The year was – I think – 2000.  The Backstreet Boys, formerly the leaders of the latest wave of boy band success, were being lapped by the younger N Sync and their double-diamond “No Strings Attached.”

I headed into a writer room with Brian White (Holding Out Hope To You, Rough and Ready) and Don Koch (Strange Way To Save The World, Adonai, In Christ Alone) to write the ultimate piece of cheese for a new Backstreet Boys Christmas record – a last ditch effort, we were told, to catch up to their rivals.  I showed up with the chorus completed and most of the bridge.  Brian added just about all the lyrics for the verses (blame him) and Don stuck mostly to the verse melody and chords throughout, not to mention producing the demo.

Don programmed the track and brought in Christian music newbies A Cross Between (now defunked) to sing on it.  We knew we didn’t have a snowball’s chance of getting it on the record so we just had fun, adding as many “baby”s as possible in the studio.

The we heard out tune Christmas Without You was going on the record.  We were shocked and started counting zeros.  Even if the Backstreet Boys sold half what they had been selling, we’d each make $100,000.  Merry Christmas, here’s some insurance and a car that works.

Of course, you know now the Backstreet Boys never made a Christmas record.  The label pulled the plug on the entire thing and the Boys made a non-seasonal project instead.  But every Christmas I pull out the demo, baby, and just, you know baby, get my Christmas jam on, baby…and laugh to a greater level of humility. 

Click on the player below to listen.  Enjoy.

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