In the flood of new holiday songs that always come out around this time, a new track from Hootie & the Blowfish stands out. It pays tribute to those who won’t be able to celebrate with their loved ones this year, because they’re on active duty in the military.
The song is called “Won’t Be Home for Christmas.” “We feel very fortunate to have the freedom to enjoy the holidays with our families, however we know that isn’t the case for everyone,” the group writes on Instagram. “Whether they’re deployed overseas or stationed far away from their families, this can be a tough time for military members.”
The band adds, “We wanted to really pay tribute to that sacrifice and thank these men and women for everything they do to keep us safe.”
The song starts with a young vocalist named Abigail Hodges, daughter of hit-making producer Dave Hodges. She performs the first verse from the point of view of a girl whose father is deployed, telling Santa that all she wants for Christmas is her daddy to come home.
She sings, “My mommy says he makes/the world a safer place/but I’m scared for him now/’cause he’s not coming for Christmas.”
Then Hootie frontman Darius Rucker picks up the story from the point of view of a soldier, singing, “We have God on our side but we won’t be home for Christmas/When the fighting subsides/all the angels will sing…/Tell ’em tie a yellow ribbon ’round the ol’ Christmas tree/’cause I’m not coming home for Christmas.”
The song is the first new Hootie music since 2019’s Imperfect Circle, which was their first new studio album in 14 years.
By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
