Guy Sebastian: "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"

As we wait for the worst winter ever to hit Chicago, we're heading down under for today's installment of Daijams' 12 Days of Christmas. Aussie pop star Guy Sebastian was the winner of the first ever Australian Idol in 2003, and he's kept pace with his American counterpart, Kelly Clarkson, who kicked off the talent show era of reality television in 2002. In a matter of less than 10 years, these artists have each released five albums, toured the world, and become household names in their own countries. Life's good for the Idol contestants -- the ones with the grit to make it, at least.

I hate too much "Beyonce-ing" of a song -- you know what I mean, when a singer will tack on about 15 extra notes to every single word -- and Sebastian is certainly capable of Mariah-style runs, but he does so tastefully, leaving us wanting more. This song is all about building drama and dynamics; key changes are incorporated into every verse and chorus, ramping up the excitement and then bringing it back down again. (Seriously, John Lennon was a genius of a song writer.)

If you follow the news, you'll have heard that President Obama is pulling all American troops out of Iraq by December 31, putting an end to a war that began with our invasion in 2003 -- the same year these pop stars were neophytes singing on a talent show. In the ensuing eight years, nearly 4,500 American lives were lost and another 30,000 were wounded, according to the Washington Post.

President George Bush showed us in 2003 that when you say the war is over, that doesn't necessarily mean the war is over, or the mission accomplished. The war may never be over, but peace is being sought, and for that I'm proud to be an American.

Here are the lyrics:

So this is Christmas and what have you done,
Another year over, a new one just begun.

And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun,
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one without any fear.

And so this is Christmas for weak and for strong,
The rich and the poor ones, the road is so long.

And so happy Christmas for black and for white
For the yellow and red ones let's stop all the fights.

War is over if you want it, war is over now.