No matter how you feel about the holiday season, there’s no way you can escape Christmas. As one of the only folk traditions still celebrated in America regardless of faith or religion, Christmas is a major part of pop culture. Be it from a business standpoint or straight up sentimentalism, holiday music is embedded in our lives. While most of it shmaltzy and insufferable, there are a few Christmas songs to stand the test of the time. But with artists from just about every genre jumping on the bandwagon, what makes a song sound like Christmas?
A few years ago, VOX posted a video posing the question What makes a song sound Christmassy? Adam Ragusea (a journalism professor at Mercer University) frames the question around Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. With a closer look at the composition, VOX was able to compare the chord progression to another holiday classic, “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin made popular by Bing Crosby. Ragusea determines there is a special, secret chord used in both songs that does all the work evoking feelings of Christmas.
However, Adam Ragusea is wrong on two separate counts.
Transposing Mariah’s song to the key of C, Ragusea claims the secret chord is a Dm7b5. However, while sounding complex and intimidating, the chord he is thinking of is actually a simple F minor. For the sake of argument, a Dm7b5 is made up of the notes D-F-Ab-C. But the F minor or Fm6 in Mariah’s song is of Ab-C-D-F. Despite being the same notes in a different order, the chord is not a Dm7b5.
Which leads to the next mistake. “It’s just the most Christmassy thing in the world, and I don’t know why!” Ragusea endearingly romanticizes, suggesting the progression is exclusive to holiday music. That particular progression is known as a Plagal Minor Cadence and it’s quite popular.
Studying music theory for over half my life, I can tell you it’s intimidating at first. But it’s a whole lot easier if you take your time and break it down without romanticism or clickbait drama. Let’s do just that!
A ‘musical cadence’ is a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of resolution. Basically 3 or more chords starting and ending in an order that sounds pleasing to the human ear. Think of the chords to “Twist & Shout”. That’s the I-IV-V progression. Standard rock n’ roll at its finest. Without knowing the first thing about music, you already know that riff sounds cool. A ‘plagal minor cadence’ is where the IV chord in that progression is minor instead of major. The same idea of resolution is there but in more of a dramatic sense.
Breaking it down even further, imagine a chord progression as a story. The musical cadence is simple and easy to follow. The plagal minor cadence tells the same story but with a few extra scenes to make the ending even more satisfying. Some like to call the plagal minor cadence the accidental minor. No matter what you call it, it’s a great way to elevate a composition.
Radiohead’s “Creep” makes great use of the plagal minor cadence in its minimalist form. The main chords are G-B-C, but on the last measure, resolves on C minor. Not only does it give the song a distinctive flair but it also accentuates the dire loneliness of the song. For those of you who hate “Creep”, Radiohead’s “No Surprises” utilizes a plagal minor cadence just as effectively in its main riff. But there are literally thousands of songs we hear every single day using the modal change. The Beatles, Bowie, Bruno Mars, Superdrag, Beyonce, I could go on for hours but you get the idea.
Do “Creep” and “No Surprises” sound like Christmas? Of course not, but they utilize the same theoretic elements as “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, completely debunking Ragusea’s claim.
Now that we’ve dismantled VOX’s theory, we still need to answer the question. What makes a song sound Christmassy?
There are a few reasons why “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has become one of the most celebrated holiday songs in the past 25 years.
The most obvious is that it’s simply a great track from start to finish. It’s light, catchy, and outfitted with a crisp yet passionate vocal performance by one of the most gifted singers in the business. But there a few other things coming together making this particular track endure while other original songs of the modern area faded into obscurity.
The 13-note leitmotif sets the mood for the entire song. Then comes Mariah’s soulful vocal line backed by the Phil Spector-esque wall of sound, pounding out the aforementioned melody. Soon after, things kick into gear with a bouncy, retro 12/8 style rhythm and hook after sugar-coated hook. Everything about the recording oozes unbridled energy like any good pop song should. Its next to impossible to not smile when you hear it. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is self-aware cheerfulness by design. Even the notes in the vocal melody ascend and descend like a vocal exercise, making it easy and fun to sing along with.
According to the song’s co-writer, Walter Afanasieff, Mariah wanted to make a timeless holiday song in the same vein as the Spector-penned “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love.
As one of the greatest producers in secular music history, Phil Spector’s compositions were deeply rooted in the early 20th-century American songwriting, also known as Tin Pan Alley. The music coming from that era leaned heavy into modal changes in both music and lyrics. Chords go from major to minor back to major leaving the listener with a bittersweet feeling. The only songs of the Tin Pan era existing in modern times would ironically be the Christmas ones.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” exhibits a similar vibe lyrically.
On the surface, it’s a generic declaration of love. But we’re not entirely sure that love is reciprocated. If the person in the song is desperate enough to forgo the holiday pleasantries she holds so dearly for a person, its clear that person isn’t in her life already. Couple that with Mariah’s passionate delivery and you have a song much deeper than first glance. In reality, she was in a rocky marriage at the time and always used the holidays as a coping mechanism. The listener believes her words because they’re coming from honest heartbreak.
With all of the music theory, production appreciation, and lyrical analyzation, it’s still hard to decipher a single aspect that makes a song sound like Christmas.
It can be argued, the sound of Christmas is simply just sleigh bells. That could explain why “Dance Dance Dance” by The Beach Boys or the World 3 map of New Super Mario Bros. sound more like Christmas songs than any other song using the plagal minor cadence. But could it really be that simple?
I personally believe its nostalgia. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” touches upon everything we associate with the holiday season.
There’s the shiny cheerfulness of pop, the soulless commercialism of worldly possessions, and even a longing to be loved by someone who may or may not feel the same way. Mariah Carey and Afansieff combined the lush production of Phil Spector with the timeless songwriting of Irving Berlin and created a modern classic. Most importantly, it evokes a sense of innocence not often felt throughout the rest of the year. If I’m being honest, I don’t really care much for the song or holiday music in general. But regardless of opinion, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is not only the perfect example of the holiday season but a proper representation of pop music in general.