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Review: The Flaming Lips – “Christmas On Mars” It’s especially worth digging out in December.Ĭlassic Christmas Carol: “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” “A Change At Christmas” has become buried in the back catalog, but it’s a rare Christmas song that plays well year-round. At the time of its release, the Lips were riding the success of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” with a deluge of singles, EPs and other releases. While the Lips’ other Christmas songs saw release on proper albums or seasonal singles, “A Change At Christmas” was tucked into the “Ego Tripping” EP released in 2003. During the fade-out he declares “I think it’s all going to work out just fine.” The optimism of the track is cemented with Coyne’s final words. “A Change At Christmas” is also notable for being one of the rare times Coyne abandons his signature falsetto to deliver his heartfelt words of hope in his natural range. Sleigh bells and chimes bring a Yuletide feel, while a simple piano line holds the melody. The arrangement features many of the Lips trademarks, including a sunny wash of synthesizers and toy drum machine. Above: Even Santa Claus gets down during a Flaming Lips concert. A time, he says, “the world embraces peace and love and mercy/Instead of power and fear.” In the last verse he pleads “tell me I’m not just a dreamer,” echoing John Lennon, another Christmas idealist. In the song, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne wishes he could stop time so the whole world could permanently live in the goodwill of the season. They had already brought “Christmas at the Zoo” and would soon deliver “Christmas on Mars.” But “A Change At Christmas” stands out, because it displays the “one love” hippie ethos at the heart of many of the band’s songs. “A Change At Christmas (Say it Isn’t So)” isn’t the Oklahoma City-based alternative rock band’s first tribute to Christmas. The Flaming Lips make every concert feel like a holiday, so it’s unsurprising several songs in their catalog have been inspired by Christmas – the biggest holiday of them all. (Above: Michael Ivins (far left) of the Flaming Lips wants to be the star on top of your Christmas tree.)