Pistol Annies cover Merle like nobody’s business.
Last year, the girl group consisting of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, released their first Christmas album Hell of a Holiday.
Though the tracklist featured mostly-original Christmas songs, there were a couple covers on there, including one of the classic Merle Haggard tune “If We Make It Through December.”
And with Christmas being next weekend and all of us in full-on holiday mode, this one just hits different and is a great reminder that the craziness and stress of it all will eventually pass.
I think there’s moments and days when we all feel a little bit blue this time of year for many different reasons, and Merle captures that feeling perfectly in “December,” as he tells the story of a man who got laid off at the factory and is struggling through what is supposed to be one of the happiest times of year.
A solo write by Merle, the song became one of the signature songs of his career, and peaked at#1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart.
It was the lead single for his 1973 album Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present, and became the the title track to a non-Christmas album four months later.
The Pistol Annies ladies certainly put their own spin on it, but they also keep it super country and Miranda’s vocals are off the charts here…
I think it’s safe to say The Hag would’ve loved their rendition:
“If We Make It Through December”