Behind The Song

Making of “Ghost of Christmas Past”: The Demo

‘Tis the Season! As you can imagine I follow the seasons very closely. Living in New York City, I am lucky enough to have a collection of beautiful trees outside apartment. Where I am in my Christmas journey is reflective in the way the trees look out my window. As of last week, the trees started to turn a beautiful golden hue, and I know we are officially in the holiday season! 🙂

I am so proud of my album “Five Golden Rings.” It is my fifth album and the best one I’ve done to date. Every song is truly personal and shows how strong I’ve become as a producer and songwriter in the past few years.

I write hundreds of songs a year, and most of them are really bad. It takes working through songs to really find the gems. My favorite song on the album, and the lead single this year is “Ghost of Christmas Past.” It is a song that I had written a few years ago. I had been playing around with the theme of the “Ghost of Christmas Past” and had used that phrase in my earliest recordings. (Bonus points for those who can find the first song where I reference it!)

When it occurred to me it would be my fifth album, it felt bittersweet. Time is so vicious. Stealing away your days without you realizing. Every year I embark on a new record, I think about the seasons past on my journey. To have been doing this professionally for 5 years, and it feeling like 2 is really insane.

I wanted to take you on a journey on the evolution of what it takes to make a record. How it starts and where it comes from. Quite simply, all of my songs start in my living room and my recorder. It can take me minutes, hours or days. Once I write something I am proud of, I record it – and then I leave it. For sometimes years. If I can recall the song without prompting, I know its ready. (If you want a shortcut and just want to get the record, check it out here: http://www.smarturl.it/FiveGoldenRings)

So for the first time ever, I present to you – the original demo of my next single “Ghost of Christmas Past.” A simple song and story I gave birth to in my living room. It has no bells and whistles, there is no auto-tune. It was my first sketch of the extraordinary piece it ended up becoming.

Come join me on the evolution and see you back here tomorrow! 🙂