"Dead by X-Mas" is a song by the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks. The single was released prior to the band's 1982 album Oriental Beat but neither the A- or B-side were featured on an album until the band's third album, Self Destruction Blues.
| "Dead by X-Mas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Hanoi Rocks | ||||
| from the album Self Destruction Blues | ||||
| B-side | "Nothing New" | |||
| Released | December 1981 | |||
| Recorded | August 1981 | |||
| Genre | Rock, hard rock, glam punk, glam rock | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Johanna Kustannus | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Andy McCoy | |||
| Hanoi Rocks singles chronology | ||||
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The songs are well liked and were the biggest hits of Hanoi Rocks' early career. The B-side, "Nothing New", is not as well known as the A-side, "Dead by X-Mas". "Dead by X-Mas" has since been thought to be as a prediction of the death of drummer Razzle, who died in a car crash in December 1984. The chorus even has the lyrics "I'll be dead by X-mas now anyway". The lyrics tell a horror story which guitarist Andy McCoy said could happen.
A cover version was released by the Japanese Visual kei band The Piass as a bonus track on their first album, Ryouki Kousatsu Chissoku-Shi, in 1995. The song also played a role in an urban legend similar to that of Razzle's, since the vocalist and drummer, Chihiro and Hiroshi, died while filming a music video later that year. English electronic music band Sohodolls also released a cover version of the song in 2007.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dead by X-Mas" | Andy McCoy | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Nothing New" | Andy McCoy | 3:19 |
Personnel
edit- Michael Monroe – lead vocals, piano, guitar
- Andy McCoy – lead guitar, vocals on "Nothing New"
- Nasty Suicide – rhythm guitar
- Sam Yaffa – bass
- Gyp Casino – drums