Title: I’ll Be Praying For Blood This Christmas
Genre: Pop-Punk, Alternative Rock
Length: 4:52
Format: CD Single, Digital Download
Recorded: December 11, 2012 – Avatar Studios, New York City, NY
Release Date: December 16, 2012
Label: North Hill Records
Written: December 2012
Writer(s): Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin, Justin Mullen
Producer: Riot! In The Boulevard

‘I’ll Be Praying For Blood This Christmas’ is a festive single and is the eight official single to be released from American alt-rock superstars ‘Riot! In The Boulevard’. Following a sting touring in support of their most recent album the band decided to write and record a charity single in time for Christmas, the track was quickly written and recorded by the band on the 11th December 2012 at Avatar Studios in New York City and released under North Hill Records. It is set for release on December 16, 2012 as a CD Single and Digital Download in preparation for the Digital Christmas Singles Chart. All proceeds from the single will go to a charity in the form of ‘Feeding America’ which was the primary reason for them penning a Christmas single. It was bluntly described by Amy Meyer as ‘A masochistic Christmas single’.

The song was written on December 11, 2012 by Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin and Justin Mullen as they got together at Avatar Studios following the end of their touring commitments. As the band were figuring out their holiday plans they were ask about the possibility of a Christmas single, the band were initially hesitant as they felt that the general nature of a Christmas song doesn’t quite fit the Riot! mould and they didn’t want to release a cover song, but after consideration they decided that they would attempt to write and record a as Amy puts it, “A festive single with a difference.” and they all began working on writing a quintessentially Riot! In The Boulevard style holiday single.

The song begins with a soft drum beat and the sound of bells jangling in the background, quickly followed by the twinkly and festive sounding piano introduction provided by Amy Meyer, she opens her voice and tenderly sings the opening lines of the song which feel relatively sweet and Christmassy as they make it seem like it’s gonna be just another typical Christmas song, “The snow is fallin’ all around/Resting perfectly on the cold hard ground/I’m picturing our future family all sat around the fire/Writing your name inside of my arm next to mine/My sweet, my only desire.” The piano playing continues alongside the soft drumming throughout the opening verse, but as the second verse arrives the music become more urgent as a driving lead guitar riff from Justin Mullen brings the change of pace and theme of the song, Amy then fires into action with loud and aggressive vocals, “You ran away/When the snow began to dry/You didn’t look back/To see the tears that I would cry/Christmas had gone/You found someone new/But now that it’s back around/I’m praying for blood/And it’s gonna come from you.”

The leading guitar riff continues and is joined by the full combination of each member of the band with Adam Benjamin and Jason Greenberg joining the party on rhythm guitar and bass guitar respectively, bringing an energy and powerful rock feel to a Christmas song as Amy belts out the chorus in typical rocker chick style, “Ohhh, the children sing/Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above/Ohhh, the children sing/Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above/Ohhh, the children will sing/Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above/Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah I’m praying for blood.”
The instrumentation stops briefly before firing back into action, Amy is now adding more melody to the song with her vocal delivery, “When the children sing Hallelujah/And those winter bells chime/I’ll remember a holiday/Back when you were mine/But you cut me open/And you left without a kiss/So I’ll be praying for blood this Christmas.”

The lead guitar riff becomes the main feature for the rest of the song combined with Amy’s vocals as she sings, “Blood on the snow/The gifts will be set ablaze/People say this too shall pass/But this ain’t no phase/I’m marchin’ around this merry town/And boy I’m gonna bring you down/I’ve got blood on my mind/And you’re the one that I plan to find” the guitar riff continues as Amy bellows out the chorus once again, leading the song into its powerful fade out.

LYRICS

“The snow is fallin’ all around
Resting perfectly on the cold hard ground
I’m picturing our future family all sat around the fire
Writing your name inside of my arm next to mine
My sweet, my only desire

You ran away
When the snow began to dry
You didn’t look back
To see the tears that I would cry
Christmas had gone
You found someone new
But now that it’s back around
I’m praying for blood
And it’s gonna come from you

Ohhh, the children sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Ohhh, the children sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Ohhh, the children will sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah I’m praying for blood

When the children sing Hallelujah
And those winter bells chime
I’ll remember a holiday
Back when you were mine
But you cut me open
And you left without a kiss
So I’ll be praying for blood this Christmas

Blood on the snow
The gifts will be set ablaze
People say this too shall pass
But this ain’t no phase
I’m marchin’ around this merry town
And boy I’m gonna bring you down
I’ve got blood on my mind
And you’re the one that I plan to find

Ohhh, the children sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Ohhh, the children sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Ohhh, the children will sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah lord above
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah I’m praying for blood

When the children sing Hallelujah
And those winter bells chime
I’ll remember a holiday
Back when you were mine
But you cut me open
And you left without a kiss
So I’ll be praying for blood this Christmas”