Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
Blue Christmas
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be so blue just thinking about you.
Decorations of red
On a green Christmas tree
Won't mean a thing if
If you're not here with me.
And the wind knows blue, snow flakes start falling
You'll be doing all right
With your Christmas of white,
Oh, but I'll have a blue, blue Christmas.
You'll be doing all right
With your Christmas of white,
Oh, but I'll have a blue, blue Christmas.
And when you needn't pray on this Christmas day
Remember I have a blue, blue Christmas
Remember I have a blue, blue Christmas
The lyrics of Chris Isaak's song "Blue Christmas" evoke a sense of melancholy and yearning for a lost love during the holiday season. The singer laments how Christmas decorations and a festive atmosphere lose their meaning and joy without the presence of his lover. The use of the color blue is particularly symbolic as it represents the singer's emotional state of sadness and loneliness. The winter imagery of falling snowflakes and the cold wind also reinforce the emotional landscape of the song.
The second verse reveals that the singer's former partner is experiencing a "Christmas of white," presumably referring to a snowy, happy holiday. The contrast between the two different emotional states invokes a sense of distance and separation, making the singer's solitude more poignant. The final plea in the lyrics, "Remember I have a blue, blue Christmas," reinforces the sense of longing and sadness, while simultaneously expressing hope that the lost love will reconcile.
Overall, the lyrics of "Blue Christmas" convey a sense of loneliness and longing for a lost love during the holiday season. The sadness and emotional turmoil are evoked through winter imagery, the color blue, and the contrasting emotional states of the singer and his former partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll have a blue Christmas without you;
My Christmas will be gloomy without you by my side;
I'll be so blue just thinking about you.
I will feel sad even if I just think about you;
Decorations of red
The ornaments in red color;
On a green Christmas tree
Are hanging on a green colored Christmas tree;
Won't mean a thing if
They won't have any significance if;
If you're not here with me.
You are not here with me to share the festive vibes.
And the wind knows blue, snow flakes start falling
The chilling wind reminds me of the sadness, and the snow starts to fall;
When those blue blue memories start calling,
When the blue memories start haunting my mind;
You'll be doing all right
You might be ok on your own;
With your Christmas of white,
Enjoying a peaceful Christmas;
Oh, but I'll have a blue, blue Christmas.
But I will still be sad with a gloomy Christmas.
And when you needn't pray on this Christmas day
And when you don't have to think much on this divine Christmas day,
Remember I have a blue, blue Christmas
Remember that my Christmas is also gloomy and melancholic.
Remember I have a blue, blue Christmas
Remember that my Christmas is also gloomy and melancholic.
Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY, EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUGH MARTIN, RALPH BLANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind