Detroit's Anna Burch drops Carpenters-esque Christmas single just in time to lowkey depress us for the holidays

Dec 18, 2020 at 11:47 am

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard - Inline - Content",
            "component": "35519556",
            "insertPoint": "5th",
            "startingPoint": "3",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "3",
            "maxInsertions": 100
          }
          
        ]

click to enlarge

Detroit's Anna Burch drops Carpenters-esque Christmas single just in time to lowkey depress us for the holidays

Photo by Elene Usdin

Singer-songwriter Anna Burch was supposed to have a stellar 2020.

Not only did she drop her serene sophomore record If You're Dreaming (Polyvinyl) in the middle of the pandemic, but she also had three headlining tours planned, including a European jaunt. And then she got COVID-19.

Naturally, as one does when their creative and professional plans have been quashed and they catch a deadly virus, Burch wrote a Christmas song for the times and yes, it'll make you misty.

Though just under two and a half minutes with less than 15 lines, “Your Heart May Be Heavy” is reminiscent of the Carpenters Christmas record (something Burch was striving for when she whipped out her flutist skills) and is inspired by an iconic Christmas song that gets Burch weepy.

“I knew I wanted to write a Christmas song after the difficult year we’ve all had, because of how emotionally potent they can be. When I hear Judy Garland sing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' I can’t help but well up with tears while still remaining hopeful,” Burch said of the song, which was engineered by Adam Pressley and mixed by Ben Collins.

“Strings of little lights/ Candles burning bright/ Your face all aglow/ Sing a song you know,” Burch sings. “Though your heart may be heavy/ Take my hand and you'll see/ All I need is what's in front of me/ to have a Merry Christmas now.”

Burch says that she came up with the chord progression on piano but her plans were thwarted by what she calls a "mild" case of the coronavirus, which affected her breath control and energy levels.

“Luckily I recovered in time, and with the help and generosity of my friends and team, I was able to finish this song in time to have it out just before Christmas,” she shared in a statement. “Merry Christmas to everyone muddling through, I hope this song in its small way can be a gift of cheer.”

Listen to “Your Heart May Be Heavy” below and stream If You're Dreaming via Bandcamp, Apple Music, or Spotify.

We have a new events newsletter! Find out the best things to do in the area every Thursday morning in your inbox.