It's Christmas.'Tis the season to be jolly. If so, then it seems that some songsmiths really didn't get the memo. Because while you can tune in to the festive hits on the radio to be told that "every song you hear seems to say Merry Christmas, may your New Year's dreams come true", there are a handful of Yuletide records that seem to say quite the opposite. When Frank Sinatra recorded Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas for his album A Jolly Christmas he had original writer Hugh Martin change the lyrics to make it fit the "jolly" tone. (Martin had already had to rewrite the Meet Me In St Louis song once before when the film's director Vincente Minelli had deemed it too depressing). Hence the line "until then we'll have to muddle through somehow" became the more familiar "hang a shining star upon the highest bough". One can only imagine what Ol' Blue Eyes' regime of enforced jollity would make of the ten songs on this list. For anyone looking for an antidote to the relentlessly upbeat sounds of Wizzard and Mariah Carey, then these ten tales of festive break-ups, family fights, absent loved ones, attempted suicide and arrested hookers should make you think that however bad your Christmas is, at least it could be worse.
