The Christmas Song That AC/DC Never Performed Live, and Its Jab at Wealthy Elites

Even the biggest diehard fans of Australian hard rock band AC/DC may not know that they once penned and recorded a Christmas song. After all, why would fans know such a thing? The band never performed the song live… and we kind of get why.

“Mistress For Christmas” was just one song of many on AC/DC’s 1990 album The Razors Edge. The album itself featured a wealth of hits, like “Thunderstruck” and “Moneytalks”. It also happens to be the only AC/DC album to feature the drum stylings of Chris Slade.

Overall, the response to the album was pretty mixed. Some commended Angus Young and Brian Johnson’s endurance, while others dismissed The Razors Edge as a rehashing of old sounds without much evolution. Either way, the album was a huge commercial success that gave the band a fresh, later-career boost in popularity.

Now, if you listen to “Mistress For Christmas” without really reading between the lines… it’s not exactly a great song. It’s a vulgar mess, complete with poorly-aged lyrics like “Listen, I like female form in minimum dress” and “I wanna ride on your reindeer, honey, and ring the bells, yeah”. However, the campiness of “Mistress For Christmas” was very intentional. And the song itself was Angus Young and Brian Johnson’s attempt to throw a few punches at the wealthy, particularly Donald Trump. 

Though, it’s worth noting that this is a bit of a John Lennon situation. Despite penning “Mistress For Christmas” as a jab at wealthy elites, the members of AC/DC themselves were multi-millionaires at the time. Still, their working classic roots shone through on this very campy, low-key bop of a song.

AC/DC’s Angus Young Said “Mistress For Christmas” Song Was About Donald Trump

“On songs like ‘Mistress for Christmas’ and ‘Moneytalks’, Malcolm and Angus showed their working-class roots, despite multi-millionaire selling albums, by taking aim at the high flyers in the business world,” said Murray Engleheart in his band memoir AC/DC: Maximum Rock & Roll.

Angus Young backed up that notion in a 1991 interview. During that particular interview, he said that the funniest song from The Razors Edge was definitely “Mistress For Christmas”.

“You always have a bit of the ‘ol fool-around now and again,” said Young. “I think the funniest song on this album is ‘Mistress For Christmas.’ That song’s about Donald Trump. He was big news at the time, so we thought we’d have a bit of fun and humor with it.”

When it comes down to it, the idea of AC/DC performing this song live at this point in their careers is pretty wild. Can you imagine Brian Johnson belting the lyrics “Jingle bells, jingle bells / Jingle all the day / I just can’t wait ’til Christmastime / When I can grope you in the hay” at the tender age of 77? We can’t either. It would be kind of hilarious, though.

Photo by Steve Rapport/Getty Images

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