It’s Christmas time again! Time for some Christmas songs. The same old Mariah Carey or Cliff Richard? Again? We say let’s try some rock ‘n’ roll or heavy metal for a change! As AC/DC had said, “Rock ‘n’ roll ain’t gonna die.” In no particular order, this list has 15 greatest rock and heavy metal Christmas songs:
1. The Greedies – ‘A Merry Jingle’
Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey together with The Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones and Paul Cook had formed ‘The Greedies’ in 1979. The fleeting band only released one song called ‘A Merry Jingle’. This brilliant rock rendition is a medley of ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. With the crunchy guitar riffs and straight rock drum beats, this track surely grows on everyone, irrespective of whether you are a metalhead or not!
2. Alice Cooper / John 5 / Billy Sheehan / Vinny Appice – ‘Santa Claws Is Coming To Town’
Lifted from the 2008 album ‘We Wish You A Metal Xmas… And A Headbanging New Year’, this spooky heavy metal rendition of the classic song surely brings a little bit of Halloweeen into Christmas. So if you are bored with the same old cheesy songs and want to headbang all the way on Christmas this year, don’t think twice!
3. Lemmy Kilmister, Dave Grohl & Billy F. Gibbons – “Run Rudolph Run”
From the same album with kickass drums, a growly voice and super cool distorted guitar riffs, this track is another essential to a head banging Christmas!
4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – ‘Christmas All Over Again’
This song is an original written by Tom Petty for the 1992 charity album “A Very Special Christmas 2” to raise funds for Special Olympics. With tight rock and roll drums and melodic guitar lines the song will surely make you dance and have a jolly good time with friends and family. The song ends with Petty reciting a Christmas wishlist – “I want a new Rickenbacker guitar, two Fender Bassmans, Chuck Berry song book, Xylophone.”
5. Halford – ‘We Three Kings’
Who thought that this beautiful Christmas carol can be turned into a headbanger rock and roll track with shred guitars? This song from ‘Halford III: Winter Songs’, the third studio album by the heavy metal band Halford is a Christmas treat!
6. Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)’
As the name suggests, the song is a perfect song for resolving a fight with your loved one during Christmas “cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart”. The song was later used on the soundtrack to the widely panned 2004 film ‘Christmas with the Kranks’.
7. Rainbow – “Snowman”
From the album ‘Bent Out of Shape’, Rainbow’s ‘Snowman’ is how Ritchie Blackmore imagines Howard Blake’s ‘Walking in the Air’ from the classic animated short film The Snowman. A proggy ambient soundscape with blackmore’s guitar makes the song a must listen.
8. Twisted Sister – ‘Heavy Metal Christmas’
“On my heavy metal Christmas my true love gave to me, a tattoo of Ozzy!”– you know how metal it can get when a song starts with these lines! The only original composition from Twisted Sister’s 2006 holiday album ‘A Twisted Christmas’, the track can be said to be a metal tribute to the traditional carol ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’. Talking of all gifts metal from leather jackets to studded belts, the song is a treat to metal fans!
9. Billy F Gibbons – ‘Jingle Bell Blues’
It is that blues swing track to which you can dance and swing and have a good time. Released in 2021 by ZZ Top legend Billy F Gibbons, the track features his trademark harmonica solos and guitar work.
10. Dokken – ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’
Appearing in the 2007 compilation album ‘Monster Ballads Xmas’, this rendition of the 1934 festive classic sounds quite edgy with beautiful guitar solos.
11. AC/DC – ‘Mistress For Christmas’
Although not considered to lyrically be one of their best works, this song by AC/DC makes it to the list if you are craving that signature AC/D sound this Christmas. Realeased in 1990, the song has those sleazy vocals by Brian Johnson and Angus Young’s signature muscular guitar tone.
12. Magnum – ‘On Christmas Day’
British rock band Magnum’s ‘On Christmas Day’ is an anti war peace song taken from their compilation album “Dance Of the Black Tattoo”. The song talks about the 1914 Christmas truce among British, French and German soldiers.
13. Samantha Fish – ‘Run Run Rudolph’
American guitarist singer-songwriter Samantha Fish’s version of ‘Run Rudolph Run’, this song has tasty blues guitar work and Samantha’s vocal runs which makes it a perfect Christmas song to groove to for Christmas!
14. The Who – ‘Christmas’
Written by Pete Townshend, ‘Christmas’ is the seventh track on The Who’s 1969 rock opera ‘Tommy’. It tells us the story of Tommy whose parents think that he doesn’t understand Christmas and asks how he can be saved.
15. Bon Jovi – ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’
A perfect Bon Jovi original to set the mood for the Christmas, the list would be incomplete without mentioning this song. Released in 1993, the song has also been covered by Eagles and Willie Nelson.
