Pop fans – the time has come to start updating your Christmas playlists.
This year, we’ve really been spoilt, with some of the biggest names in music unveiling brand new festive offerings, including seasonal tunes from the likes of Lizzo, Sam Smith and Alicia Keys.
Fortunately for those who don’t feel like sifting through every single new song to sort out the “naughty” from the “nice”, we’ve done all the hard work for you.
Advertisement
Here’s our take on some of the biggest new Christmas releases for this year, starting with something very special indeed…
Lindsay Lohan – Jingle Bell Rock, feat. Ali Tomineek
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Netflix","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOA1ZGywLbqmigxE4Qlvuw","cache_age":86400,"description":"Lindsay Lohan sings \"Jingle Bell Rock\" from the Netflix Film Falling for Christmas, coming to Netflix on November 10th. \n\nAbout Falling for Christmas: A newly engaged, spoiled hotel heiress (Lindsay Lohan) gets into a skiing accident, suffers from total amnesia and finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner (Chord Overstreet) and his precocious daughter in the days leading up to Christmas.\n\n\"JINGLE BELL ROCK\" LYRICS\nJingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock\nJingle bells swing and jingle bells ring \nSnowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun\nNow the jingle hop has begun\nJingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock\nJingle bells chime in jingle bell time\nDancin’ and prancin’ in jingle bell square\nIn the frosty air\nWhat a bright time, it’s the right time\nTo rock the night away\nJingle bell time is a swell time\nTo go glidin’ in a one horse sleigh\nGiddy up, jingle horse pick up your feet\nJingle around the clock\nMix and a-mingle in a jinglin’ beat\nThat’s the jingle bell rock\n \nJing, jing, jingle bell, jingle bell rock\nJingle bells chime in jingle bell time\nDancin’ and prancin’ in jingle bell square\nIn the frosty air\nWhat a bright time, it’s the right time\nWe’re gonna rock the night away\nJingle bell time, it’s a swell time\nTo go glidin’ in a one horse sleigh, hey\nGiddy up, jingle horse pick up your feet\nJingle around the clock\nMix and a-mingle in a jinglin’ beat\nThat’s the jingle bell rock\n\nYo!\nOkay, it’s beginning to look like it’s Christmas\nI got a lot on my wish list (true)\nYeah, I know that I’m already gifted\nBut I never had a problem with kisses\nGet the mistletoe and a couple of winter coats\nCause you know that it’s really cold\nI mean, really cold!\nWe could bundle up in the snow\nIf you don’t got nowhere to go\nBaby let me know\nAs soon as I saw your face\nGirl I knew that I just wanted you for the holidays\n\nSo come on, don’t be shy today\nCome and hop inside of Santa’s sleigh\nWe could ride away\nFeel like I’m in a wonderland\nEvery time that we hold hands\nI mean oh man\nI think I fell in love again, but i’m done\nBring it back in Lindsay Lohan\n\nWhat a bright time, it’s the right time\nWe’re gonna rock the night away\nJingle bell time, it’s a swell time\nTo go glidin’ in a one horse sleigh,\nJingle\nGiddy up, jingle horse pick up your feet\nJingle around the clock\nMix and a-mingle in a jinglin’ beat\nThat’s the jingle bell, that’s the jingle bell\nThat’s the jingle bell rock\nJingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock\n\nSUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7\n\nAbout Netflix:\nNetflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with 223 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.\n\nLindsay Lohan sings \"Jingle Bell Rock\" | Falling for Christmas | Official Lyric Video | Netflix\nhttps://youtube.com/Netflix\n\nAfter losing her memory in a skiing accident, a spoiled heiress lands in the cozy care of a down-on-his-luck widower and his daughter at Christmastime.","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wP54DA-gmSs/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Lindsay Lohan sings \"Jingle Bell Rock\" | Falling for Christmas | Official Lyric Video | Netflix","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP54DA-gmSs","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","entryTagsList":"ukmusic,christmas,lizzo,sam-smith,cliff-richard,lindsay-lohan,alicia-keys,jinkx-monsoon","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"ukmusic","slug":"ukmusic","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukmusic","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic/"},{"name":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","links":{"relativeLink":"news/christmas","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas"},"relegenceId":5556441,"relegenceSubjectId":978615,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas/"},{"name":"Lizzo","slug":"lizzo","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lizzo","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo/"},{"name":"Sam Smith","slug":"sam-smith","links":{"relativeLink":"news/sam-smith","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith"},"relegenceId":2839254,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith/"},{"name":"Cliff Richard","slug":"cliff-richard","links":{"relativeLink":"news/cliff-richard","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard"},"relegenceId":5940892,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard/"},{"name":"Lindsay Lohan","slug":"lindsay-lohan","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lindsay-lohan","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan"},"relegenceId":1076550,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan/"},{"name":"Alicia Keys","slug":"alicia-keys","links":{"relativeLink":"news/alicia-keys","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys/"},{"name":"jinkx monsoon","slug":"jinkx-monsoon","links":{"relativeLink":"news/jinkx-monsoon","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon/"}],"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
Oh, Santa has been good to us this year. Not only is 2022 the year we finally got a Lindsay Lohan comeback in the wonderfully cheesy Netflix original Falling For Christmas, it also came with a bonus stocking filler in the form of a new musical offering from the criminally-underrated artiste.
What’s more, the track is a cover of the festive staple Jingle Bell Rock, in a nod to one of the most iconic scenes of Lindsay’s signature film, Mean Girls.
Advertisement
All in all, we’re very much here for her take on Jingle Bell Rock, and we enjoy what the musical team did in terms of bringing the song up to date without taking it too far away from the original. Still, we have had to deduct marks for the completely unnecessary addition of a rap verse (a bit of digging reveals Ali Tomineek originally rose to prominence on the Netflix talent search Rhythm + Flow, which may well explain how he came to be on the track in the first place).
Sample lyric: What a bright time, it’s the right time to rock the night away.
It can be the case that when a big-name singer releases a holiday album they spend the afternoon recording a few covers, slap some sleigh bells on it, pose in some fake snow for the artwork and call it a day.
Well, we’re happy to see that’s not the approach Alicia Keys has taken, with her new festive release featuring four original tracks (including a co-write with Emeli Sandé!) alongside covers of Santa Baby, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and The Christmas song.
The stand-out is lead single December Back 2 June which mixes a retro R&B vibe with a modern sound in that way Alica does so well. It’s also a bit of a bop, with lyrics referencing how the festive season makes her feel nostalgic for the past year with a loved one. Ask us next year whether it’s made our permanent playlist, but we’ll definitely be giving it a spin this December at the very least.
Advertisement
Sample lyric: “For this Christmas, don’t need wishes, not since I met you, every season, you’ll give reason to love you from December back to June”
As part of Amazon Music’s Christmas celebrations, Lizzo has chosen to delve deep into the festive vaults and cover Stevie Wonder’s classic Someday At Christmas, a full 55 years after it was first released.
While “peace on earth” is a pretty popular Yuletide lyrical theme, Someday At Christmas takes a more specific approach in its lyrics right from the opening line: “Someday at Christmas, men won’t be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys.”
The lyrics certainly pack a punch, and as you’d expect from a good Stevie Wonder cover, the production is definitely a 60s throwback. And there’s certainly no arguing with Lizzo’s vocal abilities here.
Advertisement
Sample lyric: “Someday all our dreams will come to be, someday in a world where we are free, maybe not in time for you and me, but someday at Christmas time.”
Anyone looking for something new to cosy up to in front of the fire while slurping down mulled wine and looking out of the window at where snow would no doubt be cascading if climate change hadn’t stopped us from ever having a white Christmas again is in luck.
Sam Smith’s new slow jam is very much in their usual wheelhouse (it’s certainly more Stay With Me than Unholy, in case anyone is worried about a festive jump-scare), and there’s no denying it’s a pretty song that would be the perfect soundtrack to an under-the-mistletoe moment.
Still, it’s not exactly imaginative, which is a shame as just a couple of years ago Sam gave us the brilliantly unique Christmas tune The Lighthouse Keeper, which is definitely the superior of their two festive originals.
Advertisement
Sample lyric: “Come rest your weary head on my chest, the year is behind us, we’re still at our best, the magic of Christmas is what’s coming next, so lean in and kiss me and all of the rest.”
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Cliff Richard","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk-zULhX5gDvt9kTDeJaubA","cache_age":86400,"description":"My brand new album Christmas with Cliff is out now! ❄️⛄You can buy, stream or download the album here: https://cliffrichard.lnk.to/ChristmasWithCliff\nI’ll be on @The One Show tonight where I’ll be chatting all about the album, make sure you tune in!\n\nTo stay up to date with all new releases on the channel subscribe here: https://bit.ly/3152uk6\n\nLike Cliff on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sircliffrichard\n#cliffrichard #christmaswithcliff #christmas","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fIXAIfncrAQ/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Cliff Richard – Heart Of Christmas (Official Video)","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIXAIfncrAQ","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","entryTagsList":"ukmusic,christmas,lizzo,sam-smith,cliff-richard,lindsay-lohan,alicia-keys,jinkx-monsoon","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"ukmusic","slug":"ukmusic","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukmusic","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic/"},{"name":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","links":{"relativeLink":"news/christmas","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas"},"relegenceId":5556441,"relegenceSubjectId":978615,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas/"},{"name":"Lizzo","slug":"lizzo","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lizzo","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo/"},{"name":"Sam Smith","slug":"sam-smith","links":{"relativeLink":"news/sam-smith","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith"},"relegenceId":2839254,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith/"},{"name":"Cliff Richard","slug":"cliff-richard","links":{"relativeLink":"news/cliff-richard","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard"},"relegenceId":5940892,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard/"},{"name":"Lindsay Lohan","slug":"lindsay-lohan","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lindsay-lohan","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan"},"relegenceId":1076550,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan/"},{"name":"Alicia Keys","slug":"alicia-keys","links":{"relativeLink":"news/alicia-keys","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys/"},{"name":"jinkx monsoon","slug":"jinkx-monsoon","links":{"relativeLink":"news/jinkx-monsoon","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon/"}],"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
You might be surprised to see Sir Cliff on our round-up of contemporary festive tunes, but with three Christmas number ones to his name, and a new album out for 2022, we’d be remiss not to include him.
This track is the lead single from the crooner’s new album Christmas With Cliff, beginning with some pretty standard lyrics about how “the streets are glistening with lights”, “the air is getting cold outside” and “the snow is falling from above”, but by the time we get to the chorus it becomes apparent that the “Heart Of Christmas” Sir Cliff is singing about is, Jesus. To be fair, his most recent number one was a reimagined version of The Lord’s Prayer so we could probably have seen this coming.
“Hear the angels singing out, unto us a child is born,” he sings on the chorus. “Jesus, the heart of Christmas.”
Advertisement
So, yeah – this one probably isn’t for everybody. But at the same time, we can’t pretend this isn’t among the catchier Christmas tunes on the list…
Sample lyric: “Listen and you hear the sound, the song they sang in Bethlehem is forever.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Jinkx Monsoon And BenDeLaCreme – Looking At The Lights
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Various Artists – Topic","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGEEEXr1aSMQy3SYKaJDqew","cache_age":86400,"description":"Provided to YouTube by CDBaby\n\nLooking at the Lights: From the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show Live! (Studio Recording) (feat. Bendelacreme) · Jinkx Monsoon · Bendelacreme · Markaholic\n\nLooking at the Lights: From the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show Live! (Studio Recording) (feat. Bendelacreme)\n\n℗ 2022 Bendelacreme LLC\n\nReleased on: 2022-11-01\n\nAuto-generated by YouTube.","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ycz-IS0a3oI/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Looking at the Lights: From the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show Live! (Studio Recording) (feat….","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycz-IS0a3oI","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","entryTagsList":"ukmusic,christmas,lizzo,sam-smith,cliff-richard,lindsay-lohan,alicia-keys,jinkx-monsoon","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"ukmusic","slug":"ukmusic","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukmusic","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic/"},{"name":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","links":{"relativeLink":"news/christmas","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas"},"relegenceId":5556441,"relegenceSubjectId":978615,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas/"},{"name":"Lizzo","slug":"lizzo","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lizzo","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo/"},{"name":"Sam Smith","slug":"sam-smith","links":{"relativeLink":"news/sam-smith","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith"},"relegenceId":2839254,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith/"},{"name":"Cliff Richard","slug":"cliff-richard","links":{"relativeLink":"news/cliff-richard","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard"},"relegenceId":5940892,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard/"},{"name":"Lindsay Lohan","slug":"lindsay-lohan","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lindsay-lohan","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan"},"relegenceId":1076550,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan/"},{"name":"Alicia Keys","slug":"alicia-keys","links":{"relativeLink":"news/alicia-keys","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys/"},{"name":"jinkx monsoon","slug":"jinkx-monsoon","links":{"relativeLink":"news/jinkx-monsoon","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon/"}],"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
Fans of drag duo Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme might already know this original festive tune, as it was featured in their 2021 holiday special. This year, it’s been given a proper single release, which we’re over the moon about, as it hopefully means even more people will now discover it.
Written by BenDeLaCreme and performed by the recently-crowned “Queen of All Queens” Jinkx, Looking At The Lights is a sorrowful, musical theatre-inspired torch song that will certainly speak to anyone who finds this particular time of year difficult.
Still, don’t go thinking it’s all doom and gloom. Yes, Looking At The Lights does highlight the many reasons a lot of us struggle in the winter, but also highlights how having even just one person in your corner, whether that be a partner, friend or family member, can often be enough to get you through it.
Advertisement
Sample lyric: “You may see a tree wonder what’s the use… maybe there’s no use, just a nice excuse for me to sit beside you on these cold and lonely nights.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens – We Should Be Together
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Rosie Thomas","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ONVTsnuzEk5De8kKL55lQ","cache_age":86400,"description":"Ltd Ed \"We Should Be Together\" Necklace Sets at https://rosiethomas.bandcamp.com/merch \nGet em while you can!\nCredits:\nWritten by Jeffrey Shoop, Rosanne Thomas\nProduced by Jeff Shoop\nPerformed by Jeff Shoop, Rosie Thomas\nGuest Vocals, Drums, and Additional Engineering by Sufjan Stevens\nSleigh bells by James McAlister\nEngineered by Jeff Shoop\nMixed by Yuuki Matthews\nMastered by Ed Brooks\nVideo by Jeff Shoop\n\nLyrics:\nMan why did I let you leave me alone in summer\nI should have known by fall Id finally finish your sweater\nAnd now it’s lying here on my bed\nAt night I wrap the arms around my waist\nPretend it’s you instead\nAnd cry into the shoulder\n\nWe’ve pulled this thread for so long\nTo let it come undone now\nI still believe \nWe still belong\nSomeway somehow so\n\nI’ll be home for Christmas time\n(Whatever the weather)\nYou be home for Christmas too\n(We should be together)\n\nMan why did I let my feet get cold and bitter\nToo scared\nInsecure\nUnsure if you were unsure \nThe pieces wouldn’t fit\nNot a tight enough knit \nFor us \nTo make it through the winter \n\nWe’ve pulled this thread for so long\nTo let it come undone now\nI still believe \nWe still belong\nSomeway somehow so\n\nI’ll be home for Christmas time\n(Whatever the weather)\nYou be home for Christmas too\n(We should be together)\n\nWe should be together\n\n\n\n#christmas #christianmusic #lovesong #breakupsong #rosiethomas #sufjanstevens","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":480,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xRxdaa0GBbE/sddefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":640,"title":"Rosie Thomas – We Should Be Together (feat. Sufjan Stevens )","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRxdaa0GBbE","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isMt":false,"entryId":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","entryTagsList":"ukmusic,christmas,lizzo,sam-smith,cliff-richard,lindsay-lohan,alicia-keys,jinkx-monsoon","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":6},"before_you_go_slideshow":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"638f26eee4b06fdc9d913210","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"ukmusic","slug":"ukmusic","links":{"relativeLink":"news/ukmusic","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/ukmusic/"},{"name":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","links":{"relativeLink":"news/christmas","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas"},"relegenceId":5556441,"relegenceSubjectId":978615,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Christmas","slug":"christmas","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/christmas/"},{"name":"Lizzo","slug":"lizzo","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lizzo","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lizzo/"},{"name":"Sam Smith","slug":"sam-smith","links":{"relativeLink":"news/sam-smith","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith"},"relegenceId":2839254,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/sam-smith/"},{"name":"Cliff Richard","slug":"cliff-richard","links":{"relativeLink":"news/cliff-richard","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard"},"relegenceId":5940892,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/cliff-richard/"},{"name":"Lindsay Lohan","slug":"lindsay-lohan","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lindsay-lohan","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan"},"relegenceId":1076550,"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/lindsay-lohan/"},{"name":"Alicia Keys","slug":"alicia-keys","links":{"relativeLink":"news/alicia-keys","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/alicia-keys/"},{"name":"jinkx monsoon","slug":"jinkx-monsoon","links":{"relativeLink":"news/jinkx-monsoon","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/jinkx-monsoon/"}],"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["
The second we heard that Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens had teamed up to record a Christmas tune, we knew we were in for something truly devastating. And yet, there was still no preparing for quite how much of an emotional listen this would be.
On We Should Be Together, Rosie sings from the perspective of someone who’s hoping for a Yuletide reconciliation, after a pivotal relationship came to an end in the summer, with some truly heartbreaking lyrics comparing the relationship to a Christmas jumper the protagonist has spent the last year working on.
Between the lyrics and the beautiful way Rosie and Sufjan’s voices complement one another, We Should Be Together is an extremely effective festive effort. Admittedly, it’s probably a little too sad to stick on between Slade and Wizzard (unless you fancy crying into your turkey on Christmas day), but it’s the perfect soundtrack to a moody walk in the snow.
Advertisement
Sample lyric: “The pieces wouldn’t fit, not enough fit to make it through a winter, we’ve pulled this thread too long to let it come undone now, I still believe we still belong someway, somehow, so I’ll be home for Christmas time…”
