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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 29 November 2016
If Christmas gets you down, there’s a sad song for you

KRISTIN M. HALL at the same time the mes-
Associated Press sage in the song is beauti-
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — ful, and it’s relevant and it’s
‘Tis the season for bright, selfless, taking an opportu-
cheery holiday music play- nity to celebrate Christmas
ing ad nauseam on the ra- but to also say, ‘Hey, there
dio, in shopping malls and are things we need to ad-
television commercials. dress’,” she said. Country
But if you’re not feeling the singer Kacey Musgraves is
Christmas spirit, there’s still new to the holiday music
a song for you. tradition, releasing her first
Take Elvis’ mournful “Blue collection of Christmas
Christmas,” released in songs this year called “A
1957, which has become a Very Kacey Christmas.”
holiday staple. Or consider Known for her acerbic wit
Stevie Wonder’s “Some- in lyrics, Musgraves cov-
day At Christmas,” a Viet- ered the funny side of
nam War-era song about Christmas with “A Willie
wishing for a world where Nice Christmas,” with Willie
all men could live in equal- Nelson, as well as holiday
ity and peace. classics like “Feliz Navidad”
But a few contemporary and “Rudolph the Red-
artists are also tapping Nosed Reindeer.”
into less-than-jolly emo- But when she thought
tions to write new songs for about what she could add
Christmas. Contemporary to the catalog of holiday
Christian pop singer Amy music, she wanted to write
Grant is synonymous with In this April 25, 2016, file photo, singer Amy Grant poses for a portrait at her home in Nashville, a sad song. “The sad side
Tenn.
Christmas. She’s put out Associated Press. of the holidays, I feel like
several Christmas albums no one really wants to talk
over the course of her ca- about to acknowledge,”
reer, including a couple Her new holiday record, “My goal with this record is were bringing people to- Musgraves said. “For a lot
Christmas,”
I am making it safe to say, ‘I gether despite the fact
“Tennessee
that went platinum, and (of people), including my-
regularly hosts holiday tours which has reached No. 3 am alone,’” Grant said. that the song never men- self and my family, there is
But not everyone is a fan tions Jesus.
on Billboard’s Holiday Al-
and performances. a kind of sadness to Christ-
But she said some fans bum chart, includes sev- of her somber approach Soul singer Andra Day re- mas sometimes.”She wrote
to holiday music. LifeWay introduced “Someday At
eral non-traditional yule-
told her that their holidays the original song, “Christ-
aren’t always so joyous. tide tunes: “Melancholy Christian Resources, the Christmas” to a new gen- mas Makes Me Cry,” about
national retail arm of the eration of fans last year
Christmas,” ‘’Another Mer-
“I’ve recorded a lot of feeling like the only one
Christmas music, but I ry Christmas,” and “De- Southern Baptist Conven- when she sang it with Won- getting the holiday blues
tion, decided not to stock der during a holiday TV
cember.” The lyrics speak
thought, what I haven’t while everyone else cele-
done is to consider some- to people who have no the record. Jennifer Cooke, commercial. That song is brates. “Ironically, that was
Grant’s manager, wrote an included on her new holi-
one to talk to, who have
body that spends their very fun for me to tap into,”
holidays alone,” Grant lost loved ones or who opinion piece in The Wash- day EP, “Merry Christmas Musgraves said. “I cried
have struggled to make it
ington Post about LifeWay’s from Andra Day.” “I love
said, during an interview when I wrote the song, and
in Nashville, Tennessee. “I through the year. decision and said songs like that it has all the spirit of I cried when I was tracking
Christmas” Christmas in the song, but
Grant said fans have taken
“Melancholy
want to make a record for it.” q
an audience of one. I want to her Facebook page to
talk about their feelings of
to tell one person ‘Merry
Christmas’ and I want to grief, isolation and loneli- ‘Nightly Show’ vet Larry Wilmore signs
ness. And they have been
be willing to sit there in the
sadness too.” reaching out to each other
for support. deal with ABC Studios
Imagine a picture book in-
spired by a John Lennon song NEW YORK (AP) — Three Award-winning “Bernie
months
Comedy Mac Show” and “The PJs,”
after
Central axed “The Nightly an animated series he co-
Show,” its host, Larry Wilm- produced with Eddie Mur-
NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine mission to advocate for
a new picture book based peace. ore, has signed a multi-year phy.
on a famous song. “Imagine” comes out Sept. deal with ABC Studios, the Earlier writing and produc-
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 21, the United Nations’ In- company said Monday. ing credits include “In Living
told The Associated Press ternational Day of Peace. Under the deal, Wilmore Color,” ‘’The Fresh Prince of
on Monday that it was pub- It will be released in part- will develop his own proj- Bel-Air,” ‘’The Jamie Foxx
lishing “Imagine,” inspired nership with Amnesty Inter- ects as well as supervise Show” and “The Office.”
by the John Lennon classic national, which will receive others while helping target Before launching “The
of the same name and au- some of the proceeds. talent for the studio. Nightly Show,” Wilm-
thorized by his widow, Yoko In recent years, Bob Dylan’s Besides hosting “The Nightly ore appeared on Com- In this June 25, 2016 file
photo, Larry Wilmore appears
Ono. With illustrations by “Blowin’ in the Wind” and Show” for 17 months, Wilm- edy Central’s “The Daily at Politicon 2016 at The Pasa-
Jean Jullien, the book will Bruce Springsteen’s “Out- ore co-created HBO’s new Show,” where he was dena Convention Center in
feature Lennon’s lyrics as law Pete” have also in- hit comedy, “Insecure,” billed as the Senior Black Pasadena, Calif.
it tells of a young pigeon’s spired picture books.q as well as the Peabody Correspondent.q Associated Press