Christmas 2020 was approaching, and I thought it would be nice to record a Christmas tune. I had been playing “Blue Christmas” on my ukulele for about a decade, and I thought it might be fun to record a version in the style of Elvis Presley’s version, but one which starts with the uke providing the only accompaniment, then transitions to a more traditional rockabilly vibe (with a hint of Booker T. tossed in for good measure).
Not much to say about this, other than the arrangement is all mine, and you’ll hear the uke, some drums that I tapped out in GarageBand (as usual), bass, a couple of guitar tracks, an organ, piano, and a single vocal track.
I toyed with the idea of adding some backing vocals, but the organ part I recorded roughly follows the same melodic phrasing as the backing vocals (performed by the Jordanaires) in Elvis’s original 1957 version. Doubling up on that made no sense, and I was too lazy to work out a completely different arrangement. Besides, sometimes less is more.
One major change I made to Elvis’s version: I reinstated the “lost” verse Elvis omitted (“I’ll have a blue Christmas, that’s certain …”).
The version I posted is another remaster that differs from the one I initially shared with friends and family.