Easter has a soundtrack just like Christmas, so why do we never hear it?

You can’t visit the shops around Christmas time without hearing Feliz Navidad, Silent Night, or Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You.

So why was Kate Ceberano’s song Bedroom Eyes blaring through the speakers as I did my Easter chocolate shopping this week?

Both Easter and Christmas come with religious beliefs, secular icons, public holidays and highway traffic jams – but where Christmas music thrives on a commercial level, the Easter soundtrack seems trapped behind the one rabbit-proof fence that actually worked.

Living in Santa’s shadow

For one thing, Easter’s associations in Christianity aren’t as marketable as those of Christmas.

The commercialisation of Christmas – which ramped up in department stores in the early 20th century – gradually encouraged tolerance of religious songs in public shopping centres.

We don’t mind celebrating the birth of a baby, regardless of our beliefs. It’s a joyful human experience. But the torture and death of a man on Good Friday is deeply disturbing – and the triumphant Easter Sunday resurrection stumps advertisers.

Easter fares no better with secular icons. A jolly bearded Santa offers a comforting grandfather figure who grants wishes. This is arguably more likely to lure consumers than a zoologically-confused rabbit with eggs. (Not to mention rabbits are a government-declared pest).

From a consumer perspective, Santa’s toy sack also trumps the Easter Bunny’s basket. The sack holds all manner of toys and useful items, while chocolate eggs offer a sugar-high followed by weight gain and acne.

Easter gifts weren’t always about chocolate, though. Historically, the presents were much more varied. As noted by American sociologist James Barnett in 1949, old Easter advertisements featured perfumes, liquor, Bibles and, most notably, new clothes.

Classics from great composers

Easter music may not make supermarket playlists, but it still exists.

Those seeking a high art musical experience can attend orchestral and choral performances held in concert halls across Australian cities. One favourite is Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion. This 1724 composition tells Christ’s crucifixion story, and allows the listener space for spiritual and life reflections.

Another masterpiece is George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, written in 1742. Messiah tells the entire story of Christ, making it popular at both Christmas and Easter. The famous Hallelujah Chorus is goose-bump material in live performances. For many, it is a divine musical experience.

Church service hymns

Those wanting a community singing experience can attend one of the many Easter church services held throughout the long weekend.

Traditional Good Friday services present solemn songs, focusing on Christ’s suffering and death. You’ll hear treasures such as Isaac Watts’ famous hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and the moving African American spiritual Were You There recorded by The Mills Brothers. Sung in a group, these slow-paced songs deliver beautiful harmonies and a sense of community.

You can find more uplifting tracks at a traditional Easter Sunday service. These often feature old favourites such as Crown Him with Many Crowns and Charles Wesley’s cheerful Christ the Lord is Risen Today.

Read more: Church hymns and social beers: how Australia is reviving the magic of singing together

Contemporary flops

Unfortunately, secular Easter music is weak fuel for inspiration.

The 1977 composition The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town by Maury Laws and Jules Bass is barely known, unlike its chart topping 1934 predecessor, Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

A more enduring secular Easter hit (although still not widely known) is American songwriter Irving Berlin’s 1933 song Easter Parade. The lyrics describe strolling down New York’s Fifth Avenue showing off your best clothes. A 1948 recording for a movie of the same name flipped the gender script, with Judy Garland admiring Fred Astaire’s prettiness in his Easter bonnet.

In 1950, Gene Autry (who was the first to record Frosty the Snowman) took a shot at the Easter music market with his re-recording of Here Comes Peter Cottontail – with some success. Vocal stars followed the trend with Nat King Cole singing Easter Sunday Morning, and Rosemary Clooney’s version of Eggbert The Easter Egg.

Another zany addition that came soon after was Ray Anthony’s The Bunny Hop. While this song began as a 1950s dance craze, it was absorbed into the Easter repertoire.

More contemporary secular Easter hits are hard to find. Composer Colin Buchanan tapped into a distinctly Australian flavour with his 2016 children’s song Aussie Easter Hat Parade. But you’d be hard pressed to hear it playing at the supermarket.

Easter does have a soundtrack. But much like a chocolate egg hunt, you have to dig around to find it.

Perhaps where it lacks the most is in contemporary hits. The writers of the 2011 children’s film Hop tried to find a path forward; they took the popular 1965 hit I Want Candy and repurposed it to be about chocolate.

But just how you would adapt Bedroom Eyes is beyond me.