That Just Happy to Be Here, the New Jersey based pop-punk band, has chosen to cover “Father Christmas”, a song from the Kinks, is not entirely surprising. The Kinks have influenced many bands and a not unreasonable case can be made that they were the first punk band. Just Happy to Be Here have picked up on the raw energy of the Kinks’ Christmas song and ran with it. Arguably, they have lost some of the subtlety of the Kinks’ original, but they deliver on energy and speed.
If all they did was power through the song at full pelt, they could be seen as enjoying the absurdity of a group of neds beating up a Santa while demanding he gives them money instead of toys. Just Happy to Be Here, however, are smart enough to ease off the throttle for the key verse where the message of the song is made clear:
“Have yourself a merry merry Christmas
Have yourself a good time
But the kids who got nothin’
While you’re drinkin’ down your wine”
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The absurdity of a Father Christmas who gives “silly toys” to kids when what the really need is for their dad to get a job; or a Father Christmas who gives better presents to the “little rich boys” who already have so much, is not missed by Just Happy to Be Here.
There is also a change to the lyrics that I thought was interesting. Ray Davis, a quintessentially English songwriter, has one the children mugging Santa ask for a “machine gun”, whereas the American Just Happy to Be Here alters the lyrics to “ray gun”. In general, I would have thought that Americans would be more relaxed about people getting guns for Christmas but clearly, the threat of teenagers carrying out mass shootings is all too real, and a change of lyrics was felt to be necessary. The Kinks’ song was written in a different time!
If you want the Christmas cobwebs blown away while enjoying some social commentary, this is the Christmas song for you.
“Father Christmas” is out now.
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