Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Freiheit - why

65 replies

NooNakedJacuzziness · 08/12/2022 08:25

WHY do you only hear Keeping the Dream Alive at Christmas time? (although apologies to all Freiheit obsessives who play it year round). There's absolutely no mention of snow, Christmas, reindeer, mistletoe and there are no sleigh bells in the background.

Is it the only song not to have anything to do with Christmas that's become a Christmas standard? Even Stay another Day has sleigh bells. Certainly keeping the royalties dream alive for Freiheit though!

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 11:25

Ha, i wondered this about "2 become 1" which is def not related to xmas but was obviously a xmas no1

The Spice Girls had three Christmas number ones in a row, with none of them being Christmassy, really. Maybe people just associate Christmas with extra 'snuggle' time?!

At least you never hear the 1993 Christmas song played ANYWHERE now, which is (albeit too late) a mercy to humankind. I bet Noel Edmonds doesn't even play it at home!!

Original poster
NooNakedJacuzziness · 08/12/2022 11:33

Blobby!

OP posts:
haveyouopenedyourbowelstoday · 08/12/2022 11:37

It's actually one of my favourites! It was Christmas 1988, first year in uni. I thought I was being clever working in The Ramada Renaissance in Brighton all over the Christmas period.
We worked like dogs, stupid hours. I realised Christmas morning how sad I was when I rang home (stayed in the hotel) but made loads of money.
Driving Home for Christmas was a very apt song that year.

Justellingthetruth · 08/12/2022 11:44

@NooNakedJacuzziness

didnt it keep « kissing a fool » by GM off number one?

WeAreTheHeroes · 08/12/2022 11:46

Freiheit were no.1 in December 1988, E17 were the Christmas no.1 in 1994.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 11:52

It's actually one of my favourites!

Phew, I was terrified for a moment just then that you were referring to Mr Blobby!

Original poster
NooNakedJacuzziness · 08/12/2022 11:53

Got a feeling Blobby kept Take That off - vague memories of them messing about with him on TOTP!

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 11:58

Killing In The Name doesn't seem to have been accepted into the radio station Christmas music canon yet - even though it apparently now qualifies!

dexterslockedintheshedagain · 08/12/2022 12:05

FestiveFruitloop · 08/12/2022 10:37

Always gets on my wick that Stay Another Day is considered a Christmas song! Haven't heard the Freiheit one in years though (a pity, I really like it) - then again, I don't listen to the radio much.

'Stay another Day' is actually actually about suicide 😳

deplorabelle · 08/12/2022 12:09

I hadn't heard of this but now I'm obsessed 🙂

The German version of the lyrics have a flavour of new year about them, which I think might be the seasonal connection (they start Ein Jahr ist schnell vorüber - a year goes by so quickly)

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 12:26

Slightly off-topic, but I always get a bit of an emotional pang when I hear ABBA's 'Happy New Year' - not played nearly enough on the radio. Listening to them pondering what life might be like in ten years' time - in 1989 - just seems to mark how quickly and relentlessly time races on by.

ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 08/12/2022 12:30

NooNakedJacuzziness · 08/12/2022 08:25

WHY do you only hear Keeping the Dream Alive at Christmas time? (although apologies to all Freiheit obsessives who play it year round). There's absolutely no mention of snow, Christmas, reindeer, mistletoe and there are no sleigh bells in the background.

Is it the only song not to have anything to do with Christmas that's become a Christmas standard? Even Stay another Day has sleigh bells. Certainly keeping the royalties dream alive for Freiheit though!

I don't know! Neither Stay Another Day by East 17 - other than they were in the snow in white parkas.

I think it was released at Christmas or something. Off to check.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 12:35

I'm surprised that Billy Mack's 'Christmas Is All Around' doesn't get much more airtime on the radio and in shops in December.

Whatever you think of Love Actually as a film, although it was clearly a comedy song, it's genuinely a real festive banger and better than a lot of serious Christmas releases into the pop charts!

KatherineJaneway · 08/12/2022 13:23

I love the song!

bigbadbarry · 08/12/2022 13:27

I always thought that keeping the dream alive is 100% a christmas song because it was in 'Scrooged' which is a definite Christmas film ... but googling suggests I might have imagined that and it was actually put a little love in your heart so no idea

wickedstepmothfker · 08/12/2022 13:38

I get duped into thinking that's ELO every time (showingmyage.com)

Doowop1919 · 08/12/2022 14:00

I feel the same with the flying pickets song 'only you'. Nothing to do with Christmas but it's played every Christmas.

AclowncalledAlice · 08/12/2022 14:23

Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "power of love" is also not a Christmas song (it was the video that made it christmassy), but every year that one gets trotted out.

MirandaWest · 08/12/2022 15:28

This has made me listen to Keeping the Dream Alive

Allschoolsareartschools · 08/12/2022 15:30

I love it but it does remind me of the Lockerbie air disaster.
Just one of those songs that was out at Christmas. I don't even remember it being a big hit.
I've got it on a Christmas playlist but haven't heard it in the radio in years.
Top marks to Gary Davies for playing Wombling Merry Christmas yesterday though!

Original poster
NooNakedJacuzziness · 08/12/2022 15:34

Wombling Merry Christmas is brilliant, good old Ooh Gary Davis

OP posts:
AllNightDiner · 08/12/2022 17:17

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/12/2022 10:55

Even Joni Mitchell's beautiful 'River' - which is played extensively in December - isn't really about Christmas; it's just mentioned as an aside in the first verse.

Radio stations don't only play 'American Pie' in February, just because it happens to mention February and the fact that it's cold then!

But the intro to River riffs on Jingle Bells, so that's Christmassy...

Honper · 08/12/2022 17:22

Stay Another Day references the traditional Xmas activity of running oneself over with a baked potato which is why it's on all the Xmas compilations.

Santaseviltwin · 08/12/2022 17:48

As a self proclaimed expert on the subject I have to say that we wish you a wombling merry Christmas is the best Christmas song ever and should get more airplay🎅

ichundich · 08/12/2022 18:03

TheVanguardSix · 08/12/2022 10:05

Never heard of it.
50 years old.
From the States.
Have lived in Germany during the 90s.
Spent 2 months in Munich in the early 90s.
Speak fluent German.
Never heard of the song or the band.

There is even a metro station in Munich called Münchner Freiheit! Not sure if it was named after the band or the other way round. In Germany the song is played (in German) all year round, albeit not very frequently.