How many cliches can be strung together in a song before it crosses the fine line of originality into copyright infringement? Los Doggies has the answer with a new Christmas song called “Mad for Christmas”.
I don’t always tune in every year, but I’ve always loved Christmas music from the ’50s and ’60s of both the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a time for glockenspiel-dominated pop music. Y’know, like the Boss?
The ideal Christmas tune would feature heavy glock with a jingle bell swing. Meanwhile the other instrumentation would be light, so light it could hardly be heard above the three-part harmonies. Of course, it would be sung in the sacred Christmas key of D Major.
And it wouldn’t be afraid to wish the listener a “Merry Christmas”, or even try to make a big political thing out of it. (Ultimately, we went with a wistful “Happy Christmas,” whispered like George Michael at the end of the song.)
“Mad for Christmas” sounds like a dozen other classic carols. The wide chorus melody is almost like “Here Comes Santa Clause” and the song follows a similar chord progression. Listen below and try to spot some other holiday motifs.
A very merry Christmas to you!
Download “Mad for Christmas” for free on Bandcamp.
