I love all of those songs, but my favorite is "O Holy Night". That song is just so beautiful. :D
Edit: Another favorite song of mine is "Carol of the Bells" but I don't think I saw it on the list.
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw oars away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold
Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
O how happy are their tones
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
This is the one I meant by "Christmas Eve (Ring Ye Bells)." Oopsies. Lemme fix that... I called it Christmas Eve because that's what it's called on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's CD "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" - GREAT Christmas record, by the way, especially if you're into rock like I am... There's an all instrumental version of "O Holy Night" on that one that is so beautiful it literally brings tears to my eyes.
Plus, "Jarhead" proved to me just what an eminent song that "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" tune is. In fact, I thought the thing had been created especially for "Jarhead".
My favorite is "Do You Hear What I Hear?" -- especially this verse:
Said the king to the people everywhere,
"Listen to what I say! Listen to what I say!
Pray for peace, people, everywhere....
"Do You Hear What I Hear" brings back some very special memories for me. :)
I'm never so bothered about the lyrics of carols but more the tune..given I have to play from the Chrustmas carol book over and over and over and over. Ones that come to mind from last night that haven't already been mentioned are:
When a child is born
Coventry Carol
Good King Wensless
Sweet Chiming Bells.
more modern pop songs.. last christmas, merry christmas everyone
other more child friendly ones:
Winter Wonderland
Oh Christmas Tree
all I want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth
I love all of those songs, but my favorite is "O Holy Night". That song is just so beautiful. :D
Edit: Another favorite song of mine is "Carol of the Bells" but I don't think I saw it on the list.
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw oars away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold
Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
O how happy are their tones
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
David,
I love this song, too. I always thought the line was "throw cares away". LOL
I believe it's originally Ukrainian.
Here's my new favorite: "My Grown Up Christmas List". I first heard Michael Buble sing this, now many others have as well.
Tell you what, I was surprised to read of Del's fondness for "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." (Del, if you read this, are you familiar with the version from "A Fresh Aire Christmas" by Mannheim Steamroller? Very haunting.)
I've seen this carol described as a medieval Christmas carol that didn't exist in the Middle Ages. As we know it, it was put together in the mid-nineteeth century by John Mason Neale, one of those quirky--and I wouldn't be surprised if he was gay--Oxford Movement Church of England clergymen. Neale created the carol out of antiphons to be sung with the Canticle Magnificat ("My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord") at Vespers from Dec. 17 through Dec. 23. (An antiphon is a little verse, often from the Psalms, appropriate to the season or occasion, that is sung before and usually repeated after a Psalm or Canticle.)
Why are you surprised? OK, I'm surprised I like it too. No, I'm not familiar with Manheim Steamroller's version. I'm pretty much a musical grunt.
I like the CD by Lorena McKennit "'A Winter Garden, five songs for the season".
Sorry, it just surprised me that you would be fond of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" because you are so openly not Christian.
The Mannheim Steamroller version includes vocals sung in Latin--very pretty and very haunting. I'm sorry I can't provide a link.
Quote from: delalluvia on December 16, 2006, 09:54:05 pm
I like the CD by Loreena McKennitt "'A Winter Garden, five songs for the season".
Del, this is one of my all-time favorite albums. I even listen to it outside of Christmas (especially "Seeds of Love").
Here's another favorite: Jessye Norman's Christmastide. It starts with O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and includes both sacred and non-sacred songs. With a boy choir, no less. She really belts on this one. "Christmastide" also known as "Jessye's Carol" was written especially for her.
Don't be sorry, it's surprising to me too, but I guess I just like what music I like, no matter who makes it or why. There are some beautiful masses by Beethoven that drive me to tears.
I went to Amazon, but peversely enough, that single track was only available on one of their Xmas CDs and it was the box set which is priced much more than I want to pay for it. There is even a 'listen' option, but for some reason I don't have the plugins and am such a computer illiterate that I don't know how to download the plugin so I can at least listen to a bit of it. >:(
I believe "Tennessee Christmas" was also recorded by Alabama. It has a nice melody. These lyrics are from Amy Grant & Gary Chapman, 1983. This song provided a sense of home and warmth in the years I wasn't able to be with family over the holidiay.Tennessee Christmas
Come on, weather man,
Give us a forecast snowy white
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight
Rockies are calling, Denver snow falling
Somebody said it's four feet deep
But it doesn't matter, give me the laughter
I'm gonna choose to keep.
Another tender Tennessee Christmas
The only Christmas for me
Where the love circles around us
Like the gifts around our tree
Well, I know there's more snow up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
Every now and then I get a wandering urge to see
Maybe California, maybe Tinsel Town's for me
There's a parade there, we'd have it made there
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve
Sure sounds inviting, awfully exciting
Still I think I'm gonna keep.
Another tender Tennessee Christmas
The only Christmas for me
Where the love circles around us
Like the gifts around our tree
Well, they say in L.A. it's a warm holiday
It's the only place to be
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
three very "non traditional" songs.
Mariah Carey "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
Kelly Clarkson "Grown Up Christmas List"
Faith Hill "Where Are You Christmas"
This is not my favourite Chrismas song, but ....
You guys hear "Christmas Shoes" by Bob Carlysle? Got a country feel to it.
Corny as ol heck and hadn't heard it until last year but ... it's got me cryin too dang regularly. Heard it twice so far this year.
Just tried to download it off limewire and Kenny Chesney's apparently got a version of it out too.