This is one of my favourite Christmas pop songs. Not originally written as a Christmas song, there is a dispute between singer and writer (Peter Sinfield) over whether it is a protest against the over commercialisation of Christmas or a song about loss of innocence. It is certainly rather cynical as it describes growing up and learning that a white Christmas, peace on earth, Santa Claus and, as far as the writer is concerned, the Israelite too, are simply untrue. With such a large amount of cynicism, the song is in danger of collapsing under its own weight so a valiant effort is made to rally by wishing everyone a brave and hopeful Christmas, free from anguish and pain. Perhaps the strength of the song, however, is its ability to capture a traditional childhood Christmas in the west with references to "that Christmas tree smell", "eyes full of tinsel and fire" and "waking in the first light of dawn". The song has appeared in various guises but the best one is probably the original Greg Lake version of 1974, where the choir, sleigh bells, orchestra and drums all make their mark behind Lake's brilliant twelve string guitar, complete with harmonics. The use of the Troika from Prokofiev is no small part of the song's genius. Remaining optimistic in the midst of the reality of life is not easy. Jettisoning false beliefs and avoiding being naive is good but without hope, what is left to keep you going? Some of us do believe in the Israelite and that makes all the difference.
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