December Back 2 June

Album: Santa Baby (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Alicia Keys recorded the jazzy and soulful "December Back 2 June" for her festive album, Santa Baby. All Keys wants for Christmas is to be with the people that love her and make her feel good.
  • Keys wrote the song with Ariana Grande's go-to collaborator Tayla Parx ("Thank U, Next," "7 Rings," "POV").

    Tommy Parker produced the track. He has also had placements with Ariana Grande ("Love Language") and J. Cole ("i n t e r l u d e.").
  • Among the bells and whistles that Parker added to "December Back 2 June" was a high-pitched "It's just Christmastime" line. "I was like, 'Where did he find this Christmas Jackson 5 song that I've never heard in all my life?'" Keys thought when she heard it for the first time. "And so I talked to him, and I'm like, 'Is this a sample? What is this?' And he had actually created that voice and that kind of sample-sounding pitch."

    "And I fell in love with it, because to me it felt like a 'You Don't Know My Name' or one of these songs that are my style, like that kind of '70s sample, we'll put a modern approach on it," she explained to Billboard. "And so it totally was 100% me, and he said that he created it with that in mind."
  • Santa Baby is a 11-track album that features Keys' versions of seven classic Christmas songs and four self-penned tracks.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.