Christmas Kids: The Darkest Song Ever Written 

I quite enjoyed your in-depth point of view of the song; however, I would like to make one correction in your description of what life was like in the house. Though my brothers and I were locked up in our rooms for a large part of our childhood, we did, however, have our own bathrooms, not buckets, thankfully. Personally, I kind of like the song, even though it’s about the dark part of my life, but that was many years ago, and I’ve since moved on and quite enjoy what life has to offer. Again, it is a nice video; I enjoyed listening to it. Oh, and if you haven’t guessed, I’m one of the “Christmas Kids.”

I absolutely adore the fact ROAR made Phil look so goofy in the album cover while making Ronnie as beautiful as she was.

Funfact: Phil Spector worked on The Beatles album "let it be", but they actually hated his work on it so they re-released as "let it be: naked" and took out *every single thing* he made for "let it be" lmao

the line “I’ll drink myself to death inside this prison cell” hits SO differently now, rip Ronnie

“The Christmas kids, were nothing but a gift.” I’ve always thought that line was werid for such a cheery tune

I'll never begin to understand why some people will imprison the people they "love."

I recently lost my best friend to suicide. I looked at her Spotify and this song was the last thing she listened to. She played it on for 4 hours straight before she was found dead. Rest in peace Lucy.

may ronnie rest in peace, remembered by her music and not her husbands actions🕊️

The fact that Ronnie had been though so much abuse and truma and still escaped Phil Makes me inspred because it shows how strong Ronnie was and after that When Phil died she made a tribute post about him because "she recognized that he was a lousy husband but can't help but smile at the music that they made together". It makes me happy to see that instead of looking at all the bad that happend she looked at the good. It shows how much she healed and it also showed how great of women she was.

So, the lyrics, "I'll drink myself to death insi-i-i-id, this prison cell," refers to how Ronnie, 1: Was always trapped in her home by Phil, As if she was jailed, And 2: She used alcohol as an escape. Of course, I didn't know either of the facts about this until i watched this video.

The fact that the song says "appearing unsightly..." about Phil is a little funny

I’ll never forget the alleged “prank” Spector pulled on John Lennon. where he “as a joke”, fired a f*cking gun next to his ear and Lennon reportedly yelled at him “Phil, if you’re going to kill me, kill me. But don’t f**k with my ears. I need 'em.” Also he would chase Lennon down the hallways yelling threats at him.(also that same car accident made him lose several important Lennon demo tapes that have now been lost to time) also look up what he did to THE Leonard Cohen because that sh*t is insane. Anyways rip to the queen Ronnie Spector and f*ck that pos Phill lol

Phil looks like a true villain and he certainly is. This is insane

There's always a story of a woman suffering behind a song. Christmas Kid Girl A Stay with Me Cbat I feel sorry for all of them.

This story is always so damn depressing, Ronnie deserved way better in life. Glad you could bring this story into more light. I’ve heard some horror stories of music producers, even from my mom about my dad’s ex producer, and what he tried to do to my dad when he was young. It’s extremely horrible that people in such power, no matter how minor it may seem, can get away with so much.

i was actually planning to use christmas kids as inspo for my characters but after hearing the story i think i'll choose another song RIP Ronnie, you deserved the world.

“Then he dipped his crusty little toes back in the music industry” 💀

I love Roar, and I’ve never seen someone make an explanation for this song. I really appreciate how you made jokes in the middle of it, to keep it from being too heavy. This was super informative, so thank you! Rip Ronnie, I’ve never heard her music, but she seems like an amazing person. She really didn’t deserve to have that happen to her, and so did the 3 kids.

9:18 this makes so mutch sense because there is a line in the song that goes "if you ever try to leave me i'll will find you Ronnie" (atleast that how i think it goes)

ronnie deserved better tbh, rest in peace queen. aug 10 1943 - jan 12 2022

Another sad line of Christmas kids is "if you ever tried to leave me I'll find you Ronnie" it showed how Phil kept her literally in a prison

Rip Ronnie, I had the same experience with the song a little over a year ago. Appreciated the balance between all the serious topics and humor. And also appreciated the hate over gatekeepers who think just because a song is popular it’s suddenly terrible. I can understand listening to the same song over and over again can be grading, but calling someone a fake fan just because they’re enjoying a song due to an internet trend is kinda odd.

A few years ago I was listening to I Can’t Handle Change, and Christmas Kids started playing after. I liked it but didn’t think much of it at the time. Recently, (since the song started trending) someone told me the story behind the song and I was shocked. Thank you for covering this!

We need to make roar more popular, the album "diamond destroyer of death" is a masterpiece

Fr I was in a very toxic relationship with a friend I had that was taking advantige of my romantic feelings and being super possesive when I tried to leave in a way this song was very comforting for me its very sad to know that this is the backstory to it in my op. But honestly it still feels very relatable for my mental state then and feeling happy but trapped and manipulated. I really feel for those poor children. Your own feelings being a double edged sword in a trapped cell where you can't run from them is just horrid. To anyone that's been through this type of thing I'm so sorry you don't deserve any of it no matter how much you think you did. It doesn't justify shit. You deserve better forever.

The lyrics "If you ever try to leave me I will find you Ronnie" have me shivering and feeling like I'm being stalked rn, great thing to have happen before bed 😭

You mentioned greek mythology, this reminds me of Sisyphus. He supposedly trapped death with chains and basically imprisoned him. He cheated death twice before being caught. Now, he’s in the underworld being forced to roll a boulder up a hill, only being relieved once the boulder reaches the top, but every time the boulder rolls back down the hill. Another one that reminds me of this is Narcissus and Echo. Someone who just wants love falls in love with someone so obsessed with themself that they become their own demise while the person who loved them sits in a cave, scarred by what happened.

You are so underrated. I was looking for an explanation for “Christmas Kids” and this did not disappoint. Your content is awesome!

I think it’s really cool that “Roar” used Phil Spector’S “wall of sound” recording technique for the song. Also kinda cool that thought the songs short time span they go though 3 genres ( the genres being ones that Phill was common associated )

This song is so damn dark but then all I think about is the Lorax leaving meme

Rip Ronnie, this was very informative ty

the fact i had this song in my playlists for MONTHS not knowing the meaning and not even noticing the album cover (cuz i didnt know who they were) is crazy, im starting to feel like “i cant handle change” also refers to how phil wouldnt let ronnie outside the house

Two of the darkest songs I can think of are Polly by Nirvana and Car Seat: God's Presents by Blind Melon. Former is about a psycho rapist keeping a girl hostage, latter is about a mother driving her car into a loch with her kids in the back. Grim stuff.

I’ve been into ROAR for years now (not since the beginning, just 2016), and it was crazy seeing Christmas Kids blowing up on tiktok. I knew that the song was based on the experience of Ronnie Spector and always thought “I wonder how many people know the story behind the song.” It’s really cool to see someone go over Ronnie’s story in relation to the song, very cool to see in my recommended.

tbh i didn’t think much of the song when i heard it on tiktok, it was catchy, slightly emotional, some of the stories ppl showed with it were deeply upsetting. but now, after hearing abt the song’s actual context, i don’t think i can listen to it without wanting to cry a bit😭

sorry about the mic btw

8:50 I assumed that his adoption of the kids was another form of emotional manipulation to her. Like if she tried to leave him, he could be like "oh but what about the kids? You wouldn't want to leave these poor children without a mother, now do you?"

dude this is such an amazing video. i’ve liked their music for years and never fully looked through the backstory, thank you so much for making this

0:06 FAR LEFT DOING THE GRIDDY!

the softer and slower version of christmas kids playing somberly in the background of ronnies story makes me so insanely sad

I love Roar. I've seen Owen perform here in Phoenix in small, indie venues. I have a fond memory of him playing an acoustic set in a garden at the ASU college campus some years ago. It was a beautiful night and his voice echoed in the little courtyard we were in. He is super talented. I am so happy to see him become even more successful. This was a very heartbreaking video and I did not realize the backstory of this song. Thank you for making this

Also to add, he was violent to other people, too (here are some accidents that happened): While working with The Ramones, they say that he was abusive and controlling. One time, Dee Dee Ramone told him he was going home, and Phil reached for his revolver, saying "you're not going anywhere." He shot inches away from John Lennon's ear, while they worked together. Phil said it was "a prank". Another time, he chased him around the studio with the same gun. While working with Leonard Cohen, he put the gun against his neck. He was always armed in the studio. He invited Debby Harry to his mansion to discuss a collaboration, and after an argument, he shoved the gun in her boot, and went "bang". All these accidents happened while he was either high or drunk. I think these are not the only ones... Sadly. 8:47 i think it was to put more pressure on her, that even if she left the relationship somehow, she would know those children were still in his care.

I'll be honest, I have been listening to this song for literal YEARS. I think I discovered Christmas kids in...2014? Somehow I never thought to look up the meaning behind it....that's kind of wild to me. I knew it was about an abusive relationship sure, but now realizing it was a real one really opens my eyes. wow. ...Though maybe it was a good thing I never looked it up as a tween LOL

No matter how dark the meaning behind Christmas kids is still a really great song

as an abuse victim, by my father, i understand how ronnie reacted to his death. since my abuser was my father, i do look back on the sweet and nurturing moments he displayed, the little moments that we shared together that wasn't full of rage. he's changed a lot after dire health issues and we've worked a lot on our relationship, i will never forget what he did but the little moments allowed me to look more empathetically. it's just human nature to see the good in those you love. ronnie, of course, remembers the abuse but chooses to focus on their good moments. it's a way to cope and such a brave take. she's better than him and he's no longer here to hurt her. i understand the rage that builds because of abuse but i see it as a good sign that she's found peace with his death and has been able to cope. i hope she feels safe after years of being emprisoned physically and mentally. thank you for making this video, i love the song be my baby; it's one of my favorites of all time and i never knew anything about the people behind it. it's such a shame that she faced so much opression, i'm glad they honored the ronettes in the hall of fame and people (like you) are telling her story. she won't be forgotten! just subbed, i love your vibe and channel and editing; can't wait to see what you make in the future!

I know you said you were not gonna do true crime a lot, but I genuinely believe that you did a great job at explaining everything. If it does interest you I hope that you can cover things with similar topics to this video Adios♡

What disturbed me a lot is that (imo) the darkest part of the song is being shared around, I'll know where you are you can't run or hide because "I'll know "

First time Bread has ever seen this channel and 10 minutes in Bread had already hit subscribe. RIP Ronnie and domestic abuse is never taken as seriously as its supposed to be.

I love Christmas kids with all my heart words cannot explain how much I love this song, the uneasy but good feeling makes me feel so good bro😭

I didnt expect this song to have such a dark meaning, it always sounded to me like a regular lovesick song and a good one to have a bike ride to😅

carrots (i changed the comment)

"The christmas kids were nothing but a gift" Thats fucking deep

“can you imagine…turning to alcoholism…as an escape” alcoholics: 👁️👄👁️

Dang. I was jamming to this song for three days straight. Now I can’t even look at the album cover. It just gives me chills. Some things are better when you don’t know I guess

I, an autistic 15 year old boy, who is a fan of The Ronettes and Phil Spectors work, can relate a bit to the song. When I started secondary school in 2021 at 13, I began a friendship with a girl who I had developed a strong crush on. Our friendship was fine for a few months, until I developed jealousy towards her when I started following her on social media, therefore I started questioning the friendship. She also began competing with me for a bit that time too. The school year ended, and we only saw eachother once during the summer break, where it resulted in her competing against me again, where I had a panic attack. We didn't see eachother until the new school year began, and things got worse. She began mocking, and gossiping abt me to new students in the class that time, and I wasn't aware of it until conflict happened after school ended on one November evening, where I found out abt her talking bad abt me to those new students. The school intervened and banned us from going near each other. I was happy we weren't allowed to go near each other. But she still antagonised me through the months. Apparently I had to witness her argue and physically abuse her mother one time, eventually leading her to stop being friends with those friends she lied to abt me. She ended up getting self isolated 1 to 1 classes because of it. The school year I am in is coming to an end, and because she's still in my school, I can't stop thinking of her still, as I am tramatised still abt it. I just wish that narcissistic troublesome lying girl with adhd was never part of my life. And I am glad you made this video, and I am happy I came across it tonight. Fantastic video :) 👍

Thank you for this video I have to do a presentation on a song and I chose the Christmas kids and this helped me out a lot

this is such a sad story, I didn't know that such a catchy song had this dark of a background behind it :( may veronica rest in peace. another song that I find to be probably the most disturbing song I've ever heard (mostly because of the story behind it) is 44 days by mr.kitty. you might've heard him from after dark, that's a very popular song of his. anyways, the song is about (in my opinion) the worst case of abuse and torture in human history. i def recommend you to research more about it but beware, its EXTREMELY triggering and traumatic and disturbing. like, to an unfathomable extent. it's definitely not for the faint hearted. i am pretty sensitive so this story genuinely traumatised me, but i think that it's important to know what these people have gone through so that their pain and suffering was not in vain.

This vid was amazing and i gotta say you're REALLY pretty, like girlie the way the light reflects in your glasses and the beautiful frames on your glasses, just sooooo pretty and your hair is gorgeous. Also your singing is amazing

This is my fav song, honestly learning about the story behind it makes it hit even harder-

I always knew there was some sort of story to this song, and it’s one of my favorite songs. It’s very shocking what the story is, and the name “Christmas Kids” makes so much more sense after watching this

what i love about the song is how on the nose it is. it doesnt pull its punches by only vaguely alluding to the whole situation, it gives specific details about the toxic relationships and name drops them as you said in the video.

sorry for being so cheezy but thank you so much for making this video, your cover and voice is beautiful :D

Honestly with the new context the line "The chirstmas kids were nothing but a gift" has a whole new meaning for me. Like the kids litterarly were nothing to him but a gift. Not human. Not kids. Just objects. And that makes it so much more depressing.

Recently, it's been making a trend on TikTok once more. For me, it's in the form of Welcome Home videos, and it's really ironic considering how happy the art can be..

As dark as this song is, it exhilerates extreme nostalgia for me, like talking kitty cat or the 3ds

I had heard this song here and there on Insta reels and definitely was digging the sound, but never looked for it because I forget everything. Then I clicked on what I thought was going to be something funny since it was using a clip from Hotel Transylvania. Turns out it was alluding to an older sibling finally leaving the toxic environment and having to leave their younger sibling behind while the chorus played and it was so haunting. I immediately had to listen to the full song because I apparently love dread. I’m hooked now and need to listen more of Roar.

Ronnie deserved so much better. I feel so sorry for her.

ronnie deserved the best ☹️☹️ and she did! im so happy she was able to recover well despite her mental health at the time :’)

Just sayin, you have such a soft voice and a relaxing vibe which makes the video very enjoyable to watch. The VHS type quality also makes this perfect to watch at night. So keep it up gurlllll

Nah, the darkest song ever written has gotta go to "I Just Killed A Cop Now I'm Horny" By JPEGMafia. Dark in a way that still sticks with me to this day, and if you do choose to look into this I cannot warn you enough because this does include a real recording of a murder in the song. A close second though, would probably have to be Murders by miracle musical. The whole song is about a boy who lost the love of his life in a forest and is looking for her, yes whatever. It's the end that makes my heart drop. There is an agonizingly beautiful piano which is so clear compared to the rest of the song. The lyrics just repeat the words "all for nothing at all" and it just fucking *HURTS* anyway just wanted to throw a second opinion in there

Didn’t even realize they were both on the album cover … 😅 such a good video! I love your vibe, I just had to subscribe

i’ve loved this song for YEARS i have no clue how i never picked up on this omg amazing video

I was in a really sick obsessive relationship I later realised I was groomed into, and this was one of the songs we considered ‘our relationship song’. I feel so lucky it ended the way that it did because I could and likely would have been in serious danger if things had gone any differently. Now when I hear it it just reminds me of TikTok but it’s so eerie to know the story behind it looking back.

Ive seen that the reason of him giving ronette "the Christmas kids" was so that she'd become emotionally attached to them and not leave. Sick man.

Christmas Kids-Lyrics Ronnette, my dear, don't ever disappear Do what you want as long as you stay here I need you now, I love you so much, more than you could know The Christmas kids were nothing but a gift And love is a tower where all of us can live You'll change your name, or change your mind And leave this fucked up place behind But I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know Appearing unsightly, with devils inside me If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, Ronnie If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, Ronnie If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, Ronnie If you ever try to leave me, I'll find you, Ronnie I'm leaving, Phil, I'm leaving now I'm going to escape, but you won't know how Or where to find me when I'm gone I'll drink myself to death insi-i-i-i-i-i-ide this prison cell, thi-is prison cell So, get me out of here Get me out of here Get me out of here Get me out of here You'll change your name, or change your mind And leave this fucked up place behind But I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know I'll know, I'll know

Before i even knew about the backstory of this song, it always made me so sad. Like the song just gave me a pit in my stomach. Its crazy how powerful music can be.

I simply adore Roar's music, listening to all of their songs. This one is one of my favorites, and I read about the backstory and the meanings. I'm so glad they're getting the attention they deserve; their music is the definition of a hidden gem. If anyone is interested in more of their music, some of their other good songs are Hope, Poor Grammar, Copperfield, Paralyzed, and I'm not going to help you. This song- Christmas Kids- is on their EP, "I Can't Handle Change," with a song in it of the same name. The entire EP is dark and dreary, and it's really good musically. Other songs on there are Duck Or Ape, Heart For Brains, Baby Bride Rag, and I'm Just A Fan. P.S: Great Video, definitely worth a subscribe. You look very pretty, by the way!

This is such a sad story.. RIP Ronnie, you were a legend.

I remember doing my own research on this song, I didn't even know most of this. I remember crying so hard while reading what happened to those poor kids and Ronnie. This especially hits hard because I had a dad who my mom thought was much worse than he was, because of this I was only able to see him 2-4 times a month after them divorcing.

Christmas Kids is one of my favorite songs but I had no idea that it was a real story holy shit, I can see why you couldn't get this out of your mind

thank you SO much for making this video. i went through the exact same thing, i couldn’t get the names or the. song out of my head and i knew something dark happened but not what. it was almost scary how you described exactly what i experienced with this song. i NEEDED this video, thank you so much. rest in peace ronnie 🫂

i never really though about roar as the type of band to sing songs about abuse in one of their songs. im aware that bands in general do talk about heavy topics such as outkast with "hey ya". i think this adds a whole nother layer of depth to roar's songs and this has made me think more thoroughly about songs. really appreciate this video and hope you get much praise from much more people from now on. P.S. i really enjoyed the cover you made. shit kinda shmacks.

12:58 He looks like a doctor suess character 💀

My grandmother passed away from lung cancer last year, and this song helped me get through a lot of crying fits after. So hearing that Ronnie passed away from lung cancer the year before is kind of bizarre.

Even though I already made a video with the song, Christmas Kids, I wrote an apology in a comments, because I thought it was an edgy song, and I didn't know that it was about an abusive couple! Thanks for making this video btw! I learned a lot about it!

So I just discovered this album again, and this specific song has been bothering me lately with the mystery of it, and the minute I saw your video I got a sort of closure for my feelings so, thx!!

I don’t have TikTok, but I’m ecstatic to know Roar is reaching a larger audience. I love this band!

I listened to the cover that you made. It’s very relaxing even though the meaning behind the song is pretty dark, but I sang to it

“Ronette my dear, don’t ever disappear. Do what you want, as long as you stay here.” I knew that line was weird.

YES!!!! I’ve been waiting for someone to cover this song in a video for some time now. I also found Christmas Kids through I Can’t Handle Change, maybe in 2017 or 2018? Some sort of photography class, I was not doing photography lol. But yeah, you covered the events very thoroughly so thank you for bringing attention to this and covering it so respectfully!

the way you make your videos its like talking to someone on a late night sleepover or a face time. i caught myself replying to you out loud. its really comforting honestly.

No wonder Spotify kept recommending me this song, I always enjoyed listening to “Be My Baby” on Spotify and at first I thought it was because it was trending and had zero correlation to the Ronnie and Phil case because I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics. I thought Christmas kids was about a teen in a dysfunctional home who ends up running away and changing their identity to make something of themselves not this. No wonder this song is so dark. And before you judge, the name dropping was too fast for me and I only heard of the Phil and Ronnie case once. Also the album cover of Phil looks like a member of the Beatles

The second I heard this song, I got chills. It was stuck in my head for a while. I was listening to it when this popped up on my for you page after seeing a comment about the backstory, like you did.

“If you ever try to leave me I’ll find you, Ronnie ” Damn. Honestly Phil was a whole entire psychopath i mean like it’s crazy what a human can do to another human without feeling any type of sorrow. I’ve had this song on my playlist for about 3 months and haven’t really thought about the meaning until this video. Crazy.

I’m a minute in and all the feelings you’ve described about this song and story I relate to 110%. Such a tragic, dark, and intriguing tale…

1. Your video is incredibly informative and interesting 2. The editing is very pretty and eye catching 3. Your voice is beautiful

I’m genuinely so happy somebody finally talked about the history behind the song. I’ve loved this song (and roar) since I was really young. I looked up the lyrics to this song once and I went into the rabbit hole lol. I love roar so much and hearing their songs get more popular is an amazing thing to see, but I wish more people talked about the meaning to this song.

i don't think a song suddenly becomes bad if i've heard it too often. but naturally it will become boring. until time passes and its been a while since i've heard it and then i hear it again and its this pleasant nostalgia.

I've been a fan of this song for a bit now, and I never really paid attention to the lyrics, after watching this video I listened to the song and now I cannot stop thinking about it

I never would've known the ep cover was of Veronica Bennett and Phil Spectors faces. I'm curious how the other songs connect to them? Thanks for making this video :)