If You Were Born Today (Song for Little Baby Jesus)/Blue Christmas

AMG Review of If You Were Born Today (Song for Little Baby Jesus)/Blue Christmas

Bryan Carroll
All Music Guide

Even though both of these songs were eventually released on Low's Christmas album, this is still a charming holiday single worth owning (if you can find it) for the artwork and the simple pleasure of hearing Low on vinyl. The A-side, "If You Were Born Today," is Low's first attempt at an original Christmas song. The result is disconcerting; the band, expressing their concern for the state of contemporary American culture, contemplates the fate of a modern-day Jesus. They conclude he would be misunderstood and persecuted more violently and acutely than when he lived, quoting numerous religion-non-specific passages from the bible as examples of things that he "wouldn't have the chance to say." Oddly, the song is hopeful, if not in subject matter, in feeling. There is a genuine optimism in the heartfelt vocals, as engendering and in keeping with the spirit of the holiday as 20 screenings of It's a Wonderful Life. The flip finds drummer Mimi Parker crooning a sultry, fireside rendition of "Blue Christmas"; her measured alto and Alan Sparhawk's warm guitar make for the perfect accompaniment to those dark, cold winter nights with a loved one.