WHEN EPIC FIRST ASKED ME IF I WOULD LIKE TO RECORD A CHRISTMAS ALBUM, I WASN´T TOO SURE. BUT AFTER GIVING IT SOME THOUGHT, I AGREEED. I DIDN´T WANT TO DO THE OBVIOUS TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS COVERS OR A COLLECTION OF THE STANDARD HOLIDAY HITS. I WANTED TO MAKE A UNIQUE ROCK AND ROLL ALBUM.
I STARTED CO-WRITING SONGS WITH RONNIE HARWOOD, THE GUY WHO WROTE ´YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY´ IT WAS QUITE BIZARRE, WRITING CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE SUMMER, BUT WE CAME UP WITH ´IT´S GONNA BE A LONELY CHRISTMAS, ´SURE WON´T SEEM LIKE CHRISTMAS´ AND I´LL BE HOME THIS CHRISTMAS.
I CO-WROTE ´MERRY CHRISTMAS PRETTY BABY´ WITH MY SON JASON, AND JOHN DAVID, WHO HAS WRITTEN HITS FOR CLIFF RICHARD & PHIL EVERLEY AND STATUS QUO. JOHN ALSO WROTE TWO CHRISTMAS SONGS ESPECIALLY FOR ME- ´ROCKIN´ LITTLE CHRISTMAS AND ´CHRISTMAS WISH´. HOW COULD I LEAVE OUT THE CLASSIC, ´MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE´, ´THE BEST CHRISTMAS OF THEM ALL´ AND MY VERY FIRST SEASONAL RECORDING,´BLUE CHRISTMAS´?
THERE WERE ALSO TWO CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SONGS THAT I HAD TO INCLUDE-´WHITE CHRISTMAS´ AND ´SILENT NIGHT´. BUT I DIDN´T JUST WANT TO DO THEM THE WAY THEY HAVE BEEN DONE, TIME AND TIME AGAIN. INSTEAD, I DECIDED TO PUT MY PERSONAL STAMP ON THESE TRADITIONAL YULETIDE STANDARDS. GAVIN POVEY´S ´SO LONG CHRISTMAS´, WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE TITLE AND INFECTIOUS RHYTHM SEEMED TO BE THE PERFECT TRACK TO CLOSE THE ALBUM.

HOPE YOU LIKE THE ALBUM AS MUCH AS WE ENJOYED MAKING IT.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
SHAKIN´STEVENS