If you’re surprised by what you hear when you press play this week, I don’t blame you. This is a dark, ethereal, driving version of a song more usually associated with words like bright, cheery, and fluffy.
But upon closer inspection, the original song hides a few surprises itself.
First of all, even though we think of it as a Christmas song (and it’s been on Christmas albums by everyone from Dean Martin to Kylie Minogue) the word “Christmas” is nowhere to be found in the lyrics. No references to Santa, reindeer, or chestnuts roasting on a fire, open or otherwise. The only food mentioned is popcorn, which is hardly a yuletide treat.
Secondly, despite all the wintry references, it wasn’t written during the winter. So if you ever imagined the songwriters huddling together by their stockings to write this tune, you can abandon that altogether: Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wrote it in the summer. During a heatwave. In California.
So really, if you consider this song’s contradictions, it seems right that a 19-year-old producer from Austria has wrenched it from the hands of the Michael Bubles and Celine Dions of the world, freshened it up a little, and given us something different in our stockings this year.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The combination of live and synthesized instruments helps bring the song from the past into the present.
2. In the original, the words “let it snow” are sung to a descending melody; here, the line ascends. It’s a small difference, but a big difference.
3. The beat is driving, but not too driving. Just upbeat enough to motivate you to get some shopping done.
Recommended listening activity:
Making paper snowflakes out of your old birthday cards.