Julien Baker – “A Dreamer’s Holiday” (Perry Como Cover)
Julien Baker recently announced a whole new album, Little Oblivions, and shared a new song from it, “Faith Healer.” Before we get a new single from that, Baker is back with a cover of “A Dreamer’s Holiday,” which was written by Mabel Wayne with lyrics by Kim Gannon and is best-known for a pair of 1949 renditions recorded by Perry Como and Buddy Clark. Baker’s version is restrained and a little sad, and it’s easy to imagine her as a treacly ’40s crooner in some alternate reality.
“I chose ‘Dreamers Holiday’ because I found it incredibly unique as far as holiday songs are concerned,” Baker said in a statement, continuing:
It’s a very understated song — both lyrically and musically; while it’s technically about a ‘holiday’, it doesn’t directly reference any specific holiday theme, it leaves the lyrics a bit more open-ended. It’s the same way with the music — the chord structure is complicated but surprisingly timeless to me even though the song itself is over 70 years old. It’s the kind of song whose arrangement can be re-imagined so many times, and I love the feeling of sonic potential a single like that gives me.
Her cover of “A Dreamer’s Holiday” is featured on a new Spotify playlist that includes new holiday covers from Ruston Kelly, Jazmine Sullivan, Dashboard Confessional, Betty Who, and more. Check out hers and the rest below.