I do not hate on that Mariah Carey song even half as much as people seem to love doing. I even think it's the best thing she's ever done.

I've never liked it, but part of that is probably because I really liked her first two albums and started to go off her by the time her third one came out. So the Christmas song came at a time when I was very cold on her in general.

That being said, I think my favorite song of hers might be this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv-HvQvtRcc

(I would have posted the actual video, but it's a Vevo and I recall you hate it)

Yah

BB_mofo posted...

Some would say you've experienced the Baby Boomer's 40 year stranglehold on society. I read an article a few years back where a sociologist made the same observation about Christmas songs while listening to Whams! "Last Christmas" on the radio. This prompted him to do a study where he found that most of the 20th century pop Christmas songs came from the 40s and 50s.

Half these songs came from "The Greatest Generation", but the Baby Boomers would have been listening to their parent's music. He came to the conclusion American society has been recreating the Baby Boomer's childhood experiences of Christmas for the past 40 years.

If it ain't broke tbh. If there's one thing I give boomers and the silent gen credit for is good pop music and those timeless Christmas songs from Bing, Sinatra, and many of the other 40s/50s artists.