Finnish Singer Songwriter Releases Christmas Ode To Lennon And Lost Love

Finnish singer-songwriter Tom Tikka releases “Just Like Xmas (Love Is War.) The Beatlesque harmonies and horns help tell the true story.

When one thinks of Scandinavia, images of snow-capped mountains and cold temperatures immediately come to mind…the perfect setting for a Christmas song, right? For Finnish singer-songwriter Tom Tikka, the inspiration eluded him for many years: “I never really thought that I’d release a Christmas tune, mostly because it always felt like such a ‘show-biz thing’ to do. Artists like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra had Christmas albums; The Rolling Stones didn’t.”

On November 6th, the international iTunes chart-topper will release his first Christmas song, “Just Like Xmas (Love Is War). The true-to-life story of one memorable Christmas Eve inspired the song. The verse mentions listening to John Lennon, while the track features Beatle-esque horns in the climax of the record, making it a perfect ode to the late rock star. In fact, the single artwork is an homage to Lennon’s classic, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).

Tikka recalls, “This was a time of great stress for me, as I was going through a divorce. It was my first Christmas alone without the kids, and I have never felt as sad and out of sorts as I did then. I had a little miniature Christmas tree on a chest of drawers I’d had since childhood and a bottle of Jim Beam to lift my spirits.”

He continues, “To make the time go by faster, I picked up the guitar to play some Christmas tunes. I went through quite a few old standards before a grain of an idea for “Just Like Xmas (Love Is War)” started playing in my head.”

‘The lyrics came to me as I went for a late-night walk and watched the snowflakes falling. As soon as I got back home from my Christmas Eve stroll, I quickly wrote all the words down. The last bit where I walk past the church and hear the children singing is true, as well. As I watched the kids smile and sing and noticed happy couples lining up for the midnight mass, a glimmer of hope befell me. I felt reassured that I’d be happy again one day. Hence the line, “I wish Christmas could be on the whole year round”. It was an uplifting end for an otherwise rather grim song.”

Watch the video for “Just Like Xmas (Love Is War)” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5IZ7bz5i7c&feature=youtu.be.https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5IZ7bz5i7c?feature=oembed&wmode=transparent

ABOUT TOM TIKKA:

Tikka was a member of Sony/BMG-signed Finnish band, Carmen Gray. After Carmen Gray disbanded in 2013, Tikka formed his current group The Impersonators with poet Antti Autio. In 2017, The Impersonators signed with FBP Music Group, a German label based out of Frankfurt. Together with their producer Janne Saksa, The Impersonators have released tunes to rave reviews and a considerable amount of radio attention.

In 2020, Tikka began working with MTS Records and released a solo EP titled “Working Class Voodoo” under the name Tom Tikka And The Missing Hubcaps. On this self-produced venture, Tikka plays and sings everything himself. It featured the UK iTunes chart hit title single. On July 31, 2020, Tikka & The Hubcaps released the “Insane” EP on MTS Records.

For more information:
https://www.tomtikka.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ImpersonatorsBand (@ImpersonatorsBand)
https://twitter.com/1mpersonators (@1mpersonators)
https://www.instagram.com/1mpersonators_band/ (@1mpersonators_band)