If Steven Wilson had written a song called December Skies in the early years of his band Porcupine Tree it would have been a dreamy, spacey extended jam with poetic, earnestly abstract lyrics. For later Porcupine Tree it would have been an angst-ridden, prog-metal song, probably featuring lyrics about disaffected teenagers or a serial killer. In the early years of his solo career it might have been a deeply-felt, intensely introverted indie song with slightly abstruse lyrics. In the middle of his solo career, it could have been a ghost story with existential tendencies. Most recently, it could have been a ten-minute prog epic with elements of spiritual jazz and electronica, beautifully mixed in immersive surround sound with a stunning video directed by Miles Skarin. All of them would have been profound.
So it came as a surprise to many, not least to Wilson himself, that he has written a bona fide Christmas Song… Just to be clear, this is the same songwriter who used to introduce his song Routine when he played it live as his attempt to write the most depressing song ever written (it’s also one of his best songs). Wilson, when challenged recently by a friend to write a festive ditty, decided to call upon the services of ChatGPT to write the lyrics for him. To be fair, his instructions to the chatbot included the Wilsonesque sentiments, ‘Don’t mention Christmas’, (bah humbug!) and ‘make it feel cold and lonely.’
Wilson’s artificially intelligent lyricist has done a reasonable job; the words are good enough to have graced many a past Christmas number one, but it feels there is a slight emptiness at their heart, perhaps because it’s difficult to ignore the fact that they are the product of artificial intelligence. But, as he does with all his projects, Wilson has applied great musical intelligence, artistry and the highest possible production skills, even when he is working very quickly, and perhaps slightly tongue in cheek as he may be here. The song has all the requisite elements of a traditional Christmas hit – a slightly melancholy verse with some juicy minor chords; acoustic guitars and a heavily echoed vocals (as at the start of Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas), the sound of sleigh bells; an uplifting chorus; some Christmas carol-like tunes (in this case the sound of a harmonium and bells playing passages that could have come from Carol of the Bells, the early 20th century Christmas carol); orchestral strings and rich backing vocals; the obligatory key change at the end. Add to that some gorgeous slide guitar work from Randy McStine, who joined Wilson on the two recent Porcupine Tree tours, and the song is actually very good. It’s the kind of song that could have been a Christmas number one, in the traditional style of Cliff Richard’s two solo Christmas chart toppers, or David Essex’s number two hit A Winter’s Tale – which like Steven Wilson’s is beautifully crafted, rather melancholy song, and also doesn’t specifically mention Christmas.
Wilson has said ‘”I didn’t think I had it in me.” To be honest, neither did we, but Merry Christmas, Steven!
No chatbots were harmed (or used!) in the writing of this blog.
Update on 19 November 2024: December Skies was released exclusively Steven Wilson’s YouTube channel on 14 December 2023. Physical editions of the single, on cd and vinyl, are due for release on 6 December 2024.
I usually *hate* Xmas musical cheesiness. HOWEVER, Steven manages to make it palatable enough not to throw me in fits of hives. And Randy McStine’s solo is truly masterful.
Bravo Steven