Ian & the Dream want ‘Money for Christmas’
For Ian Ash, it’s been the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.
In November of last year, the singer and pianist for Milwaukee pop band Ian & the Dream was talking to his mom about Christmas present options, when she rubbed her fingers together, making a gesture for money.
“This hook popped in my head, ‘Gimme money for Christmas,’ ” Ash told the Journal Sentinel.
It became a key part of the chorus for Ian & the Dream’s gleefully commercial original holiday song “Gimme Money for Christmas.” The song gave the band something else besides cold hard cash: wider exposure. The music video has been seen more than 1 million times on Facebook.
Who’s who: Ash, bassist Matt “Chivo” Chivas and drummer Brian Farvour. Also performing at Journal Sentinel: alto sax player Brad Marth, tenor sax player Rick Wetzel and guitarist Brian Zielke. Ash spoke for the band.
Making “Gimme Money for Christmas”: Since the song was written last November and holiday days were numbered, I took it right in the studio two days later, and three days later I made the music video.
Song influences: One of the greatest Christmas albums ever made is “A Christmas Gift for You” by Phil Spector. I would listen to that and modern Christmas songs, like stuff from Straight No Chaser. I did a lot of listening to big Christmas hits because I wanted to keep that vibe in mind.
Sample lyrics: “You don’t have to drain your bank account/But you can strain a bit and give a large amount.”
Reactions: The biggest surprise is people were starting to imitate it. It’s the first song I’ve ever written that has gotten covers. I always believe in trying to say something with a universal message but that hasn’t been said in this way before. I had a relatable theme that carried over. I wrote an article for Huffington Post about how I was surprised by the number of video shares in Vietnam. It’s my fiancée’s home country, and folks there give children a small amount of lucky money for the new year. I think that’s the reason the song went semi-viral over there.
When you record a song like this, you have to sing with the right emotional sincerity and a little bit tongue in cheek. If you’re too serious, it’s not going to work, and if you try to be too funny, it’s not going to work. But this worked.
Watch an exclusive video performance of Ian & the Dream’s “Gimme Money for Christmas” at jsonline.com/ music. Sound Check appears every first and third Thursday online and in the Journal Sentinel.