Olivia Rodrigo has officially jumped into the Christmas music pool. Like Taylor Swift, Dolly, Mariah, Beyoncé, Cher, Brandy, Kelly Clarkson and Sia before her she has a Christmas song. The key question is, will this be a holiday classic or will Rodrigo get coal in her stocking? It’s a fine line with Christmas pop songs. You need to capture the traditional Christmas stuff like sleigh bells and all the Christmas imagery, but not get cheesy and dated. They can be huge career defining hits…like Mariah and Wham…or it can be forgotten as soon as the snow melts…remember Bob Dylan’s Christmas record???? Let’s see what Santa brought us?
First off, Rodrigo hits all the musical notes. She has the sleigh bells, hand claps and synth…all necessary Christmas song fare. However, she blends in strings, some very poppy bass, snapping drums and well placed rockin’ guitar. This is enough to lift the song above your average Christmas song, but not so poppy that it’s out of place under the tree. The track doesn’t overstay its welcome either. At just under three minutes, it gives you all the poppy holiday cheer you want, but it tight enough to play multiple times. Producer Dan Nigro, who also produced Kylie Minogue and Joe Jonas, brought his pop chops and helped Rodrigo cook up a pure pop banger.
Rodrigo and Nigro got the musical chemistry dead on, but was she able to write a Christmas song with staying power? In short, yes. The song is all about going to meet her boyfriend’s parents for Christmas…a true right of passage for all relationships. She sings about getting drunk with his parents, making out, having his mom walk in on her sleeping in her underwear and being hungover the next morning. Most importantly, she works in being merry, loving this time of the year, Joy to the World and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Much like the musical arrangement, she sings a fantastic stand alone pop song, but seamlessly works in all the Christmas song staples.
This song is catchy as hell and the hook is pure gold. I think the key is that the track itself works as a pop hit all on its own and just happens to be about Christmas. Rodrigo is having a ton of fun on this track and it really comes through. An amazing first outing in the Christmas music landscape and a track that will be played for many Christmases to come. She will definitely make Santa’s nice list for this track.
Listen to Take me Home (4 Christmas)
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