IT’S CHRISTMAS……

I did think about taking today off. But I changed my mind.

mp3: Frightened Rabbit – It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop

It’s Christmas so we’ll stopI don’t
It’s on with the lights to warm the dark
It can cloak elsewhere
As the rot stops for today
Let the rot stop just for one day
Only good red eyes, red suits, and faces will radiate
And the cold will hide its face
Now the cold is turned away
We can be best friends with the people we hate
‘Cause we’ve all got blood
And it’s warmer than you think
Yeah it is warm and it is thick
We all breathe out clouds
We’re built to give at least once each year
Now that’s better than never I guess
And life might never get better than this
With the perfect excuse for our natures to change
And wear shiny clothes
Oh it’s Christmas so press pause and we’ll go

Oh it’s Christmas so we’ll stop
‘Cause the wine on our breath puts the love in our tongues
So forget the names
I called you on Christmas Eve
In fact forget the entire year
Don’t reflect just pretend and you won’t feel scared
You won’t feel a thing
‘Cause it’s all been tucked away
And once you’re tucked in bed
You’ll hold on to the day for the last few seconds
Your cradled face is protected from the wind
And I’ll protect you I promise I will
And the rest of our lives will be just like Christmas
With fewer toys
You’re a good girl I’m a good boy
So I thought

Oh it’s Christmas so we stopped
Were it not for the tick of the clock
And the spinning of the Earth in space
We could always be this way
And as we sleep at the fall of the day
In the room next door the tree lights brighten the rodents’ eyes
And catches a glimpse of the dust beginning to rise

The next day life went back to its bad self
The next day life went back to its bad self
The next day life went back to its bad self
The next day life went back to its bad self

Scott Hutchison was an extraordinarily talented human being.  This is such a beautifully observed piece of writing.  It was issued on limited edition 7″ vinyl by Fat Cat Records in December 2007. This was just a few months prior to the release of Midnight Organ Fight, the second album from Frightened Rabbit that would set them on the way to becoming popular an eventually signing for Atlantic Records in 2011.

Thanks to its relative rarity, ‘It’s Christmas…..’ is, in monetary terms, one of the most valuable 7″ singles sitting in the cupboard.  The one copy for sale on Discogs has a £200 asking price. Not that I’d ever be interested in getting rid of mine….which I picked up second-hand for not too much money, but then again the previous owner did allow it to pick up a few pops/scratches and even a mild skip at the 1:30 mark.  Sorry.

mp3 : Frightened Rabbit – It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop (choir version)

I’m still bemused as to why nobody, to my knowledge, has ever used the choir version for film or TV purposes, especially in the advertising world. But then again, maybe Scott turned down any such requests and his family continue to do so today.

I still think of him a fair bit. It’s only been recently that I’ve been able to listen to many of his songs without getting overly emotional.

Take care y’all….and I hope Santa has been good to you.

As mentioned previously, tomorrow will be the first of what will an 18-day series on a particular theme.  It’ll be almost the middle of January before things return to normal.

Thanks, again, to everyone whose visits and/or contributions throughout 2022 have helped to keep this little corner of t’internet ticking over.

JC