10 Hard Rock Christmas Songs That Are Actually Good

And from the emo rock royalty we move to...actual hard rock royalty. From the first minute you hear Queen's music, you can pretty much sense the sonic sheen coming off of the layers upon layers of guitar sounds and vocals. Since this kind of extravagance radiated from Freddie Mercury's soul, it was only a matter of time before we got an actual Yuletide track from these rockers.

Done when they were prominently in their poppier phase in the '80s, this is a showstopping Christmas tune from the word go. As Brian May sets the tone with his guitar work, the moment belongs to Mercury, who absolutely soars over this hook like the operatic singers he was attuned to at the time. Though there is a ton of charm in the presentation of the song, the lyrics are fairly nuanced than what you'd probably expect.

Compared to the super happy fun times that come with your typical Christmas songs, Mercury's words anchor the whole event in reality by acknowledging the tough times during the year which make you appreciate the togetherness that comes with being home for the holidays. In the wake of the pandemic, this is one of those sentiments that hits especially close to home considering the distance some will have to be from their families. Leave it to Queen to make what could have been a holiday charity single and turn it into one of the more profound tunes in the Christmas rock canon.