A reasonable assumption.
Except it's wrong.
I use Christmas music as my secret weapon for learning about songwriting.
"Huh???" Yeah, I hear you.
The 19th century Christmas songs, like O Come All Ye Faithful, and more modern ones, like The Christmas Song and Last Christmas, have endured not only because of tradition, but because they're written so well.
The technical aspects of these songs - the lyrics, the melodies, the chord progressions, the tempos, etc. - have served their purpose: to invoke emotion.
And do they ever. They can make you smile, laugh, cry, and everything in between.
And they can be adapted to various genres. My favorite punk band, Bad Mary Band from Long Island, does a cover of Silent Night that's not so...silent.
You can also have a ton of fun making up your own covers. I had major surgery on my left foot right after Thanksgiving in 2011, so I was on crutches during the holidays. Being the parody lover that I am, I made up parodies of Christmas songs.
Everybody's favorite, hands down - especially mine - was It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Crutches. I really ripped into that one. Laughter saved me that season, believe me.
So if you need a new way of thinking about songwriting...well...It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year for that!
🎅🎄🎶
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