BY EMMA WESTCOTT//
hey…
i’m trying to figure out the best way to start this because i haven’t written for the blog in SO long. i’m now behind the scenes as the editor of this lovely blog and of these amazing writers. and don’t get me wrong, i love this more administrative role and keeping this blog going (because it’s like my favorite thing ever) but i miss writing. i have no time anymore and my column is bone dry because of it…
SO this is me making my return to the blog! it is quite possible that this is all i’m going to write this semester, and after this, i’ll once again disappear into the dark shadows of wordpress. but for today, i am popping out to write about a playlist no one really cares about, as per my usual from last year <3 playlists from the subconscious is alive.
a disclaimer: this is gonna be obnoxiously long, but i’ve missed this so much and i’m getting three months of pretentious music journalism out of my system in one go, so be nice…
all of that being said, i am making my return with an idea that i kind of did already, last year, but shut up because it’s slightly different, so it’s fine.
i haven’t ever really been the kind of person to play christmas music in july and scream about how “there are only 173 days until the most wonderful time of the year!” i’ve always found those people a little bit annoying; it kind of ruins the special-ness of that time of year (for people who celebrate the holiday) if it’s christmas all the time. my family isn’t really religious; we used to go to church on christmas eve when i was little and then kind of just stopped, and none of us really cared (or least i didn’t; i thought it was boring). to me, christmas is a day for family gathering, good food, and quality time to rest.
additionally, for me, my birthday is the 19th of december, so i always felt overshadowed by the biggest commercial holiday being days after my birthday. i’d be ready to celebrate my birthday and be the center of attention (because duh) while everyone else was holding their breath for the 25th.
but…. i love cold weather and it’s finally starting to get cold (ish, put the parkas away) in dc. and even though the snow here is measly and sad, the temperature drop alone still makes me think of the december season, of my birthday and christmas and the time to be blissfully lazy. SO, in keeping with my nature of being a hater of christmas music stans, i have created (another) playlist of songs that are either low-key christmas songs or just songs that i associate with that christmas feeling that don’t actually have anything to do with christmas. a lot of these are probably just personal connections that won’t make sense to anyone else, but i don’t really care. and it’s already pretty long, and i’m gonna keep adding to it, so i won’t go into deep detail with every song, but i wanted to share it with you all anyway.
i started off with “a rainy night in soho” by the pogues. for some reason, music from the 70s and 80s (minus songs that feature the dx7 keyboard…) makes me feel warm inside. not to be a “i was born in the wrong generation” kind of person, but there’s a connection i have with that time in music that i don’t think can be replicated. following the pogues, i have “home” by catie turner. other than the subject matter, i think this one just fits because i was obsessed with it around november/december of my freshman year; it makes me think of flying home to my family. next is “happy christmas (war is over)” by j*hn l*nnon. i hate him but god is this a good song. i’ve been playing it for weeks.
next, i have two more non-christmas songs that fill my ribcage with that yellow-light-atmosphere and velvet soft feels: “loving someone” by the 1975 and “god only knows” by the beach boys. the latter may only be here because it’s in love actually (one of my top four favorite movies of all time, check letterboxd), but i also think they just did a good job picking their soundtrack, because it fits! next, we’re back into christmas for real with “it’s beginning to look like christmas” by bing crosby and “if we make it through december” by phoebe bridgers. a household name classic and a sad indie song… i mean, that’s kind of my m.o.
rapid firing the next few, we have “1970” by citrus maxima (saw them live a few days ago and added this song immediately) (go wyatt!!), “christmas song” by phoebe bridgers, “our house” by madness, “unbelievers” by vampire weekend, “it’s christmas time again” by backstreet boys (don’t laugh… it doesn’t fit the vibe but it’s so good), and “put a little love on me” by niall horan. all of these, especially in conjunction with one another, make me picture my family around our kitchen island, each of us setting up our hors d’oeuvres plates that we’ll have for dinner (one of our traditions <3).
onto #14 (wow this is long, if you’re still reading ily), we have “come out and play” by billie eilish. i mean… the album cover for the single release… come on. following billie, we have “i wish it could be christmas everyday” by wizzard (hello 70s) and “white winter hymnal” by fleet foxes, which makes me feel like a kid again.
i was only gonna mention my favorites from the playlist in this but i can’t choose and i feel bad leaving any of them out, so it’s time for another speed round! moving on, we have “love is a wild thing” by kacey musgraves, “river” by joni mitchell, “frosty the snowman” by fiona apple (i love an indie/alt/pop cover huh), “have yourself a merry little christmas” by phoebe bridgers, and “wishin’ and hopin'” by dusty springfield. again, these make sense in my brain, so i hope it translates to you if you decide to listen to this playlist. like trust me. light a candle, start folding your sweaters and put them on the shelves as it snows, you’ll get it.
“7 o’clock news / silent night” by phoebe bridgers AND fiona apple… collab! yes this song does make me wanna cry BUT i pictured me crying with my sweater-paw-hands wrapped around a warm mug of hot chocolate as i curl up on the couch. then we have “coventry carol” by sufjan stevens, “pretty paper” by the lumineers, and “last christmas” by lucy dacus. again, the indie christmas covers fuel my life fire.
and rounding out the playlist, we have “illicit affairs” by taylor swift. i know this song is about cheating and heartbreak and blah blah I DON’T CARE. it is now a christmas song simply because the production is fantastic and warm; put the lyrics aside if you feel you need to. i am such an advocate for listening to sad music even if you aren’t sad simply because it’s good music. don’t limit yourself! hot people indulge in heartbreaking songs on their best days.
well. it is done (for now). this is my little christmas capsule that i do not open until november 1st. if you have any recs, please dm me on instagram @ emyogurt. i want this playlist to be painfully long. alright, back into my editing cave i go. ily wrgw and ily music blog <3 thanks for reading.
playlist below 🙂