Today in Music (1847): “O Holy Night” premiered

12/25/1847: “O Holy Night” premiered

O Holy Night (Minuit, Chrétiens) Adolphe Adam (music), Placide Cappeau (French lyrics), John Sullivan Dwight (English lyrics)

Writer(s): Adolphe Adam (music, Placide Cappeau (French lyrics), John Sullivan Dwight (English lyrics) (see lyrics here) Premiered: December 25, 1847 First Charted: January 1, 1997 (Martina McBride) Peak (all versions): 12 AC, 41 CW, 39 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions – all versions): -- radio, 233.12 video, 147.71 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In 1843, Placide Cappeau, a French poet and wine merchant, wrote the Christmas poem “Minuit, Chrétiens” at the request of his parish priest. The original text “offers connotations of the birth of Jesus and the subsequent redemption of humanity.” GMN The idea that all men and women could have souls was considered highly radical. It was also controversial that Cappeau was an atheist. Similarly, Adolphe Adam, who composed accompanying music for the poem that year, was not Christian, but a Jew. The song was premiered in 1847 by opera singer Emily Laurey, a friend of Adam’s. She performed it at the Christmas midnight mass in the church of St. Jean-Baptiste et Jean l’Évangeliste. WE In 1855, John Sullivan Dwight, a Unitarian minister, music critic, and editor, WK translated the words into English in 1855. His version focused on the universality of the human spirit. GMN The song was at the center of a unique historical event in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. A French soldier suddenly stood up in his trench in the middle of the fighting on Christmas eve and started singing “O Holy Night.” Legend has it that the Germans started singing one of their own carols and hostilities ceased for 24 hours and the soldiers celebrated Christmas. GMN On Christmas Eve in 1906, the song again took center stage when a Canadian inventor named Reginald Fessenden started playing “O Holy Night” into a microphone. Sailors across the Atlantic were stunned to hear music and a man’s voice from the wireless machine that usually transmitted morse codes. GMN Among the artists who have recorded the song over the years: Clay Aiken (2004, #37 AC), Andrea Bocelli, Boy Band (2022, #14 AC), Mariah Carey, Tracy Chapman, Nat “King” Cole, Celine Dion, the Drifters, Edens Edge (2012, #59 CW), Ella Ftizgerald, Josh Gracin (2006, #59 CW), Josh Groban (2002, #1 AC), Il Volo (2013, #27 AC), Mahalia Jackson, Ladywell Primary School (2012, #39 UK), Richard Marx (2011, #19 AC), Martina McBride (1997, #41 CW), LeAnn Rimes (2003, #14 AC), and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The 1963 version by Andy Williams is featured in the DMDB book Dave’s Faves: The Grand Library. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Adolphe Adam GMN GalaxyMusicNotes.com “How ‘O Holy Night’ Became a Popular Christmas Carol” WE WashingtonExaminer.com (12/22/2017). “The Surprising History of ‘O Holy Night’” by Priscilla M. Jensen WK Wikipedia First posted 12/20/2023.

 

Robbie Williams charted with “Angels”

Angels Robbie Williams

Writer(s): Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers, Ray Heffernan (see lyrics here) Released: December 1, 1997 First Charted: December 13, 1997 Peak: 53 US, 25 RR, 10 AC, 21 A40, 4 UK, 18 CN, 40 AU (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 1.8 UK, 2.13 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 260.61 video, 309.32 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Robbie Williams first gained fame in the British boy band Take That in the early ‘90s before striking out on his own in 1996. As a solo artist, he has topped the UK singles chart seven times. However, “Angels,” which peaked at #4, is his best-selling single. In a VH1 poll in the UK, this was voted the best song which should have topped the charts. SF At the 2005 Brit Awards, it was voted the best song of the previous 25 years. WK Irish Independent called it an “epic ballad” WK and ShortList’s Dave Fawbert called it a “genuinely brilliant song.” WK Billboard magazine’s Larry Flick praised the song as a “sweet ballad that never gets sappy.” He said “the lyric is thoughtful and ear-grabbing, and his smoky, crisp vocal is a sheer delight. All that and a chorus to kill for.” WK The song is about loved ones who’ve died and come back as guardian angels to offer protection and affection. In 2005, Britons voted it the song they most wanted played at their funerals. WK Detractors referred to Williams as “a glorified cabaret singer” and attacked this song as his attempt at a mainstream song in a Britpop style. SF Williams claimed he wrote the song with collaborator Guy Chambers about his aunt and uncle. He said they were inspired to write the chorus by watching a water fountain while sitting outside a café. However, Irish singer/songwriter Ray Heffernan says he wrote the son in 1996 after his partner had a miscarriage. By chance, he met Williams in a Dublin pub and showed him the song and the two of them recorded a demo of the song. Williams then said and Chambers significantly rewrote the song. Williams’ management paid Heffernan £7,500 (about $10,000 in U.S. dollars) for the rights to the song. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Robbie Williams SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/15/2021.

Green Day charted with “Time of Your Life”

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day

Writer(s): Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool (see lyrics here) Released: December 23, 1997 First Charted: November 29, 1997 Peak: 11a US, 12 RR, 11 A40, 4 AA, 7 AR, 2 MR, 11 UK, 5 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.6 UK, 5.75 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.8 radio, 101.30 video, 471.26 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The punk-rock trio Green Day formed in 1987 in California. After two independently released albums, they made their major label debut in 1994 with Dookie. The blockbuster sold more than 10 million copies fueled by three chart-topping songs at alternative rock radio. The follow-up, 1995’s Insomniac, wasn’t as big, but still sold two million copies and produced two top-10 alternative rock hits. The next album, 1997’s Nimrod, followed the same pattern with two million more in sales and two more alternative rock hits. The second of those was “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” which spent thirteen weeks at #2. The band’s singer, Billie Joe Armstrong, wrote the song in 1993 about his girlfriend, Amanda. She moved to Ecuador to live with her family and continue with her schooling. SF He wrote the song about his anger regarding her leaving, calling it “Good Riddance.” He said it was “about trying to be cool, accepting that, in life, people go in different directions.” SF He shared it with his bandmates during the Dookie sessions, but its “mellow, contemplative lyrics with acoustic music” WK were too sonically different than the punk style of that album. They took another stab at it during the Nimrod sessions, adding strings to the song. It became a hit, but it also resulted in a high rate of returns at record stores from fans who thought it was too different than what they expected. SF The band was surprised to find that it became a staple at high school proms. Many graduating seniors interpreted the lyrics as a nostalgic reflection of their time in school. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 20 best graduation songs of the past 20 years. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Green Day SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 11/1/2022.

 

Yes Open Your Eyes released

Open Your Eyes Yes

Released: November 25, 1997 Peak: 151 US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: progressive rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. New State of Mind [6:00] (single, --) Open Your Eyes [5:14] (9/22/97, 33 AR) Universal Garden [6:16] No Way We Can Lose [4:56] Fortune Seller [5:00] Man in the Moon [4:41] Wonderlove [6:06] From the Balcony [2:43] Love Shine [4:37] Somehow, Someday [4:47] The Solution [5:25] The Source [16:21] All songs written by Anderson, Howe, White, Squire, and Sherwood. Total Running Time: 72:06 The Players: Jon Anderson (vocals) Steve Howe (guitar, backing vocals, mandolin, banjo) Chris Squire (bass, backing vocals, harmonica) Alan White (drumers, percussion, backing vocals) Billy Sherwood (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, recording, mixing)

Rating: 1.885 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

About the Album: In 1996 and 1997, Yes released a pair of albums known as Keys to Ascension and Keys to Ascension 2. Both were double albums which included live material from 1996 along with new material. The lineup featured Anderson, Squire, Howe, White, and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The albums were produced by Billy Sherwood. Sherwood met Chris Squire in 1989. The Yes lineup at that time featured Squire, Anderson, White, Tony Kaye, and Trevor Rabin. Anderson reunited with Yes bandmates’ Howe, Wakeman, and Bill Bruford while Rabin focused on solo work. Squire, White, and Kaye recruited Sherwood as a possible Yes member, but he was uneasy about replacing Anderson as a frontman. He did, however, contribute to Yes’ 1991 Union album and played guitar and keyboards on the band’s 1994 tour in support of Talk. Sherwood and Squire formed a strong writing partnership and toured as the Chris Squire Experiment in 1992. They were developing songs for an album to be called Chemistry when Sherwood was enlisted for Yes, becoming an official member in 1997 after Wakeman left the group. Two of the songs the pair had developed for that project, Open Your Eyes (originally called “I Wish I Knew”) and Man in the Moon, were re-worked for Yes. Sherwood then sent tapes of early versions of Wonderlove, Love Shine, New State of Mind, and Universal Garden to Anderson, who liked the songs, recorded vocals for them, and sent them back to Sherwood. White then recorded new drum tracks and, as Sherwood said, “all of a sudden it had that [Yes] flavor.” WK Howe, who came in toward the album’s completion, has said he and Anderson had little input on the songs, WK although they did contribute From the Balcony. While Sherwood served as the band’s primary keyboardist, the album also included work from Russian keyboardist Igor Khoroshev as a guest on a few songs. He was brought on board at the request of Anderson and Howe, who’d heard tapes of him. He then joined the band on their 30th anniversary 12-month world tour and became a full member after the tour. The album was poorly received, becoming one of their least successful commercially. Entertainment Weekly’s Chuck Eddy criticized Yes as “neither as self-indulgent nor as magnificent as they’re capable of being.” WK Stereogum was even harsher, saying it was “written at a child’s level of musical sophistication.” WK

Resources and Related Links: WK Wikipedia First posted 7/25/2021.

Shania Twain Come on Over spent first of 50 weeks atop the country chart

Come on Over Shania Twain

Released: November 4, 1997 Peak: 2 US, 150 CW, 111 UK, 15 CN, 120 AU Sales (in millions): 20.0 US, 3.34 UK, 40.0 world (includes US and UK), 47.06 EAS Genre: country

Tracks: (Click for codes to charts.) Man! I Feel Like a Woman! [3:53] (11/15/97, 23 BB, 18 BA, 18 GR, 17 RR, 16 AC, 12 A40, 4 CW, 3 UK, 17 CN, 4 AU, 12 DF) I’m Holdin’ on to Love to Save My Life [3:30] (7/3/00, 17 CW) Love Gets Me Every Time [3:33] (10/4/97, 25 BB, 1 CW) Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You) [3:35] (11/11/97, 40 BB, 6 CW, 5 UK, 32 AU, 29 DF) From This Moment On (with Bryan White) [4:43] (11/15/97, 4 BB, 13 GR, 14 RR, 1 AC, 22 A40, 6 CW, 9 UK, 4 CN, 2 AU, 24 DF) Come on Over [2:55] (11/15/97, 58 BB, 43 BA, 6 CW, 36 DF) When [3:39] (6/1/98, 18 UK, 14 CN) Whatever You Do, Don’t! [3:49] If You Wanna Touch Her, Ask! [4:04] You’re Still the One [3:34] (1/24/98, 2 BB, 6 GR, 3 RR, 1 AC, 6 A40, 1 CW, 10 UK, 7 CN, 1 AU, 8 DF) Honey, I’m Home [3:39] (11/15/97, 1 CW) That Don’t Impress Me Much [3:38] (12/12/98, 7 BB, 5 BA, 5 GR, 4 RR, 8 AC, 6 A40, 8 CW, 3 UK, 5 CN, 2 AU, 18 DF) Black Eyes, Blue Tears [3:39] I Won’t Leave You Lonely [4:13] Rock This Country [4:23] (1/10/00, 30 CW, 29 DF) You’ve Got a Way [3:24] (5/31/99, 49 BB, 42 BA, 40 RR, 6 AC, 13 CW, 17 CN, 28 AU) All tracks written by Shania Twain and Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Total Running Time: 60:06

Rating: 4.213 out of 5.00 (average of 26 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Shania’s Early Years Country singer/songwriter Eilleen Regina “Shania” Twain was born in 1965 in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from high school in 1983, she toured with a cover band called Flirt. Toronto DJ Stan Campbell noticed her talent and used her as a backing vocalist on an album by Canadian musician Tim Denis. Twain halted her burgeoning music career in 1987 when her mother and stepfather died in a car accident. She moved home to take care of her younger siblings. After her siblings moved out on their own, Twain re-entered the music world by assembling a demo which caught the attention of a few labels. She signed to Mercury Nashville Records and released her self-titled debut album in 1993. The album failed to chart in her native Canada or the United States, although the single “What Made You Say That” backed by “Dance with the One That Brought You” reached #55 on the Billboard country chart. Her next album, 1995’s The Woman in Me, was a blockbuster. It reached the top 10 in Canada and the U.S. and has sold 20 million copies worldwide. It featured four #1 country hits, including the double-platinum “Any Man of Mine.” It “proved that the world was ready for a combination of traditional instruments, girl-power themes, and dance-pop dynamics.” AM She proved to be equally as marketable as “a modern-day Dolly Parton or a country music Spice Girl.” AM Mutt Lange One of the key components in Shania’s huge leap in commercial success had to do with Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The famed producer reached out to her after hearing her first album. After hours on the phone, the two met six months later and married by the end of 1993. As the man who had produced iconic rock albums for Bryan Adams, AC/DC, the Cars, Def Leppard, and Foreigner, he was able to bring that same sensibility for catchy hits to Shania’s The Woman in Me. Bigger and Better Come on Over, also produced by Lange, “was essentially more of the same, but with even more hooks and a more polished, commercial sound.” TB Twain “updated her image accordingly, and now looked less like a country singer and more like she’d just walked out of the pages of Vogue. This immediately boosted her appeal internationally.” TB Twain “accentuates the sing-along choruses and simple dance rhythms while downplaying the country elements.” AM “There are still country elements, such as the fiddles on ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,’ but even they have been processed to fit with the record’s modern pop sheen.” TB Entertainment Weekly praised the album for “incorporating a substantial rock influence without losing its country sensibilities.” WK “The emphasis is on fun rather than depth.” AM The Biggest Country Album Ever As big as The Woman in Me was, it still didn’t properly prepare the world for the monstrous success of Shania’s third album, Come on Over. Twain took a page out of Michael Jackson’s Thriller playbook, pulling singles over multiple years, stretching from 1997 to 2000. Powered by eight top-10 country hits, including three #1’s, Come on Over spent a whopping 50 weeks atop the country chart. It received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Country Album. It became the best-selling country album of all-time, as well as the best-seller by a woman and by a Canadian. WK Twain had never even charted in the UK, but the album went to #1 and generated six top-10 singles. TB The Songs Here are insights into individual tracks. “Love Gets Me Every Time” and “Don’t Be Stupid” Love Gets Me Every Time was the lead single from Come on Over. It topped the country chart and went gold. The second single, Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You), was the album’s second top-40 hit on the Billboard pop chart and also reached the top 10 on the country chart. “You’re Still the One” The album’s third single, You’re Still the One, was the album’s biggest hit and the biggest hit of Shania’s career. It was another #1 country hit, reached #2 on the pop charts, and went double platinum. It also landed four Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, winning the latter two. “From This Moment On,” “Honey, I’m Home,” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” The album’s biggest hit was followed by From This Moment On, Shania’s second entry into the top five on the Billboard Hot 100. It was another top-ten country hit and went platinum. Honey, I’m Home became the album’s third #1 country hit and went gold. That Don’t Impress Me Much was a platinum single that hit the top 10 on the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “Come on Over” Twain landed another top-40 pop hit and top-five country hit with Man! I Feel Like a Woman!. The triple platinum earned Twain another Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. That same year – 2000 – Twain landed the Grammy for Best Country Song for Come on Over, the album’s eighth and final top-10 country hit. Notes: An international version of the CD was released in 1999 that contained some remixes of the original tracks and a different track listing.

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Michael McCall TB Thunder Bay (2005). Albums: The Stories Behind 50 Years of Great Recordings. Thunder Bay Press; San Diego, CA. Page 285. WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Links: First posted 3/27/2008; last updated 12/9/2024.