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.