Entertainment Music Most Memorable Pop-Rock Christmas and Holiday Songs of the '80s Share PINTEREST Email Print Music Pop Music 80s Hits Basics Reviews Top Picks Top Artists 90s Hits Rock Music Alternative Music Classical Music Country Music Folk Music Rap & Hip Hop Rhythm & Blues World Music Punk Music Heavy Metal Jazz Latin Music Oldies Learn More By Steve Peake Updated on 04/28/19 It's certainly difficult to curate a list of best and worst songs, and nowhere is this more true than with Christmas music. However, here's my take on the most memorable (though not necessarily the best) pop/rock holiday songs of the '80s, offered in no particular order and merely as a starting point for debate. 01 of 08 Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Steve Hurrell/Redferns/Getty Images Perhaps no rock and roll Christmas tune was heard more often during the '80s or was more emblematic of the decade than this charity song recorded to support Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof's Band Aid project. Geldof gathered many of the UK's most popular early-'80s new wave, pop and rock music artists for the record, released during the holiday season in 1984 to raise money to aid famine-stricken Ethiopia. Though sometimes dismissed as over-the-top and treacly, the song sports a soaring melody, provided by Midge Ure of Ultravox, and an unbelievably talented vocal ensemble (including Police frontman Sting, George Michael and U2's Bono) to communicate Geldof's lyrics. 02 of 08 Alabama - "Christmas in Dixie" Album Cover Image Courtesy of BMG Special Products As a native Southerner, perhaps I was exposed to this song more heavily than listeners in other regions, but it definitely holds a strong, nostalgic place in my holiday memory. Released in 1983 at the height of the superstar country-pop band Alabama's career, the song functions as a gentle, picturesque take on the holiday season across the nation. While it will probably never gain the status of all-time holiday classic, at least the tune stands on its own as an original, seasonal composition instead of merely a run-of-the-mill reinterpretation of previously successful Christmas music for a specialized country music audience. 03 of 08 The Waitresses - "Christmas Wrapping" Album Cover Image Courtesy of Polydor Although this tune functions most clearly as an early-'80s time-capsule piece that falls just short of novelty, it certainly qualifies as one of the most unique holiday offerings of the decade. Featuring the underrated, somewhat deadpan vocals of the late Patty Donahue and a bouncy, repetitive melody, the song dares to tell a specific story of romantic holiday happenstance. And even if it gets a little silly at the end with the whole cranberries twist, it provides a fresh and light-hearted take on Yuletide lyrics that at the very least doesn't seek merely to manipulate listeners with overly earnest sentiment. 04 of 08 Dan Fogelberg - "Same Old Lang Syne" Album Cover Image Courtesy of Sony As only a slightly closeted Dan Fogelberg enthusiast (I can't seem to avoid feeling mildly ashamed when emotions well up listening to "Leader of the Band"), I freely admit a soft spot for this rather lengthy, bittersweet narrative about a Yuletide encounter with a former lover. With a lyrical approach that sounds quite autobiographical, the song paints a surprisingly moving, rather unflinching portrait of the passage of time and how people often swallow romantic disappointments they may never quite forget. This soft rock classic's placement of the events during the holidays, when people are most inclined to reflect upon the past, is successful and appropriate. 05 of 08 U2 - "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" Album Cover Image Courtesy of A&M One of the most signature '80s post-punk and college rock bands makes an old holiday chestnut its own here, as Bono's typically overwrought vocal style fits the bittersweet quality of the tune perfectly. Bono has always had the ability to transform various styles of music into inspirational affairs, and here he does so with the same abandon that characterizes the band's best work. As such, the song dances on the verge of gospel with its sweeping, epic delivery. This one makes Christmas heartache somehow much more bearable. 06 of 08 Elmo & Patsy - "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" Album Cover Image Courtesy of Sony I don't want to do this, but I must. Just like I don't want to remember this brutally unfunny Christmas novelty song as sharply as the chill of a windswept winter afternoon. But I do, and therefore I include it here, in all its stupefyingly silly glory. The quasi-country arrangement of the tune is mockingly twangy, so as to not scare off a large, generalized audience, and some people found this to be laugh-out-loud, feel-good comedy. 07 of 08 Eagles - "Please Come Home for Christmas" Album Cover Image Courtesy of Elektra Although this song was actually released in 1979, I rationalize its inclusion here by pointing out its status as a transitional marker between eras. As one of the last tunes released by The Eagles before that band's highly publicized breakup, it serves as a haunting and moving swan song, and for my money it has become the signature version of another longtime holiday classic. And while Don Henley's vocals bring the song into a far more middle-of-the-road place than its bluesy origins, that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Eagles' arrangement actually exposes the song's wonderful pop sensibilities better than ever. 08 of 08 Paul McCartney - "Wonderful Christmastime" Album Cover Image Courtesy of EMI I really think Paul McCartney's synth-laden holiday romp belongs far more to the '80s than the preceding decade. More than that, its constant place within my holiday memory remains stronger, for better or worse, than probably any other Yuletide song I can think of. Maybe that's just a personal thing, but I think this jaunty tune fits the season particularly well because, like much of the season's music (and even a great deal of McCartney's solo efforts), it functions as a rich, syrupy confection that would be perfectly at home with any number of tasty party treats.