Again: “Santa Is a Fake” by Arne Hansen & The Guitarspellers is the hard (dad) rock that digs deep into the heartache of growing up. The word’s out.
Little Suzy also faces reality in News at 5’s “Calling Out for Santa.” This is the hard-nosed takeaway from Mom’s unremitting cancer. Then Timmy suffers from Dad’s alcoholic abuse. Janey’s son gets it worse. And Santa won’t help. Brutal folk.
Summer Camp poops all over your beliefs with “Here Again.” Indie cynicism to feed your depression.
The Vandals decide gift-giving is moot since “I Don’t Believe in Santa Claus.” Punk dissection of our hypocrisy. And humor.
I have about a dozen versions of “Don’t Believe in Christmas” from Smash Mouth to Pearl Jam. But they all repeat without embellishing upon the original verzh from The Sonics 1965 (except perhaps for some of the foreigners).