There are at least 20 instances of words like gift, gave, and sent - all things one would associate with an exchange.
Go ahead and argue that exchanges can occur at any time… Well, hypothetically any group of people could exchange gifts for March 15th or every 2nd Tuesday of whatever month and/or any arbitrary day of the year. But nope. There’s really only one time anything like that ever happens. Gee… I wonder what day that could be?
Birthdays, anniversaries, recoveries from a stay in a hospital, bridal and baby showers, just because they feel like it when it’s someone they love or are in love with. The fact that it is happening at Christmas. Is. Incidental. To the story that the song is giving us. The song is not about Christmas; it’s about the heartache of the rejection and the hope to avoid making the same mistake. Christmas is thrown in solely as a way of setting the scene of why this person may have used this particular moment to make this attempt, but that’s all. Christmas is a backdrop in this song, and plays no part other than being the time of year that these events happen. Not a Christmas song.
It repeats the same line that contains the word Christmas multiple times; that is not mentioning Christmas a bunch of times. In context, it mentiones Christmas precisely twice; saying that this happened last Christmas, and that they are using the Happy Christmas wish to make their revelation of affection come across as a surprise.
See above for the giving gifts part.
I suppose Frosty the Snowman is also not a Christmas Holiday song. Just because a figure made from snow that comes to life with a top-hat happened during that time doesn’t mean it’s a song about that time. 
How many more ridiculous examples would you like?
I would actually agree with that assessment. Christmas, and any other winter holiday, is not mentioned once in that damned song. Why is Frosty seen as a Christmas icon? Because his existence is only possible below the arctic circle, or above the Antarctic circle, during the time of year you are most likely to have Christmas, at least in the northern hemisphere, making Christmas incidental to the character.
Good example, you’re getting the idea.
Then (in the voice of Raiden from MGR:R) we’re done here because there’s no point in arguing with… (you know). 
Bro common sense ain’t working on him anymore, what makes you think the machines will help?
Common sense led me to the conclusion I have drawn. If you’re needing to resort to AI in order to make a point about the meaning of a song, you have no argument.
Shouldn’t need AI. You had an English Lit major analyse the lyrics, you had a trained audio technician examine the music and the AI post-processing is just the cherry on top.
If you are that desperate for an expert opinion then I have to ask: Is anybody on this sit a middle aged white woman who is willing to be an impartial expert on George Michael? If not then does anybody know how to get in contact with George Michael?
Oh fuck I forgot he died years ago, he was a victim of the dread '16 if I recall.
Well I wouldn’t worry, he knows how to come back…
Don’t worry I know a guy as well. He is trustworthy because his name is Zack without the C.
I know I said “we’re done here”, but… I’ve gotta know! In Heisenberg’s opinion, what song or songs qualify as a “Christmas song”?
Then explain why using your method of “reasoning” can’t be applied to that/those songs too.
Again, that’s the only thing anyone has to go off of and it’s only because it is taking place during Christmas. Once again, other than perhaps Valentine’s Day, if it were happening during any other holiday and had that holiday’s name in the title of the song, it would not make it a song that is part of that holiday, it would simply describe something happening during it.
So does Frosty the Snowman, and, well, see a few posts up.
Fair enough.
Let’s take a song like Jingle Bells. Technically, nothing obviously about Christmas when put under close scrutiny, right? I mean, people can ring small bells at any time, small bells jingle, and it doesn’t need to be Christmas time for a sleigh ride to take place, open and one-horsed, or otherwise. Indeed, it was actually intended by the composer for Thanksgiving, or to be a drinking song.
However, the song became associated with Christmas within a few years of its release, and since this was over a hundred and seventy years ago, we can assume a few things. The specifically mentioned dashing through snow, in addition to the notion of, we are to assume, great numbers of bells attached that create the jingling sound for the entire trip. Now, during a time in history where Christmas was less commercial and treated more like a festival sort of thing, the concept of jingling bells and sleigh rides specifically became associated with the holiday and the season surrounding it. So given the context of its times, and that it’s pretty much just describing having a good time in the company of presumed friends and loved ones at a particular time of year, it can be associated with a lot of the concepts around Christmas as we understand it, and as such can be deemed a Christmas song c even if it’s original context is technically not really applicable anymore on the scale it was at the time.
Now, let’s compare Last Christmas, which as I’ve explained extensively and exhaustively, is about a very particular thing - a display and/or revelation of apparently romantic affection being revealed, and then rejected in a short span of time - which Christmas simply being a backdrop. If you take Christmas out of the song, other than changing the name and the time of year it happens, the song doesn’t change. The person singing would still be giving the second party their heart - in whatever form that takes - and the second party would still be giving it away the very next day. Aside from when it’s taking place, the only other reference to Christmas is that the reveal of affection may be in the form of giving a gift, as a card being attached seems to be described, but song metaphors mean that it might not be literal. But even if so, again, a present with a card attached can be given at pretty much any time of year, and there are other special occasions where such things are more expected than at other times.
So, looking at the two, if you remove the concept of Christmas from Jingle Bells - which I’ve stated is not explicitly stated but rather implied retroactively - if the events of the song were to take place during any other time of year, other than perhaps a month prior or after the season of Christmas, it wouldn’t really make much sense for the people described in the song to be choosing that activity to enjoy themselves, and would more likely be engaging in a more season-appropriate activity. It could work, of course, but given the context of its time, it would be odd. Last Christmas, on the other hand, written in more modern times with more modern context and sensibilities, does not depend in any manner on Christmas being present in the song for the song’s story or meaning to work. Without it, it would just be another love song.
Bro, I won the moment anyone tried to offer an argument.
(not a literal statement, to be clear, I mean something else by that, but I wanna see who picks up on it)
Except here, she’s specifically asking for it for Christmas, because it’s Christmas; as in, Christmas is coming up and in celebration of that specific holiday, where giving and receiving is an integral observance, “you” is specifically what she wants. Now, no, it’s still not a Christmas song, but it’s a bit closer to being one for that reason. If it were her birthday and she wanted “you” for her birthday, it wouldn’t be a birthday song, after all.
No, it’s about getting a broken heart and swearing to oneself to not let it happen a second time. Christmas has nothing to do with it other than that’s when it happened. Again, take Christmas out of the song, the story and point of the song don’t change.
Jarb level wanking up in here
Eh?
Funny how you didnt respond to the cover art lol. Plus the song literally came out in december. Its obviously a Christmas tune
No, this is actually the best I’ve felt all week. I hadn’t intended to take this particular subject this far, but I feel absolutely invigorated. My wife was actually wondering what’s got my cheeks all red and my face glowing. I didn’t know I even get like that!
So me thinking I’m right is worrying, but you are so wise and all-knowing that you can make the claim that I’m objectively, demonstrably wrong, and you see no irony in that? And despite my having a sensible rebuttal to every argument so far, which everyone else seems to be ignoring, or at least haven’t directly addressed? Me thinketh, thou doth project too much.
Better.
And? Never mind the music playing, what is the song about? Put any other kind of music in the background; put rap music, put pirate music, put Egyptian music, put David Carradine’s Superman monologue if you want, it doesn’t change what’s happening in the song.
See what I wrote up above about the origin of Jingle Bells?
The Eagles released Hotel California in December. I guess it’s obviously a Christmas tune.
You still ignore the cover with reigndeers, snow and presents?
