Okay, I know, the day after Thanksgiving is supposed to signal the start of the countdown to the biggest holiday of the year, but with all due respect for Black Friday, I think it’s fitting for my first blog of December and Christmas being exactly three weeks from today that I was introduced to a song that puts a nice bow on timing for this review.
“Christmas (I Think I’m Gonna Be Sad)” is the new holiday single from New York City-based rock singer-songwriter Dan Miraldi. And I’m here to tell you that I like it.
It has kind of a 60s feel to it and it's refreshing to see a songwriter take a sad message and put it into an up-tempo song - a nice contrast. There's a not-60s-sounding decent guitar solo in there too.
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As someone who spent Christmas 15 years ago with a broken heart and not even wanting to acknowledge the holiday, I would’ve been nervous pressing Play on a song with such a title – as would be the case for anyone in 2023 whose relationship just ended. But Miraldi crafted the song in such a way that you can listen and not have to be concerned about some depressing ballad that will have you reaching for the tissue box while it’s playing.
Even the use of layered vocal harmonies adds an extra element to this track that helps the song succeed. I’ve written in the past that the less-is-more approach is often good, but in this case, if “I Think I’m Gonna Be Sad” was stripped down it would’ve cut straight to the wounds that sad hearts are trying to find healing for at what could be a challenging time of year. I also like that Miraldi got to the chorus right away (approximately 30 seconds in).
Let’s face it, songwriting can be a challenge when it comes to trying to come up with something that hasn’t already been done, and creating something new in the Christmas genre feels particularly difficult because of having to stay within that theme. Most performers opt to simply cover one or more of the standards and at most release their own interpretation of it. So, my applause for what Miraldi has done extends to his having succeeded in doing something original within the context of a seasonal song.
Now, full disclosure, I might've been influenced by the impressive "about the artist" write-up that I read before I first listened to the song. The two-time John Lennon Songwriting Contest Finalist has shared show bills with an eclectic bunch of performers such as Nelly, Wiz Khalifa, Beatle offspring James McCartney, and even Wang Chung, among others. By the way, that subconscious influence on me is a good lesson for aspiring performers who routinely leave their bio off or incomplete on a number of platforms. In other words, it could be the difference in you getting a Yes instead of a No or not getting a response at all.
The other teaching moment here is that if you’re a music creator, take the lesson(s) learned from the above and start mapping out your strategy now for approaching a holiday release for next year. Yes, already. When you think of the guests who have come on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast and talked about already being in the studio recording a Christmas song in the summer, that means that they had to have already been writing it in the first part of the year.
With there being less than four weeks remaining in the year, you need to already be making your list and checking it twice in terms of what your plans are for 2024 as it relates to your music career. What do you want to accomplish, (by) when, and how are you going to take those ideas and go from concept to reality?
Put yourself in a position to come right out of the gate when the calendar changes over to January. Call me now and let’s talk about one or more of the items on your To Do list that you just can’t seem to get traction with. Take advantage of my almost 20 years helping indie music artists (not to mention authors, entrepreneurs, actors and filmmakers, small business owners, and podcasters) from around the U.S. I’d welcome the opportunity for a conversation about what you’re doing and making sure you keep moving forward.