"Just Like Christmas" with Low

The American rock band Low recorded one of the newer contenders for a spot in the Christmas music canon when it cut "Just Like Christmas" for its 1999 EP, Christmas. As Low's Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker reveal, the EP emerged spontaneously, driven in part by wondering whether they could intentionally write a body of Christmas songs. 

The EP became an important part of the life of the band in a number of ways as it helped to get them attention and money at a time when they needed both. It has become enough of a part of the band's story that Low has returned to Christmas music a couple of times--in 2008 with "Santa's Coming Over" (which doesn't appear in the podcast) and in 2016 with "Some Hearts (at Christmas Time").

In the episode, we talk about Low's "Taking Down the Tree" from Christmas, and mention but don't play Tracey Thorn's cover of the song. It's excellent and well worth hearing. We also talk about a Gap ad from 2000 that featured Low's version of "Little Drummer Boy."

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