I'll Be Your Santa

Album: Single release only (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Penned by Keith Urban with Nashville songwriter Shane McAnally, this Christmas song starts off with a warning that it's going to be a decidedly un-festive holiday.

    The weatherman says it ain't gonna snow this year
    And the fog is too heavy to cut a path for the reindeer
    Urban goes on to promise to bring the holiday cheer to his love interest
    Don't worry baby, I'll be your Santa tonight


    As long as Urban and his lover are together, they don't need anything else to make the holiday season festive.
  • Urban had always wanted to pen a brand new Christmas song, so he invited McAnally to come around to his house and help him. They started writing it in the singer's studio, which he'd decked out with colored Christmas lights, a tree, and tinsel to put them in a festive mood. However, McAnally decided he wanted to write it on Urban's piano in his living room, so they ended up writing it there, where there were no Christmas decorations of any sort.
  • Urban wanted to write a song that travels anywhere and can also be about the romantic side of Christmas Eve. He explained his idea was "this girl is about to have the bleakest Christmas 'cause there's no, there's too much fog, there's no snow, her mom's not going to be able to make it, her sister can't come, it's all going to be a complete mess. And the guy steps up and says it's gonna happen. 'I'll bring the magic.'"
  • This is Urban's first holiday song, but some the track's elements, such as its waltz drum beat, are not a million miles away from sounds Urban has explored in the past, such as those heard on "Blue Ain't Your Color."
  • Directed by his longtime collaborator Chris Hicky, the music clip depicts several Urbans simultaneously playing piano, guitar and bass in a classic Christmas setting. Said the singer: "I wanted to keep the video loose and a bit more performance-based than the actual story line, because everybody has their own version of what a song should look like, so I didn't wanna touch on that too much."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.