7 Classic Christmas Songs That Aren't Actually About Christmas

9 December 2021, 12:13 | Updated: 16 November 2022, 13:39

They always appear on festive compilations, but are they actually about Christmas?

We may love hearing them every December, but if you stop and think about the lyrics long enough, you realise that you could technically listen to them all year round!

1. East 17 - 'Stay Another Day'

   East 17 - Stay Another Day (Official Music Video)

   This song was actually written by Tony Mortimer about his brother's suicide, but after Christmassy bells were added to the final mix and a snowy video was produced, it became a Christmas standard in the UK ever since.

   Mortimer later said: "It wasn't meant to be a Christmas single. The A&R department said we should stick some bells on the end, but that's as much as it touches on the old ho-ho-ho stuff. I thought they were all mad."

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   Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 'The Power of Love'

   Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power Of Love

   Another song released around Christmas at the time, it is often regarded as a Christmas song, despite having no reference to Christmas within the lyrics.

   However, the video features the Nativity scene, and the single cover contained The Assumptions of the Virgin, and a festive tradition was born.