The best punk Christmas song, period. There are other punk-style efforts, but they just sound like punk songs with a few words about the holiday. Ray Davies, as usual, had more in mind, so you get punk energy, a singable melody and sympathy for the poor kids reduced to mugging a department-store Santa in this holiday single from 1977, the eve of Thatcherism in the U.K.
It’s been tackled by virtually every pop-punk band of later generations, most of them straight covers. The Districts, an indie-rock band from Lititz, Pa., tried another approach in 2014, slowing the tempo to emphasize the song’s darker side.
Maybe the best rock Christmas song of any kind ever. Ray in his best guttersnipe style. Note to REV: class consciousness going on here.
Definitely a very strong contender.
But give my daddy a job ’cause he needs one
He’s got lots of mouths to feed
But if you’ve got one I’ll have a machine gun
So I can scare all the kids on the street