The robots were fine with jumping on Prince’s “1999” bandwagon in 1999, but they needed their own anthem for Two Zero One Zero

I wanted something fun and lighthearted to sing about with my sweet friend, Joelle Labert. We both work really hard at being (and doing) good all year.

Perfect Snow Song is based on a poem that I wrote for my father called ‘Wintering.’  The poem– constructed around a childhood memory of being pulled in a sled– has a repetition a bit like listening to boots in the snow.

When I wrote Perfect Snow Song, I had been in a phase of listening to folk spirituals (think Allen Lomax)– which really inspired me to create a call and response song.  I was driving in the car when the melody came to me…and started singing this call (“lend me your compass”) and response  (“I’ll lend you my compass”) in two different voices.  When I got home that evening,  I ran the idea by my music partner, Douglas Lambert. He was totally game to try it out — but we realized we needed a third voice.  But not just ANY third voice — we needed Dee Adams.  Despite having a little cold, Dee graciously agreed to join us. This song would not have been possible without Dee and Doug’s amazing harmonies, combined musical knowledge, and expert hand clapping abilities.  To top it all off,  Jonathan Hughes ended our hymn with the distinct sound of boots walking through the snow.  What more could a songwriter want?

That feeling of loving the current season, yes, but being ready for the next one to kick in. Enough is enough…this calls for a seasonal fast forward! This was recorded while in ridiculously hot North Carolina summer weather, craving ice.

One of the things I most enjoy about writing for Robot Holiday is that the natural world, or winter as a season, becomes a leaping off point into the subjects/narrators interior life. There is nothing better than looking up on a starry night in the winter, and watching your breath dissolve into infinity. If that can’t help me get over my own pettiness, then nothing will.