Steven Van Zandt felt that it was not complete to just release a Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul's cover audio of the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)," so the singer launched a music video for it.
The song cover serves as a tribute to Van Zandt and The Disciples of Soul to the Ramones. He and his band want to make the legendary band's music alive.
"Yeah, a couple of weeks ago it occurred to me. 'Geez, we should have a video to go with us. I thought, 'Well, we could just record us playing it live at some gig,' but it didn't seem like enough. It didn't seem to be in the spirit of the thing, y'know? You want to have some fun," explained Van Zandt, referring to how he comes up with the idea to release a video.
The said music video features Van Zandt and the rest of The Disciples of Soul on a Barcelona beach with mixes of both vintage cartoons and selected movie footages. The "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" music video is inspired by George Melies, a silent filmmaker.
The music video is also Van Zandt's tribute to the year that was. Certainly, 2017 has been a productive year for his solo music career after 20 long years of hiatus. He released Soulfire in May, his first album since the 1999's Born Again Savage.
Van Zandt's new album includes original songs. Several covers of James Brown and Etta James are in it too. As an addition, the album features "Love on the Wrong Side of Town," one of his old compositions co-written with Bruce Springsteen for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
Aside from a new album, the legendary artist also tours North America and Europe. The tour is set to wrap at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Dec. 23. He also performs with Bruce Springsteen on Broadway until June 2018.
This year seems to be Van Zandt's comeback year. The projects he had are truly fun to consider. For 2018, the legendary artist wishes something like 2017 or even greater.
As a start, Van Zandt is set to host Time and Time Again: A Celebration of the Life of Pat DiNizio happening on Jan. 13 at the Count Basie Theater. The show will serve as a tribute to Pat DiNizio, the late Smithereens front man.
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