Black Pumas Cover Lou Rawls’ ‘Christmas Will Really Be Christmas’ Ahead Of Tour
‘We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling,’ frontman Eric Burton says.
Black Pumas have released a cover of Lou Rawls’ classic Christmas single, “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas.”
Previously only available as a part of Spotify Holiday Singles, “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas (Lou Rawls Cover)” is available everywhere today for the first time.
Click to load video
“We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling,” frontman Eric Burton says. “It’s a message that needs to be heard right now. I was a little nervous about singing in Lou Rawls’ low register, so I sang it an octave higher and it was nice to arrange vocals with the ladies [backup singers Lauren Cervantes and Angela Miller] as well to put our own spin on it.”
Producer/bandleader Adrian Quesada says, “A Christmas song isn’t exactly something that we set out to do, but this Lou Rawls song is amazing. It was produced by one of my favorite arrangers and producers, David Axelrod. On that side of it I was drawn to it initially and I confirmed with Eric. I think we were both attracted to the message too, it touches on a message that I think is poignant to today’s times, that Christmas isn’t really Christmas until everyone has peace and happiness.”
The band returns stateside in a few weeks for the second leg of their U.S. tour, following a busy summer during which they performed countless sold-out shows across the U.S. and Europe. Additionally, played at festivals including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, BottleRock Napa Valley, Ohana Fest in Dana Point, CA, and Atlanta’s Music Midtown.
Buy or stream the Black Pumas’ cover of “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas.”
Black Pumas Tour Dates:
11/16/21 – Lille, France @ Aéronef SOLD OUT
11/17/21 – Nantes, Pays de la Loire @ Stéréolux SOLD OUT
11/18/21 – Paris, France @ L’Olympia
11/20/21 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera SOLD OUT
12/4/21 – Key West, FL @ Coast is Clear Music & Arts Fest
12/8/21 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
12/9/21 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
12/10/21 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
12/12/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
12/15/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
12/16/21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
12/17/21 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
12/18/21 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Las Vegas
2/4/22 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium SOLD OUT
2/5/22 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
2/26/22 – 2/27/22 – Tempe, AZ @ Innings Festival
3/2/22 – 3/5/22 – Cancún, Mexico @ My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday
3/19/22 – 3/20/22 – Mexico City, CDMX @ Vive Latino
3/25/22 – 3/27/22 – São Paulo, SP @ Lollapalooza Brasil
3/25/22 – 3/27/22 – Bogotá, Colombia @ Estereo Picnic
3/27/22 – 3/29/22 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
6/18/22 – Oslo, Norway @ Rockefeller Music Hall
6/19/22 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Berns
6/21/22 – Hamburg, Germany @ Fabrik
6/22/22 – Dortmund, DE @ FZW
6/29/22 – Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
6/30/22 – Barcelona, Spain @ Vida Festival
7/8/22 – 7/10/22 – Trenčín, Slovakia @ Pohoda Festival
7/8/22 – Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival
