Merry Christmas Eve, dear hearts!
Before we get to Day 11, I have something to share with you...
Grant Walker filmed the concert at the Merc Theater!! And it's right here! Enjoy...
Day 11: Christmas Eve
"The store Iām looking for is closing
Just hoping I can make it in time
Bringing apple cider with cinnamon spice for someone
My thank you for staying, for waiting,
for holding this gift of mine..."
Seeing as it's the 24th, let's talk about "Christmas Eve".
I loved writing this song. It was a song that started with a tiny idea that soon took up every corner of my heart.
I keep a folder of scribbles. Sometimes it's an entire song idea, sometimes just one word that I love, sometimes a phrase, sometimes a journal entry about this or that... I jot down rambling thoughts and silvery words, tucking them away in my notes just in case I can make use of them at some point. Months ago, looking through that folder, I came across two words: "silent night."
I remember why I wrote those two words down--I thought it could be neat to tie a phrase of "Silent Night" into the fabric of one of my songs, but that piece didn't fit the picture for anything I was currently writing for Wintertide.
Until "Christmas Eve"... And this song was all surprises.
Lyrically, it turned out differently than I thought it would. Right from the start, it had a course of its own. It changed directions on me, literally, and suddenly I was rushing to get to a shop on Main Street when I thought this song was going to stay cozily at home, sitting in a big comfy chair by the fire.
Musically, it planted itself in a key and a tuning I wasn't even looking at. Tuning even one string differently can change the voice of the instrument, let alone retuning four or more strings. I haven't played with open tunings very much, but every time I do, I want to write everything that way.
This song even threw our musicians for a loop in the studio with the slow-down moments at the end of each chorus. Recording, it's important that we all stay together--that we're all aware of the beat and exactly where it is. (Unless it's "Christmas in Killarney"... but that's a special case.) Slowing down in the middle of a song isn't as simple in the studio as it is in a live performance. Joel (on the acoustic guitar) suggested he take the slowdowns by himself, so the other musicians could bow out until the tempo picked up again. He looked at all of us rather seriously before we went to our individual booths and told us to pray for him at each of those moments in the song.
"I'm serious. Pray for me, okay?"
(We did. Or, at the very least, my momma and I did. And they smashed it.)
"Christmas Eve" all came together in the last moments. The last moments of writing. The last moments of demo recording. And I am so glad it did. I really can't pick favorites because each one of these songs is a piece of my heart, but... if I had to, this one would be up there. I hope you like this song...
You can listen to "Christmas Eve" and "Silent Night" here!
Alright, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go warm up some apple cider now.
Merry Christmas to you and yours from me and all of mine...
All the love,
Brittany Jean
P.S. Tomorrow morning--Christmas morning--92.7 KNCW will be playing my Wintertide album on their station! Starting at 8:05 AM! If you're within range and happen to be getting breakfast around, get you a piece of coffee cake and tune in! š»