Bob Dylan’s Christmas In the Heart, track by track . . .

The lyrics to this song don’t have a lot of weight to them — they’re just an excuse for wintertime merriment.  Dylan tried for something similar, though more lyrical, in one of his own songs, “Winterlude” from New Morning.

It’s the musical arrangement which delights here — the incredibly cute and sexy girl voices backing Bob, with some sleek Andrews Sisters harmonies, set the mood of infectious cheer.  An anomalous steel guitar peeks in to the proceedings and is welcomed with open arms.  The number bops along happily and so does Bob — he seems to really enjoy the idea of the kiddies knocking the snowman down.  (Peggy Lee, in her version of the song, offered the same sort of deadpan approval of the mischief in question.)

When Bob says that he and his gal are going to “frolic and play the Eskimo way” it sounds as though it might involve more than rubbing noses by the fire, but by then I’m sure the kiddies would be fast asleep, thoroughly exhausted by their antic vandalism earlier in the day.

Back to the Christmas In the Heart track list page.