The 10 Greatest Sad Christmas Songs, No. 1: Jimi Hendrix
1. “Silent Night/Little Drummer Boy,” Jimi Hendrix
A snare drum riff gets this going — it feels familiar yet ominous, then Hendrix’s guitar slides into an acidic “Little Drummer Boy” in which the words we know go with the tune — come, they told me — might as well be demands to answer draft notices. Soon, Hendrix segues into a stumbling, tormented, screaming “Silent Night” in which there’s only one way to achieve heavenly peace — in a body bag.
Previous Top 10:
10. “Christmas Is for Mugs,” Graham Parker
9. “Daddy’s Drinkin’ Up our Christmas,” Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
8. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” John & Yoko
7. “1913 Massacre,” Michael Fracasso
6. “I Pray On Christmas,” The Blind Boys of Alabama
5. “Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto,” James Brown
4. “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night,” Simon & Garfunkel
3. “Christmas In Vietnam,” Johnny & Jon
2. “If We Make It Through December,” Merle Haggard
