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Albert Hammond Jr. reimagined “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot,” the 1937 Christmas song popularized by Vera Lynn and Nat King Cole, as part of Amazon’s annual Indie for the Holidays music series. Midway through the track, the Strokes guitarist segues into the chorus fromGeorge Harrison’s 1970 hit “My Sweet Lord.”
“He’s that little boy that Santa Claus forgot/ And goodness knows he didn’t want a lot,” the guitarist croons over a muffled acoustic strum and cello. “He sent a note to Santa for some soldiers and a drum/ It broke his little heart when he found Santa hadn’t come.” Stomping drums and wall-of-sound harmony vocals segue into classic Harrison hook before Hammond Jr. veers back into the original song structure.
Indie for the Holidays, out December 1st, includes reworked versions of classic seasonal songs from 18 indie-pop/rock artists. Kevin Morby (“Blue Christmas”), Best Coast (“Little Saint Nick”), Lemon Twigs (“Coventry Carol”), Jeff the Brotherhood (“Brighid’s Flame”) and Jessica Lea Mayfield (“To Heck With Ole Santa Claus”) appear on the playlist, among others.
Hammond Jr. issued his third and most recent solo LP, Momentary Masters, in 2015. The Strokes released their second EP, Future Present Past, last year.
