Tag: Christmas Music

BGS Wraps: Colin & Caroline, “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”

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Artist: Colin & Caroline
Single: “It Isn’t Even Christmas Yet”
Release Date: December 4, 2020

In Their Words: “For the two of us, the holidays have always carried with them fond memories of childhood, and growing up within our families. For me [Caroline], this meant sitting on the steps with my two brothers as Nat King Cole and Sinatra’s holiday songs filled our house, and waiting patiently to run downstairs on Christmas morning. For Colin, it meant reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve with his family (a tradition that still stands today)… There’s a certain nostalgia that we feel around Christmas time that is reflective of our own relationship as well as our individual upbringings. We recognize that this isn’t the case for everyone surrounding the holidays, and that we’re lucky to feel this way. 2020 has been one of the most uncertain and difficult years our world has seen in a long time, and through our Christmas music, we want to spread a message of hope, and bring our listeners a sense of comfort, joy, and some extra love during perhaps the most important holiday season yet.” — Colin & Caroline

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BGS Wraps: Frank Solivan, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

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Artist: Frank Solivan
Single: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Release Date: November 6, 2020

In Their Words: “This holiday season I thought it was important to share a song that reminds us of the Christmas traditions that unite us. Reunions with friends and family, warm memories of olden days, and hope to once again gather together with an embrace and a kiss. … I found the lyrics particularly meaningful this year, and I hope it brings some comfort to those needing it. So please, ‘Let your heart be light. Someday soon we all will be together. Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow. So, have yourself a merry little Christmas now.’” — Frank Solivan

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BGS WRAPS: Coco Reilly, “Christmas With You”

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Artist: Coco Reilly
Song: “Christmas With You” (single)

In Their Words: “I didn’t set out to write a Christmas song, but as I was playing through this new chord progression Christmas lyrics just started coming to mind and it was done within an hour. At first I thought maybe it was a little silly, but it was stuck in my head for a whole week so I decided to give it a whirl. I have to thank Todd Stopera for recording this so last minute (we recorded this right before Thanksgiving, which is extremely late to be making a Christmas record!) He was so easy to work with and it came out almost exactly as I heard the production in my head.

“I knew I wanted to fully lean into a feel-good holiday vibe with a lot of percussion and warm harmonies. When the song was finished it made it made its way to Peter Asher, who I met via my manager since moving to LA. He has worked with some of my favorite artists of all time, so receiving such kind words from him is an incredible compliment. I can’t think of a better stamp of approval. Writing a holiday song is really intimidating, there are so many amazing ones out there already and it feels bold to throw my hat in the ring but it was so much fun to make and I only hope people are as happy listening to it as I was making it.” — Coco Reilly

BGS WRAPS: JD McPherson, “Red Bows (For A Blue Girl)”

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Artist: JD McPherson
Song: “Red Bows (For A Blue Girl)” (single)

In Their Words: “‘Red Bows (For A Blue Girl)’ was a title I had while writing the Socks album in 2018, but I never followed through with the idea. I have a couple of those. The idea came up to put out a 45 for Record Store Day, and it seemed like a good time to bring that tune to life. It’s about buying your special lady friend a nice gift for Christmas to cheer her up, but the character of the song is so manic, it’s no wonder the gal is down in the dumps! Love the maracas and background vocal shouts on this one; super fun to record. It’s been a blast to play live.” — JD McPherson

BGS WRAPS: Kara Grainger, “The Holiday Blues”

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Artist: Kara Grainger
Song: “The Holiday Blues” (single)

In Their Words: “In December, Nashville transforms into a Christmas wonderland and celebration of lights. I recently moved to town and wrote this song as my neighbors were already decorating their houses around Thanksgiving. ‘The Holiday Blues’ is about the feeling you get when such beauty and festivity is also accompanied by melancholy when missing someone you love. Christmas can be the most beautiful or hardest times of the year as we all well know, so I wanted to remind people not to get too caught up in the craziness, to just kick back and enjoy the season: ‘Don’t let the Holiday Blues drive you crazy, because pretty soon, pretty soon, it will be New Year’s Day.'” — Kara Grainger

BGS WRAPS: Keb’ Mo’, “Moonlight, Mistletoe & You”

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Artist: Keb’ Mo’
Song: “Moonlight, Mistletoe & You”
Album: Moonlight, Mistletoe & You

In Their Words: “After 25 years of performing without releasing a Christmas album, I felt now was as good a time as any to spread some love and compassion. There’s something about Christmas time that makes everyone’s hearts a little lighter and I wanted to contribute to the movement of spreading a little joy. I feel like I was able to accomplish that through the making of Moonlight, Mistletoe & You.” — Keb’ Mo’

See the Festive, First-Ever Video for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Posted on by Editor

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is inescapable this time of year, heard everywhere from shopping centers to Home Alone. Now for the first time, the holiday chestnut has an official music video. Commissioned by Universal Music Enterprises, created by Ingenuity Studios, and inspired by the style of vintage UPA cartoons of the 1950s and ’60s, the irresistible video features a merry trio of musicians as they perform throughout town and encounter scenes from popular holiday movies.

“When I recorded ‘Rockin” in 1958, I never could have dreamt that it would become a Christmas standard that would be listened to year after year and loved by generation after generation,” Lee said. “I always loved the song and knew it was great, and that was the main criteria for me and Owen [Bradley, her producer], but we never imagined it would become the quintessential Christmas song it has become, it’s been an amazing journey with this song. I thought Home Alone was a pretty darn good video so I never brought up the idea of a video but I’m honored that Universal has created ‘Rockin”s first-ever video.”

Also for the first time, all 18 of her Christmas recordings for Decca Records are available on vinyl, with the title Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – The Decca Christmas Recordings. Collectors, take note: The release offers three tracks originally only available on the Japanese release of her 1964 album which are all making their U.S. vinyl debut: “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Jingle Bells.”

Lee, who is the only woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, still holds a special place in her heart for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” more than six decades after she recorded it.

“It was just one of those magical moments in the studio when everything came together,” Lee remembered. “The sax solo, the little guitar lick that’s in there. Everything just sort of fell into place.”

BGS WRAPS: Katie Pruitt, “Merry Christmas, Mary Jane”

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Artist: Katie Pruitt
Song: “Merry Christmas, Mary Jane” (single)

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Merry Christmas, Mary Jane’ on Christmas Eve at my parents’ house when I was home from college. I was feeling pretty lonely, a lot of my friends had moved away, and I was fighting with my parents. I really just wanted to smoke some weed. I couldn’t find any, so I just wrote a song about it instead.” — Katie Pruitt

BGS WRAPS: The Christmas Jug Band, “Shoveling Snow”

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Artist: The Christmas Jug Band
Song: “Shoveling Snow”
Album: Live from the West Pole!

In Their Words: “Being a member of the Christmas Jug Band for over 30 years has afforded me the opportunity to write A LOT of Christmas tunes, most of which have the name ‘Santa’ in the title. In 2016 I was determined my new Christmas Jug Band tune would NOT have ‘Santa’ in the title. So that set me thinking about other things that are going on during December and the holiday season.

“After considering decorating Christmas trees, shopping for presents, cooking the Christmas dinner, etc., I landed on shoveling snow. I liked the idea, but I knew writing a song about just shoveling snow wouldn’t be all that interesting. But what if I made ‘Shoveling Snow’ a euphemism for shoveling something else? You get the picture. That opened up all sorts of possibilities for humorous lines to fill in the storyline.

“Once I had the concept, the song pretty much wrote itself. When I sat down at the piano to set it to music, it immediately felt right as a New Orleans/ Professor Longhair groove. It’s become one my favorite CJB tunes to play live and I’m not just shoveling snow!” — Paul Rogers, The Christmas Jug Band

The Show On The Road – JD McPherson

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

JD McPherson joins host Z. Lupetin for the final episode of The Show On The Road’s 2019 season.


LISTEN: APPLE PODCASTS • MP3

Oklahoma-born JD McPherson makes his own brand of high intellect, dance party-ready, Sun Studios-style rock ‘n’ roll. Last year he may have recorded one of the greatest original Christmas albums of the modern era with Socks.

While McPherson probably never dreamed he would become a new rock ‘n’ roll king of Christmas, Socks may be his most impressive feat yet. If you’re deeply suspicious of the capitalistic caterwauling of most modern holiday music on the airwaves (except you, Mariah!) you’ll still fall in love with JD’s sarcastic and sweet collection of holiday originals. The album deftly dives into lesser discussed Christmas subjects like broken expectations, inter-family angst, holiday horniness, and hilariously, the myth of why Santa must be grossly overweight to satisfy us fairy tale-loving kids. Give Socks a spin as you rock around the Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bush, or even better — keep it playing all year long.