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Steven Wilson has recorded a Christmas song in collaboration with Chat GPT. Wilson wrote the music for “December Skies”, but Open AI’s language program completely generated the lyrics.

Steven Wilson on December Skies:

“Challenged by a friend last week on why I’d never done a Christmas song, I protested it wasn’t really me, and besides, I didn’t think I had it in me to write suitably Christmassy lyrics. “No problem”, he said, “we’ll get Chat GPT to do it for you!” upon which he instructed the AI to generate Christmas lyrics in the style of Steven Wilson, which it proceeded to do. By the yard, in fact, I was shocked at how instantaneous and easy it was to guide it (“Don’t actually mention Christmas,” we said to it, “make it feel more lonely”, etc…)

I’m still not entirely sure what I think about AI. The knee-jerk reaction is to consider it a threat to a musician like me, but it’s clearly not going away, so this is my experiment to try embracing it and using it as a tool in the creative process. And of course also to have some fun doing something I would never normally have thought about doing, the archetypal seasonal song. December Skies is the result, swiftly recorded last weekend and written in collaboration with an Artificial Intelligence version of myself. I wonder what people will make of it. I wonder what I make of it.”

In keeping with the artificial intelligence theme, the visualiser for “December Skies” has also been generated using a purpose-built AI system created by Miles Skarin. The video is based on imagery drawn from some of Wilson’s previous videos and then placed into 2D and 3D backdrops. Watch below:

December Skies (lyrics by Chat GPT, music played and recorded by Steven Wilson, guitar solo and backing vocals by Randy McStine).

VERSE 1

In the hush of a long winter’s dream

Through a window the candlelight gleams

Veiled in whispers the stillness of night

On a canvas of stars in the sky

CHORUS

All the world sleeps on in silence

Wrapped in a blanket of snow

But when the morning awakens

The beauty of life starts to flow

December skies will carry me home

VERSE 2

In the forest where moonlight it shines

The grip of the frost on the pines

Then the air weaves the warmth of a song

Still the heartbeat of winter goes on

Steven Wilson’s most recent album – The Harmony Codex – was released to huge critical acclaim in September. WATCH Unlocking The Harmony Codex: A Conversation with Steven Wilson here.