Greg Lake
I believe in Father Christmas
“The Said they’d be
snow at Christmas/They said there’d be peace on Earth”. A lot of promises
are broken at Christmas, especially to do with world peace (Or weather to be
honest). In 1975 Greg Lake released I
Believe In Father Christmas, which he claims was a protest song at the commercialisation
of Christmas. So would he be annoyed that it has been adopted as a Christmas classic?
Probably not, as it is currently his only hit UK Single. The lyricist on the
other hand believes it is about a loss of childhood, and those childhood Christmas
beliefs; “Eyes full of tinsel and fire…”
Either way, there are some subtle, and not so subtle, macabre
undertones in this song. Especially the wonderful, if not haunting recount of a
child’s view of Santa early Christmas morn; “And
I saw him and through his disguise”. Yet there is something triumphant and
joyous about the final chorus as Greg wishes listeners a “Hopeful Christmas and a Great New Year” The words dance
beautifully with the playful, hypnotic repeated riff played throughout on accompanying
strings. The song reaches a pinnacle as Greg proclaims “Hallelujah, Noel! Be It heaven or Hell/The Christmas we get we
deserve…”.
Whether or not this was meant to be a ‘Christmas Classic’ or
not is up for argument, but the pure enjoyment of this track makes it one. It closes
with a burst of choral groups and trumpets, drums and cymbals, finishing off
this glorious song in full orchestral style.
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