Nashville artist Robby Johnson and the intriguing tale surrounding his beloved holiday tune 'Oh! Santa Please'
Nashville artist Robby Johnson and the intriguing tale surrounding his beloved holiday tune 'Oh! Santa Please'
Over a decade ago, Robby Johnson transferred to Nashville in pursuit of becoming a renowned country musician. Signs of his initial achievement included a music video on CMT's country countdown, supporting Keith Urban, and an appearance on The David Letterman show. Nevertheless, he hadn't yet tasted that influential song that could revolutionize his life. Then, he crafted a "Oh! Santa, Please!".
"The melody came to me in my sleep," he mentions. "I've spent a decade in Nashville, and my family has made numerous sacrifices, primarily having the children away from their grandparents. I felt like I was failing them since I never had a substantial life-changing hit that could genuinely secure their financial future. So, I went to bed thinking about that one night. I wasn't intending to conjure up a Christmas song, but I woke up with the melody and the initial line, ‘You know that I’ve been waiting.’
Disappointed, he called upon producer Danny Rader. They recorded it in the studio, but something seemed amiss.
"I was striving to create a conventional song, like a love song with a guy and a girl kissing under the mistletoe, and it simply didn't work. I returned home despondent. Strangely enough, the succeeding morning, I woke up with a fresh hook, a new chorus, and everything suddenly made sense. From the outset, the song desired to be about Santa, and I was trying to force it into something it wasn't."
He returned to the studio to lay down the new version. With Rader's assistance, Clarence Jey's fine-tuned arrangements, and the help of a complete band, everything fell into place.
"I dialed Danny back and booked the studio. We assembled a genuine drummer, a mesmerizing saxophonist, Sam Levine, who delivered a breathtaking, spectacular, saxophone solo on the track, the background vocalists added their flair, and it was magical in the studio."
This captivating, lively song has all the makings of a perennial Christmas classic.
"It's quite amusing because individuals who listen to the song will tell me, 'Robby, what a fantastic cover!' I inform them that it's not a cover, it's an original song, and they'll say, 'Mind-blowing, it sounds like an age-old classic that plays every year.'"
True to form, Christmas has played a significant role in Johnson's music career. A native of Quebec, his admiration for music blossomed later in life. He regularly sang and composed songs, yet never with full dedication. Then, one Christmas, he received a significant gift.
"Growing up in poverty, imagination served as an escape from things I lacked, so I've always been quite creative, and I'd pen songs here and there, singing them in the vehicle or shower. My wife, who was then my girlfriend, would suggest, 'You have a remarkable voice, and you should do something with it.' Then, one Christmas, she managed to gather enough money to pay for a demo session to track one of my songs."
This song accumulated a fair amount of attention on social media.
"Tom Roach, who worked with the Osmonds, reached out to me and expressed, 'You must go to Nashville. He offered to facilitate introductions with someone who could assist you.' So, I relocated to Nashville."
Johnson has been making a living through music ever since, with several notable achievements along the way, such as touring and even sharing a stage with Keith Urban.
"I had the opportunity to perform twice with Keith during his Ripcord World Tour, where he invited me to join him on stage twice to perform a song together," Johnson says. "That's quite intense."
Yet, an elusive, astronomical hit song had evaded him, until now. He released "Oh, Santa, Please" nearly three years ago, and it has built a steadfast following ever since.
"It's not an instant hit, but it gains traction each year," Johnson says. "It's not a mainstream song because I'm an independent artist, so it's more challenging to secure radio play in major markets, but it's been picked up and played on radio stations worldwide, casinos, cruise ships, and other platforms. What's encouraging is that it continually resurfaces year after year. It's the gift that continues to give."
And when it comes to Christmas, whether it entails Santa's arrival, receiving that special gift, or even having that special song that will eventually become a holiday classic, it all hinges on "believing."
"Robby was surprised when someone mentioned, 'Your 'Oh! Santa, Please!' sounds just like arobby johnson's 'Christmas classic'," he chuckled. "As the song gained popularity, fans started requesting, 'Please, Robby, can we have a new 'Oh! Santa, Please!' for this year's Christmas."