Save Frosty, Save the World

Who ever thought that a classic Christmas tune could be appropriated into a metaphor for global warming? But this is exactly what award winning music production company The Rumor Mill and Scottish singer-songwriter Angela McCluskey achieved  with their recreation of 'Frosty the Snowman', the first track on their 2006 charity Christmas concept album 'The Rumor Mill's Christmas on Clinton St.'(available exclusively on iTunes). 

As The Guardian music reviewer Alan McGee has noted, McCluskey's voice is her best asset. When coupled with her signature "blend of pop sheen and folky soulfulness", its a wonder that she isn't more well-known as a vocalist. McCluskey's haunting vocals recreates the character of Frosty in a way that previous renditions of the song never have. While 'Frosty the Snowman' is usually depicted as a light figment and contrivance of childish imaginations, whose fate to melt away each year is something that barely registers as tragic, McCluskey breathes unexpected poignancy into his short lifespan. By the time she reachs the mournful lyrical high note of 'Let's run, we'll have some fun now, before I melt away!', you're wondering how its possible to feel so much empathy for a mere snowman. 

Of course, its Arctic species like the polar bear - not humans - who

(Image Source: Climatenewsnetwork.net) 

The instrumental arrangements and accompanying video all contribute perfectly to the aesthetic project of foregrounding the eerie bleakness of the track's classic lyrics. 

'Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,look at Frosty go.Thumpety thump, thump, thumpety thump, thump,over the hills of snow.'