Another song is "Fairytale of New York" The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl. Perhaps THE most controversial Christmas song of all time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv0hlbWpa1w
For those who don't know, The Pogues were a popular Celtic punk band in the '80s and Kirsty MacColl was a British singer/songwriter, best known for "In These Shoes" from the Sex And The City soundtrack. She also wrote "They Don't Know", which was a huge US hit for Tracey Ullman in 1983.
The song is about an Irish couple having a breakdown in New York City, with loser boyfriend ending up in the drunk tank on Christmas Eve and they rediscover themselves on Christmas morning. The only reassuring thing about it is the song has somewhat of a happy ending when they noticed the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day.
While "Baby, It's Cold Outside" ends in a creepy Stockholm Syndrome mystery (Did she ever get to leave? Is she STILL THERE? And what WAS in that drink?)
"Fairytale of New York" never charted in America when it was released in 1988. Partially because outside of college radio, almost no one knew who The Pogues or Kirsty MacColl were. Holiday music wasn't a seasonal format yet. And it's a pretty hot one lyrically (no major, fine inducing bombs, but some Orange Level ones.)
But in subsequent years, it has become increasingly popular in America via streaming (especially with American Millennials.) But American radio still doesn't play this one, mostly because the lyrics contain a nasty argument containing the six-letter f-bomb. Although the lyrical context doesn't appear to support any homophobic accusations, it's probably still not the kind of song you want to play around little kids. Or grandma.
The BBC tried to ban this song. But to no avail - UK music fans love this song so much, it reappears on the British charts every December (but then again, so does almost every major Christmas hit.)
https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/
