Sunday, December 21, 2014

Christmas Songs That Mirrored Their Times



by Rebecca Price Janney

To borrow a popular Christmas phrase, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” and one of my favorite parts of it is the music. I love the sounds of this season, from Bach to Hadyn, Charles Wesley to Paul McCartney. There are two songs in particular whose meaning can be traced directly to the times in which the writers lived, which mirrored current events. Today I’m going to share their stories with you.

The first is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” written in 1863 by the New England poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known for “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “Evangeline,” and “The Song of Hiawatha,” he was one of the 19th century writers who helped shape American literature. At the end of 1863, the Civil War was still raging, that year having witnessed the brutal battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. It had been a difficult year for the nation, and for Longfellow personally, whose wife, Frances, had died tragically in a fire at their home. In trying to save her life, Longfellow was burned badly enough that he couldn’t attend her funeral, and afterwards he began wearing his trademark beard to cover the scars.





Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

He’d also been pained earlier that spring when their son, Charles Appleton Longfellow, joined the Union Army. Father was unable to convince son not to become a soldier with Charles insisting it was his duty to defend his country, and give his life for it if necessary. In November, Longfellow received word that his son had been wounded at the Battle of New Hope Church in Virginia. Although Charles would survive his wounds, his father didn’t know that at the time. Instead, he plunged into a time of desolation. Out of it, however, came one of America’s best-loved Christmas songs.




Scene from a Civil War battle


Longfellow wrote that when he first heard the bells ringing on December 25th, he hung his head in despair, that the sound seemed to mock the very message of “peace on earth, good will to men.” That, however, wasn’t where his emotions, or the story ended. Otherwise, he would have been reckoning the world apart from God. Here is the entire message of this sweet, uplifting song that affirms the story of Christmas in spite of turmoil:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Still ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on the earth, good-will to men.”






Christmas music


Out of another time of national conflict came my favorite Christmas song of the last few decades, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The year was 1962, and that fall the United States and Soviet Union stood on the brink of nuclear annihilation. This was the period known to history as the Cold War, a confrontation of wills that lasted throughout the post-World War II period, all the way up until 1991 when the USSR collapsed under its own weight. During that era, both nations jockeyed for supremacy, the Russians callously taking over other countries and subjecting them to communism, while the Americans worked to maintain freedom and democracy at home and abroad.







Map of the Cuban Missile Crisis


In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban government and established a Soviet-friendly system just 90 miles from American soil. In early October 1962, President John F. Kennedy discovered through military reconnaissance flights that the Soviets were building missile bases in Cuba intended to accommodate medium and long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. JFK confronted the Russians, insisting that they remove the nuclear capability from the island nation, and the Soviets refused.

Location of Cuban missile sites

During the week that followed, Americans prepared themselves for the possibility of a nuclear war. Schools conducted air raid drills and taught children how to find bomb shelters, or duck and cover under their desks in the event of an atomic blast. The military stood on full alert, ready to let U.S. bombs drop on the Russians if the President issued the command. Many prayed for deliverance from that terrible evil.

At that time, a married couple, Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker, wrote the words (Noel) and music (Gloria) to “Do You Hear What I Hear?” It tells of the news of Christ’s birth being relayed up a chain of higher and higher command, a plea for peace and good will. At the time, the song filled the couple with such emotion that they couldn’t sing it all the way through. It was released right after Thanksgiving in a recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale and sold over 250,000 copies. The following year, Bing Crosby recorded it, turning it into a big hit. It has since been performed and recorded by hundreds of artists.

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepherd boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light







Once again, we have the affirmation that the birth of Jesus changes everything, that it brings hope and stability during the most difficult of times.
What is your favorite Christmas song? What makes it significant for you?





Dr. Rebecca Price Janney is a theologically trained historian whose many books cover significant people and events in American history. She especially loves the Revolutionary War period and the 20th century, including the impact of the times on women’s lives. She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her son and husband. For more information visit www.rebeccapricejanney.com

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the history behind these two wonderful Christmas songs, Rebecca! Very interesting. I have several Christmas songs that are among my favorites: Mary, Did You Know and O Holy Night. I also like Carol of the Bells and a new song called Three Kings.

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  2. Those are some good songs, Vickie
    I'll be listening for Three Lings. I also like the way some artists combine old and new tunes.

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  3. Wonderful insight into these songs! Thank you Rebecca.

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  4. You're welcome, Carrie. They're truly special lyrics

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  5. I never knew the history of the bells song, but we learned the history of the other one because it has become a staple and highlight song of our church Christmas Spectacular Celebration every year. I love both of those songs. I love the Christmas carols, but especially "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night". Thanks for an interesting post, Rebecca.

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    1. That's such a nice tradition. O Holy Night usually gives me goose bumps, and since I visited Israel, O Little Town of Bethlehem.

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  6. We sang "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" just this morning, and our songleader told us that it was a Civil War era hymn. When I saw the author of the words, I determined to learn more ... and as I'm going through my e-mail, I received this blog post ... YAY! Thank you!

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  7. Oh, Stephanie, what a neat sequence of events!

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  8. I enjoyed this article very much - thank you! But, more importantly, I needed to hear the encouragement in the lyrics of these songs. God, indeed, is not dead nor does He sleep!

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  9. Thanks, Vanessa. I, too, am so encouraged by these timeless messages.

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