Stop the Calvary - a Christmas song or not?

[Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure]

After a lengthy debate with my sister who randomly blurted out to me and DS earlier that stop the Calvary wasn’t a Christmas song, I’ve decided to put it to the masses.... so what are we saying... Christmas song or not?

Some of my earliest Christmas memories are marching round the Xmas tree with my sisters to this song. It's forever an Xmas song to me 😊

If you were old enough to remember the video for The Power of Love, you’d know it was literally the Nativity, Mary, Joseph and the wee Donkey and all. And released for Christmas. So very much more a Christmas song than any of this others mentioned!

Calvary?

SanityIsAMyth
Calvary, or cavalry?!
😂This.

I also thought it might’ve been a dig at the “it’ll be over by Christmas” nonsense spouted by the powers-that-be in the summer of 1914.

Didn’t realise that Lewie had explained that he didn’t intend it to be a Christmas-related song. Interesting.

I read that as stop the Carvery and was very confused..

I think I need more caffeine.

It's the only time of the year I hear it and my SIL added it to her Christmas smartshow 3d video last year. Couldn't be more Christmassy!

Something doesnt have to be 'cheery' to be xmas.

A song about a soilder wanting the war to stop so he can return home to family for christmas is STILL a christmas song.

Its litrally about nothing else.

It's def a Christmas song.

It depends whether how you define a 'Christmas hit' -

a. Celebrates/focuses on Christmas (E.g. 'Mary's Boy Child')
b. Mentions Christmas (E.g. Stop the Cavalry)
c. Was a Christmas no. 1/top 20 hit
d. Was a novelty song aimed at the Christmas market (e.g. The Frog Song)
e. Was sung by Cliff Richard

I would say the more boxes ticked the more Christmassy the song. Stop the Cavalry ticks b and c so, a Christmas hit in my book.

Oh I got this confused with the Camel Fudge song.

Of course it's a Christmas song. A lot of Christmas narratives - stories and songs- set the horror of everyday against the rich imagery and warmth of Christmas comfort. If the trauma inducing sadness of The Little Matchstick Girl counts then this should also.

I agree with this definitive identification system!

But would expand category b to include Christmas adjacent things -e.g. even if you don't mention the word itself, if it references more than one of the following: snow (including snowmen), presents, tree, carols, reindeer, jingle bells, Holly, mistletoe, santa/father Christmas, chimney.... it qualifies!

Yes, that's an excellent and valid modification!

I'm sure I once read that Jona Lewie wrote it as an anti war song & the record company wanted to add the Christmas parts in. So maybe it didn't start out as a Christmas song but there's absolutely no doubt that it is now & one of my all time favourites.

Yes it says I wish I was at home for Christmas dum de dum dum dum. Then there's some Christmas sounding bells

...... wasn't it an homage to the 1914 Christmas Truce ?.

Salvation Army brass band, sleighbells and "wish I was at home for Christmas" make it a definite Christmas song for me!
It's FAR more Christmassy than many other so-called Christmas songs! If you look at the track listings on various compilations - FGTH "The Power of Love" / Robson and Jerome "I Believe" / Spice Girls / East 17 and so on, I don't consider any of these to be true Christmas songs, they just happen to have been hits around Christmas!
Maybe it's an 80s childhood thing with me - but hearing the oompa-oompa of the SA band in Stop the Cavalry really gives me the Christmassy feels!

That was Pipes of Peace I think

See also ‘All together now” by The Farm. Which isn’t a Christmas song either.

Jona Lewie was being interviewed on our local BBC news a few years ago. He said that it wasn't a Christmas song but he was glad that he'd been persuaded/decided to put the Christmassy jingle effects on the track as it meant people took it as a Christmas song and he was thankful for the additional royalties it brought him every year.

Along with “ step into Christmas “
It’s one of my favourite Christmas songs .

my favourite Christmas song!

100% agree it's a Christmas song and nw it's in my head

I was about to say yes of course it's a Christmas song ....... the same as Die Hard is a Christmas movie