A Christmas song by Brandi Carlile (written by Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth) is The Heartache Can Wait. It was released as a Christmas single on Dec 18 2007. It was then released in 2008 on a compilation CD “The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs” to support Susan G Komen For the Cure foundation to support breast cancer.
It then appeared on the 2010 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: More Hope For the Holiday double CD.
In 2015 LeAnn Rimes released a version of this song on her Today is Christmas album. The album has only ever been released on CD and digitially and never been rereleased (as of 2022).
In a Variety interview with Chris Willman ahead of the 75th birthday celebrations for Joni Mitchell, she says…
Which was the Christmas song you were inspired to write by “River”?
A couple of ‘em, actually: “Christmas 1984” and “The Heartache Can Wait.” “Christmas 1984” is about materialism and being poor around Christmas time. And “The Heartache Can Wait” is about knowing that something is going to end, whether it’s a life or a marriage or some kind of relationship, and knowing that you have to wait — believing that you should wait — until the end of the season, because the season is supposed to be joyful.
Brandi Carlile’s version has been released on 3 different compliation CDS including:
The Hotel Cafe presents Winter Songs (the original release)
XMAS Wonderland
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: More Hope for the Holidays
You can listen here on Brandi Carlile’s official YouTube channel
| Release name: | The Heartache Can Wait |
| Feature Track? | The Heartache Can Wait |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Notes: | The awkward cello intro by Josh Newman has been joked about by the band (in a few live streams) – as a particularly tricky thing to play. |
