Written by: Abby Johnson
'Punk Goes Christmas' was a one-off Christmas compilation album released by Fearless Records. This album was released in 2013, which was perfect for my angst-driven Freshman years of high school. However, it has been over five years since I’ve listened to this holiday album in full. In light of the holiday season, here is my ranking of every song on Fearless Records’ Punk Goes Christmas. Some of my selections will have commentary on them, and some of them won’t, this has nothing to do with the ranking of the song, but with whether or not I had something worth noting to you as the reader.
Tracklist Order
Nothing for Christmas - New Found Glory
Fool’s Holiday - All Time Low
I Had A Heart - Real Friends
Father Christmas - Man Overboard
This Christmas - The Summer Set
There Will Be No Christmas - Crown The Empire
Christmas Lights - Yellowcard
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - Issues
All I Can Give You - Jason Lancaster
I Don’t Wanna Spead Another Christmas Without You - The Ready Set
This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground) - Set It Off
Do You Hear What I Hear? - William Beckett
My Ranking
1. This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground) - Set It Off
I love when songs are the opposite of what you expect to hear on an album. I think it’s also important to note that Set It Off really took this challenge to write a Christmas song and truly reinvented the meaning of Christmas from a macabre perspective that was true to their music at that time. It’s haunting, it’s jingly, and it’s’ full of the rage of those who never had it all growing up. The anger in this track is palpable and does an incredible job of creating a cathartic listening experience for the consumer.
2. Fool’s Holiday - All Time Low
This pop-rock, heartbroken, Christmas track emulates the perfect story for those hopeless romantics who find themselves alone during the holidays. Maintaining their classic pop-rock sound, All Time Low sprinkles just the subtlest of jazzy flares within the track through the vocals and guitar riffs.
3. There Will Be No Christmas - Crown The Empire
Put simply, this is a beautiful rock ballad crafted uniquely by this metalcore band. I remember when the album first came out, this was not what I had expected of the band, and even to this day I’m a little surprised they went this route artistically, but I’m glad they did. This song is not only a great piece of this compilation record, but it serves as a great example of Crown The Empire’s musical versatility within their talents.
4. Christmas Lights - Yellowcard
5. Father Christmas - Man Overboard
6. I Had A Heart - Real Friends
7. Do You Hear What I Hear - William Beckett
I think Beckett did a fantastic job in this rendition of the iconic Christmas song. However, my ranking here is more based on the fact that this is one of the holiday songs that ranks pretty far down on my personal list.
8. All I Can Give You - Jason Lancaster
9. This Christmas - The Summer Set
Rating The Summer Set this low on the list physically hurts because I generally really enjoy their work. However, this track is best described as bland pop. It sounds like a cookie-cutter version of every other pop holiday song on the market. I also don’t believe that this is Brian Dales' (frontman) best work vocally. His voice sounds very strained and tired, perhaps from touring and performing extensively during the year of this release.
10. Nothing for Christmas - New Found Glory
This song isn’t bad by any means. It’s jolly and it’s catchy which is exactly what’s needed for a successful holiday song by general standards. However, personally, this song is just a little too middle of the road. The acoustic guitar and the group vocals are great, making this a perfect song for family and friends to sing together during the holiday season. I wish there more dynamics within the instrumental sections of this track. I think there’s potential for a great natural build and conclusion, but as it stands, the song is pretty much the same all the way through, not providing the jive I look for in a Christmas song.
11. I Don’t Wanna Spend Another Christmas Without You - The Ready Set
I generally love The Ready Set, but this song is a little lackluster for me.
12. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - Issues
I know at the time, this was very much Issues’ musical style, but I think that the intense, loud instrumental, the choppy electronics, and the soul vocals make a combination that is too much for me as a listener. I don’t think that all of the aforementioned aspects should have been kept as part of the final version of the song. I truly believe that if the dynamics were changed throughout the song, or if some things were more limited in use (such as the choppy electronics that are evident at the beginning of the track), it could be a fine song.
These are very much my own opinion and constructive criticism, and I am not meaning any disrespect to Fearless Records or any of the artists that are featured on 'Punk Goes Christmas.'
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