N.S. singer releases a jolly melancholy melody for Christmas

Songwriter Andrea England pens a pensive Christmas carol for those who do not feel like it is necessarily the ‘most wonderful time of the year’

CITYnews  halifax \ Steve Gow

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For many, the seemingly ubiquitous sounds of joyous holiday music in shopping malls, on television commercials and over the radio can be more than simply tedious by the time Christmas Day actually rolls around.

For some, the constant reminder to “deck the halls” or that this is “the most wonderful time of the year” can actually contribute to a dreaded sense of isolation or sadness — especially if it is the first Christmas after a loss in one’s life.

That is why Nova Scotia singer and songwriter Andrea England wrote Jolly Melancholy Christmas — her latest single and first recorded Christmas song.

“I have a big extended Maritime family, and between family and friends, there were five people in my life who were here last Christmas who won’t be here this year,” explains England about the inspiration behind the new single. “It’s going to be a sad Christmas so I want people to know that’s acknowledged (and) that it’s not all candy canes.”

A slow, introspective guitar-based ballad, Jolly Melancholy Christmas attempts to capture the bittersweet feeling that many people experience at this time of year.

“I hope it resonates in those people who are struggling to find the joy in Christmas or are missing somebody,” says England, a native of Sand Point in Guysborough County.

While she personally crafted the song as a way of processing loss in the looming shadow of Christmas celebration, she acknowledges that the holiday tune may also relate to others for an entirely different reason.

“Not everybody is necessarily reflected in holiday advertising and all of that stuff, and I think it can be a very lonely time for a lot of reasons,” adds England. “Look at the holidays for doctors and nurses, and first responders, and firefighters who aren’t at home with their family because they are out protecting the rest of us.”

The idea to record a holiday song actually came about last Christmas when a friend from a Port Hawkesbury radio station asked if she had a song to contribute for a festive edition of the popular radio show, East Coast Rising.

“I’d written other Christmas songs before to pitch to other artists,” notes England, who is also founder and host of the songwriter series, Four Chords and the Truth. “(But) I thought to myself, no, I don’t have one — I really should write one.”

An artist that prides herself on writing honest, truthful lyrics, Jolly Melancholy Christmas would come together shortly after losing a family member to cancer — and in the midst of trying to rehearse virtually over Zoom with her songwriting partners, Liz Rodrigues and James Bryan, due to the pandemic.

“Actually we were in a lockdown at the time,” recalls England, who just threw the music idea out during the session and the song was quickly created. “That’s what happened, we evenly wrote the song lyrically, melodically and musically (so) it really was a true co-write.”

Now with her first Christmas song out into the world, England is happy to get back to work on her latest album, which she hopes to have ready for release in late spring.

“Evidence of Love is what it is called — which is a song that I wrote this summer,” says England. “This Christmas song won’t be on it because it’s not a Christmas album and I’m not quite sure exactly how many songs are going to be on it.”

One song that will definitely be featured is the first single, Halifax, which she says she wrote in 2019 — before the pandemic. While that song certainly pays tribute to her East Coast roots, she admits the entire album will be a reflection of her upbringing.

“It is very much informed by where I grew up, and there’s a lot of sentimentality around my family and Guysborough County, and that’s thematically what this record is really about,” says England, who now works out of Toronto.

She says while she hasn’t lived in Nova Scotia for some time, she still has family here and continues to call the province her true home.

“The sense of community,” says England about what she misses most about Nova Scotia. “Generally speaking, people display welcoming behaviour. They are very welcoming and kind and they look out for their neighbours.”