The Best Songs on the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Soundtrack

If sad songs aren’t your idea of Yuletide fun, Gunn does include many peppier numbers. The Fountains of Wayne bring some alternative rock energy with the appropriately deployed “I Want an Alien for Christmas” and Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas adds his cover of the Saturday Night Live novelty song “Christmas Treat.” Brooklyn duo Little Jackie breaks up the rock and roll with their soulful entry “Mrs. Claus,” and the Waitresses’ disaffected vocals drive their classic “Christmas Wrapping.”

In short, the soundtrack is exactly what you’d expect if you asked your cooler older sibling to make a playlist for your Christmas party. It’s a pleasing mix of familiar tracks and deep cuts, effectively balancing downbeat numbers with upbeat songs to make for a good party.

The Old 97’s as the Cool Alien Band!

Early in the special, a quartet of aliens stops Peter Quill to announce that they’ve been practicing the Earth instruments he brought. To prove it, they launch into a rocking tune called “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here).” Of course, Quill is shocked that this ragtag group knows how to play so well, but fans of James Gunn’s work aren’t surprised. Underneath the alien makeup are Texans Rhett Miller, Murry Hammond, Ken Bethea, and Philip Peeples, collectively known as the Old 97’s.

The Old 97’s have been making music since 1992, and have scored hits with their songs “Timebomb,” “Murder (or a Heart Attack),” and “Question.” More importantly, they’re veterans of James Gunn soundtracks. Over the forboding closing moments of his debut feature Slither, which featured alien worms who take over the minds of their victims, the band’s blistering “New Kid” starts to play, suggesting a terrifying apocalypse for the movie’s heroes after the credits roll.

Gunn uses the band to a far less foreboding effect for the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The first track is an original written for the show, in which the Old 97’s alien counterparts try to make sense of this strange holiday. The song sets the stage for the 45 minutes that follow, which feature wacky cosmic Marvel characters but don’t skimp on the nostalgia and sentiment.

But the real standout is when Kevin Bacon, of the duo the Bacon Brothers, takes his guitar and joins the band to perform “Here it is Christmastime.” Fans may recognize the song as the lead single from the Old 97’s 2018 record Love the Holidays. But with Bacon on lead vocals, combined with Gunn’s dynamic camera work, the song gets an updated charge, making it the perfect capper for the special’s Marvel Christmas fun.