Mark Tremonti Says Writing a Christmas Song Was His Dad’s Idea

On his latest release, Mark Tremonti Christmas Classics New & Old, Mark Tremonti not only puts his spin on well-known and beloved holiday songs, but he also submits his own work into the sacred canon of the Christmas genre.

“When I was practicing singing like Frank Sinatra, I was like, ‘You know, how hard would it be to write one of these old songs,'” he explained to Loudwire Nights‘ host Chuck Armstrong.

“It’s so out of my zone that I don’t think I could ever do it and then one day I was just like, ‘Let me try to pull something out of the air.’ I sang the melody to this song and Christmas lyrics came out with it for some reason.”

The Toughest Part About Write a Christmas Song

In 2022, Tremonti released Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra, but as he told Chuck, the only reason he was comfortable diving into Sinatra’s world was because he had already been singing Christmas songs for years.

So, it wasn’t a huge surprise that as he tried to write a classic Sinatra tune, his love of Christmas came through.

“I sat on it for years and then when it came around to doing the [Christmas] album, I had to finish the tune,” Tremonti explained. “The toughest part about writing a Christmas song is the lyrics. A bad lyric can derail the song. With a Christmas song, it can be corny in a wholesome way, but not too corny as to ruin the song. It’s a fine balance and fine line to write those lyrics.”

The result is “Christmas Morning,” Tremonti’s original Christmas song.

READ MORE: Mark Tremonti Looks Ahead to Creed’s Reunion + New Albums From Alter Bridge and Tremonti

Ultimately, Tremonti gave his father a lot of credit for why he decided to challenge himself to write a Christmas song.

“My dad was like, ‘You know, if you write a Christmas song, it becomes a legacy piece that will live way beyond your years.’ I think it’s the Holy Grail of getting a song placed…it just keeps going for generations. That’s just the best thing that could ever happen.”

Listen to Mark Tremonti’s Conversation on Loudwire Nights