Meaning of Bon Jovi’s Christmas Isn’t Christmas
Christmas Isn’t Christmas, which came out on 17 November 2023, is the first single that Bon Jovi, an act that has now been around for about 40 years, has dropped since 2021’s Story of Love. Jon Bon Jovi, the group’s frontman and author of this track, described it as “a song that (he) wrote about family”. Jon also revealed that he wrote it “two years ago”, during “a tough day in the house” during which both of his parents had “taken ill”. That inspired him to pen Christmas Isn’t Christmas ‘as a gift to his parents and children’, with it being a piece that’s meant to celebrate the idea of togetherness, if not in the flesh then in thought, during the holiday season.
The Song’s Lyrics
This isn’t the simplest Christmas song we’ve come across. But the central sentiment is similar to that of other Yuletide tracks dropped by industry singers, i.e. revolving around the idea that the holiday season will not be complete without the presence of the addressee.
Judging by the bridge, it wouldn’t be out of the way to speculate that said addressee is the romantic interest of the singer, and now this person is not as interested in maintaining her relationship with Jon as in the past, which is why she’s apparently not around during this important time of year. But most of the lyrics aren’t based on feelings of loss or melancholy. Instead they focus on the various, let’s say natural factors which tend to make Christmastime enjoyable, with a special emphasis on enjoying such things alongside loved ones. But the song closes out with Jon reiterating that to him, the season will not be complete without the presence of that particularly loved one.
So it’s as if these pop singers are out to remind us that it isn’t the material things which make Christmas special. And in the case of this piece, that’s a reality that the singer has been reminded of due to the absence of someone he truly loves.
Other Facts
Jon Bon Jovi also produced this track, in conjunction with John Shanks.
Christmas Isn’t Christmas is a non-album single, meaning that at the time of its release it’s not associated with any larger musical project.
The label behind this track is Island Records, whom Bon Jovi has been rolling with since the turn of the century.
To note, Bon Jovi did drop a Yuletide single in the past, Please Come Home for Christmas, which came out back in 1994.
