The perfect Christmas song?

[Melanie_]

In a different thread, several people identified their favourite Christmas song. The UK newspaper the Telegraph has said that the perfect Christmas song is Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah (although I’m not really convinced it is much of a Christmas song).

It is set to become the most philosophically complex Christmas number one in the history of the pop charts. Three versions are currently competing for that honour, Cohen's stately original (at a lowly number 34), the late Jeff Buckley's towering 1994 recording (currently at three, driven by an internet campaign to save the song from the clutches of Simon Cowell) and the firm favourite from X Factor winner Alexandra Burke.

~snip~

Cowell has probably identified Hallelujah as a perfect Christmas song for godless times. As a nation, we may no longer go to church, but we still celebrate the birth of Christ with a fervour. There remains a tangible yearning for the social unity that Christmas represents, the glue of faith, symbolism and shared stories. Hallelujah is really a kind of secular hymn, giving praise to a non-specific deity, to be interpreted however the listener wants.

Anyway, to get into the festive season, do you have a preference for a particular version of the song? Or, do you disagree completely – what is the perfect Christmas song?

My preference is none of the versions listed –

version of Hallelujah is, IMHO, unparalleled.

[RB]

version of Hallelujah is, IMHO, unparalleled.

It is timeless, so beautiful.

[Michael Hardner]

WHAT ?!?

Sample lyrics:

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you

To a kitchen chair

I'm sorry, but no.

[guyser]

what is the perfect Christmas song?

I wish I was deaf at this time of year.

[M.Dancer]

I wish I was deaf at this time of year.

I wish I was deaf at this time of year

I can't hear the TV over all the Christmas cheer

And with everyone humming a festive song

I can't hold out or hold on very long...

The kids have been howling all day and night

The neighours lights are terribly bright

And taste is lacking and no where in sight

If the tree caight fire I think that would be alright

I wish I was deaf at this time of year

I can't hear the TV over all the Christmas cheer

And with everyone humming a festive song

I can't hold out or hold on very long...

The tie they gave me I'll turn into a noose

The reindeer she drew me looks like a moose

My secretary is tipsey and is acting loose

And my wife says there will be no truce...

I wish I was deaf at this time of year

I can't hear the TV over all the Christmas cheer

And with everyone humming a festive song

I can't hold out or hold on very long...

[guyser]

I wish I was deaf at this time of year

I can't hear the TV over all the Christmas cheer

And with everyone humming a festive song

I can't hold out or hold on very long...

I would have never thought there exists a song along those lines. (did you know it or suspect?)

[Oleg Bach]

I wish I was deaf at this time of year.

Only in Canada would someone with a vocal range of two notes get "vocalist of the years" as Cohen did..as for him singing the perfect Christmas song - unlike Dylan who was jewish and converted to Christianity - Cohen is not a convert.

[Michael Hardner]

So if he didn't convert why is he being granted a Christmas carol ?

Maybe the British think that Toronto is near the North Pole, and that Cohen is, by some twisted Anglophilic logic, a deep-voiced bohemian elf. I think that they, more likely, are trying to solidify their position (Since Dickens' classic is an English work) by making Canadian Christmas art look bad.

God help us, every one.

[Oleg Bach]

So if he didn't convert why is he being granted a Christmas carol ?

Maybe the British think that Toronto is near the North Pole, and that Cohen is, by some twisted Anglophilic logic, a deep-voiced bohemian elf. I think that they, more likely, are trying to solidify their position (Since Dickens' classic is an English work) by making Canadian Christmas art look bad.

God help us, every one.

Not to be rash or unkind - but why did they grant Morgantaler the Order Of Canada? Especially after the delluded old man said " Unwanted children become concentration camp guards" - sounds like a pre-emptive strike against the unborn Nazis...and it's very doubtful that he was very accurate on who was an un-born Nazi and who was not. Cohen was so vain in the early days that he decided that poetry was not enough - that he wanted to be a rock star of some kind - I love the production of the tune in question - but just about anyone sounds good with strings. Cohen is just an old man with old hippy girls paying 50 bucks a ticket to hear Suzane.

[RB]

WHAT ?!?

Sample lyrics:

I'm sorry, but no.

I must insist that the music and lyrics is good for "Hallelujah" and that voice...

Because it is so close and special, I get giddy with the music. Every new year's eve we have a gathering with my nieces and nephews at my house ... they bring their own sheet music and instruments and along with our pianos we sing the night away...and I know they have been practicing...we have tons of fun at the demise of all the songs...like no one for sure is going to make it in the music business. But the particular music is one of our very good songs, it is captured on piano again and again... it must have hit that chord of private reflecting.

This is what is beautiful, listen

Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you

To a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, and she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you.

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What's really going on below

But now you never show it to me, do you?

And remember when I moved in you

The holy dove was moving too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain

I don't even know the name

But if I did, well really, what's it to you?

There's a blaze of light

In every word

It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much

I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch

I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you

And even though

It all went wrong

I'll stand before the Lord of Song

With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah

Edited December 22, 2008 by RB

[RB]

WHAT ?!?

Sample lyrics:

QUOTE

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you

To a kitchen chair

I'm sorry, but no.

This is quoted from the Telegraph link above and in relation to the particular verse in question

Hallelujah is really a kind of secular hymn, giving praise to a non-specific deity, to be interpreted however the listener wants....

Its amorphousness derives from its length and complexity. Cohen's writing process involves exploring every possible lyrical permutation, completely finishing verses before he can discard them. Hallelujah has the protean quality of a folk song, with different verses to pick and choose from, altering the narrative to reflect the needs of the moment. Hallelujah is, at least in part, about song-writing itself. Cohen invokes the Biblical story of King David (in a sense, the original songwriter) and the woman whose beauty overthrew him, Bathsheba. The protagonist offers up his "sacred chord" to a lover whose indifference to either art or faith is expressed in the deadpan put-down, "You don't really care for music, do ya?". The exchange is played out against a classic chord progression, lent playful delight by Cohen's trick of identifying the musical shifts as he makes them: "Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing Hallelujah." Music and lyrics dovetail with perfect simplicity.

You don't really care for music, do ya?"

[Oleg Bach]

Praising God is nice - the traditional chant of hally looolie sure is sweet - Conservatives don't like music much - they don't like anything that is not physical...so damned hard to sell vibrations in the air ..... Like I said about Cohen...get a producer pay him 20 grand - bring in a fancey copyist and arranger and orchestra - even the dog would not sound bad. Doin the howl lu lu.

[LesterDC]

In a different thread, several people identified their favourite Christmas song. The UK newspaper the Telegraph has said that the perfect Christmas song is Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah (although I’m not really convinced it is much of a Christmas song).

Anyway, to get into the festive season, do you have a preference for a particular version of the song? Or, do you disagree completely – what is the perfect Christmas song?

My preference is none of the versions listed –

version of Hallelujah is, IMHO, unparalleled.

Go Cohen! I like his original one

[Oleg Bach]

Lenny wants to be Jesus - so let him - to bad he can't hit the notes.. Wierd how the more crafty and intelligent and poetic Jews want in on our action - everybody wants to be a Christian - just look at the bindy dot on the snow man - and the atheists are crowding in on the nativity scene - ok ok - come on in - you can all be Christians - People talk about the war on Christmas and on Christ...not so! EVERYBODY LOVES THE IDEA OF CHRISTIANITY>>... so come on down! Welcome to all!

[LesterDC]

to bad he can't hit the notes..

Its called a baritone vocal range

[BubberMiley]

God help us, every one.

But you don't really care for music, do you?

[capricorn]

Another week or so and I'll be spared those repetitive boring Xmas songs on just about every radio channel. Bah! Humbug!

That Cohen Hallelujah song ranks right up with "What if God was one of us" that I could do without.

*And yeah, yeah, God is great

Yeah, yeah, God is good

Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah

What if God was one of us?

Just a slob like one of us

Just a stranger on the bus

Trying to make his way home

http://www.lyrics007.com/Joan%20Osborne%20...s%20Lyrics.html

Modern music for the spiritually challenged is what I call it.

[August1991]

Irving Layton and Leonard Cohen are (were) guys on the make, like Duddy Kravitz. As opposed to Richler's fictional character, Layton and Cohen didn't want money - they just wanted to have sex with beautiful women.

At least Milan Kundera wrote about politics sometimes.

---

Best Christmas song? I'll be PC bilingual.

Minuit, Chrétiens

I'll be home for Christmas (if only in my dreams... )

Edited December 23, 2008 by August1991

[msj]

Talking about guys "on the make," I like this version to an old classic:

‘Twas the Street before Christmas, and everything sucked.

Most bankers were hurting; some totally f-cked.

Lehman was dead and Merrill acquired

Thain asked for ten million as thousands were fired.

TARP funds flooded every bank on the Street,

and GM and Chrysler waited to suckle the teat.

Bernie Madoff was safely under house arrest

while SCORES laid off girls with artificial breasts.

Then outside my cubicle there arose such a fray

I feared the whole firm would go under that day.

I put down my pitchbook and financial models,

And prepared for an evening of tears and rum bottles.

Right there in the bullpen stood the strangest of fellers

Who arrived on a sleigh pulled by naked short sellers.

He bellowed and blustered and let out a curse

and before we knew it, things got even worse.

For there in his clutches were our bonus checks

and all of our hopes of prestige, toys, and sex.

With an evil grin he then handed them out

and, one after one, faces drooped in a pout.

The numbers fell victim to maniacal division

and, oh, did I mention the clawback provision?

I was enraged and in shock, and then what was more

after taxes, I couldn’t buy Eliot Spitzer’s wh-re!

In less than a week my bonus was spent

and I thought of moving back in with the ‘rents.

But New Years was coming and it would be great

to party like a baller and get rid of Oh-Eight.

Oh-Nine will be better and we’ll all get rich

the sooner we say goodbye to this ugly b-tch.

So keep your chins up and your heads held high,

put in the hours and never say die.

As bad as things are, they’ll get good again

and you’ll be glad you hung in there with all the real men.

When you’re in bed with a model and getting a hummer

you can lay back and think,

“Thank God I’m not a plumber!”

But, seriously, I'll take Cohen over K.D. any day. Although, like guyser, it would be nice to be deaf at this time of year.

[Wild Bill]

Long ago there was a daily newspaper comic strip featuring political animals. One was a possum named Pogo and another was a turtle named Churchy La Femme. Every Christmas we'd hear Churchy caroling at the top of his lungs this little ditty:

"Deck us all with Boston, Charlie!

Walla Walla Wash., and Kalamazoo!

Nora's Freezin' on the Trolley!

Swaller Dollar Cauliflower, Alley-garoo!"

Ah, nostalgia's never what it used to be!

Edited December 23, 2008 by Wild Bill

[Mr.Canada]

I like "The little drummer Boy". Brings a tear to my eye almost every time, if it's done well.

[M.Dancer]

I would have never thought there exists a song along those lines. (did you know it or suspect?)

I wrote it just for you.

[guyser]

I wrote it just for you.

Aww....it is now my favourite song then. Endless loops in the car.

[M.Dancer]

And now for something you'll really like....

Take it away Mr Elvis Krall...

I knew of two sisters whose name it was Christmas,

And one was named Dawn of course, the other one was named Eve.

I wonder if they grew up hating the season,

The good will that lasts til the Feast of St. Stephen

For that is the time to eat, drink, and be merry,

Til the beer is all spilled and the whiskey has flowed.

And the whole family tree you neglected to bury,

Are feeding their faces until they explode.

Chorus:

There'll be laughter and tears over Tia Marias,

Mixed up with that drink made from girders.

’Cause it's all we've got left as they draw their last breath,

Ah, it's nice for the kids, as you finally get rid of them,

In the St Stephen's Day Murders.

Uncle is garglin' a heart-breaking air,

While the babe in his arms pulls out all that remains of his hair.

And we're not drunk enough yet to dare criticize,

The great big kipper tie he's about to baptize.

With his gin-flavoured whiskers and kisses of sherry,

His best Chrimbo shirt slung out over the shop.

While the lights from the Christmas tree blow up the telly,

His face closes in like an old cold pork chop.

Alternate Chorus:

And the carcass of the beast left over from the feast,

May still be found haunting the kitchen.

And there's life in it yet, we may live to regret,

When the ones that we poisoned stop twitchin'.

[BubberMiley]

The perfect generic Christmas song would probably be the Christmas Song, but I like Fairy Tale of New York best.