Song Background:

"Puttin' On The Style" was first recorded by Country singer Vernon Dalhart in 1925 along with many other recordings of the song that were performed by various artists over the years.

Lonnie Donegan first recorded his iteration of the song while performing at the London Palladium on the 9th May 1957, and by the next month the song had reached number 1 on the UK singles chart where it remained at number 1 for a month

Most of the instruments that I've put into this piece are typically what you'd hear in a classic horror movie like a piano being played on the lower keys or a creepy drone bass in the background.

The key and the feel of the song:

This can be one of the main factors that can make a really good Christmas tune, most popular Christmas songs have been recorded in a major key which can show the happy sort of tone the song is setting for the listener. The feel of the song is also an important factor, a lot of Christmas song tend to have extra instruments playing in the background such as sleigh bells or church bells. There are some examples of Christmas songs that don't tend to have the main sort of instruments that can make up a Christmas song that still keep the feel of it being a Christmas related song. A good example of this is Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee which was recorded in 1958. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7QPZti18Dk&list=RDg7QPZti18Dk&start_radio=1

The song of course still has that rock sound that was popular then, but at the same time it still keeps that same Christmas feel to the song which in my opinion makes it an excellent Christmas tune.

The Atmosphere of the song:

A lot of big band and orchestral Christmas songs that were done by musicians such as Frank Sinatra Dean Martin and Andy Williams tend to have a really atmospherical sense to them, now that the instrument quantity is a lot more larger, there's much more going on in the background and it feels way more atmospherical. A really good example of this sort of style would be Let It Snow by Frank Sinatra which was recorded in 1950 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km-Nlo5bgCQ&list=RDKm-Nlo5bgCQ&start_radio=1

The lyrics and storytelling:

One of the absolute necessities of a good Christmas song are the lyrics, they're the part that mainly makes a Christmas song what it is, most lyrics in Christmas songs mostly talk about being all cosy by the fire next to the Christmas tree or going outside in the snow. Some songs go as far as telling stories. One pivotal example of this is Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer by Gene Autry which was recorded in 1949. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_hcT51Fo-8&list=RD44bL90HP0Ys&index=2

The song tells the story of Rudolph and how he came to be, and it has forever remained on of the most famous Christmas song of all time.

I first started writing the song in May of last year, progress on it was slow but I finally managed to finish the song in January. The overall sound of the song was inspired by a lot of song done by Faron Young in the late 50s and early 60s. A good example I can think of is his 1963 re-recording of I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night https://youtu.be/iwLYmNNZKNY?si=risYsVl8yLw5eMOI

The chorus of the song however was a tad bit different, the chorus of the song would have a completely different chord progression which really didn't do well on my vocals, so I switched it out to have a similar chord progression to the verses which was in the key of A Major.

Me and the band are going to perform this song at the Mash House, hopefully the audience will like it.