Song Premiere: Billy Bragg & Joe Henry, “If We Make It Through December”
In 1973, the late great Merle Haggard, one of the many music superstars who died this year (shakes-fist-in-anger-at-2016), bravely called into question the idea that Christmas actually is NOT the happiest time of year. It can be, sure. But, as Haggard notes in his song “If We Make It Through December,” Christmas can be stressful, too…especially when the circumstances of our lives are less than ideal, for whatever reason.
Joe Henry and Billy Bragg decided to take on Haggard’s holiday classic and you’ll find it on a new playlist from Amazon Music called ‘Acoustic Christmas.’ The 29 all-new acoustic holiday recordings, by 29 different musicians, add up to a playlist that promises to add a little splash of spirit and a dash of cheer to your holiday season.
And this version of “If We Make It Through December”? It’s a good one – definitely a stand-out on the playlist. A bit slower than Haggard’s original, the harmonies and slightly reverberant guitar that Joe Henry and Billy Bragg add to the song make it even more heartbreaking.
Somehow, however, the poignancy of a father’s wish to give his family a beautiful holiday, one filled with “Christmas cheer,” and being unable to do so, takes a backseat to the overall hopefulness of the song, the thought that if we can just hold on for a little bit longer, if we can just make it through this month of December, then everything will be ok.
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‘Acoustic Christmas,’ an Amazon Music original playlist will be available exclusively for streaming on Amazon Music – both Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music – beginning November 22.
