Todays songs may seem a little unfamiliar to you. I’m sure you’ve heard of the first one, but may not be super familiar with the second one. However, there is a reason for their selection. They both have a strong connection, in different ways, to Charles Dickens’, “A Christmas Carol.” And since that’s a pretty big Christmas Deal, I thought these two songs would suit us well for our third day in this series. Don’t forget I’m making a playlist in Spotify as we go through this series, you can subscribe to here.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
This is a Christmas Carol that does it’s best to include the entire story of Christmas in its lyrical content. Its origin isn’t entirely clear. The Author is unknown. It was published in W. Sandy’s Christmas Carols in 1833. And that’s about the extent of the history we know.
However, we do know that the part of the song was included in “A Christmas Carol.” According to Wikipedia: “…at the first sound of — ‘God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!’— Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost.”
(The recording below is from my album: “When The Snow Falls” which is available on iTunes.)
A Thankful Heart
I don’t know why my connection with the muppets is. Another one of their songs will appear on the list a few days down the road. I have fond memories of listening to our vinyl version of John Denver and the Muppets. (Yes we listened to a lot of vinyl growing up.) So, I guess it was only natural for me to fall in love with “A Muppet Christmas Carol” upon its release.
All that said, I do think it is one of the best musical versions of the Dickens Classic, and is worth your time whether you are a child or an adult.
