The Fendertones – Little Saint Nick
An evening pause: A nice cover of the Beach Boys classic.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Tag: entertainment
Cรฉline Dion – O Holy Night
An evening pause: Performed live for television, 1998.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
The Choir of King’s College – Sussex Carol
An evening pause: Performed live 2021 in the King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.
Margarita Sipatova – All I Want For Christmas Is You
An evening pause: A bright cheery way to start the last week in the Christmas holiday season. CORRECTION: I have discovered that the performer here is not Mariah Carey, as listed in the video, but another singer doing a nice cover. I have corrected the post.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
Chevrolet – A Holiday to Remember
An evening pause: Yes, I know it is a commercial, but it is right for the season. And it reminds us of the never-ending human desire — not often possible — to always believe all things can be made better. Such a belief enriches us. We should never lose it, no matter how bad things become.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Ofra Haza – Jerusalem of Gold
An evening pause: On this, the last day of Hanukkah, we finish with a moving song that celebrates the city of Jerusalem, first published just days before the 1967 Six-Day war, and then revised slightly by its author, Naomi Shermer, after the eastern half of the city was recaptured by Israeli troops and made available to both Jews and Muslims for the first time since the 1948 war. Before then Jordan had barred Jews from entering, and had allowed many Jewish religious sites to be desecrated. When Israel took over that ended, and all sites were opened to all. (In subsequent years Muslim intransigence has slowly once again closed to Jewish Israelis the areas under Muslim control.)
The song is also sad, because it recognizes the thousands of years of conflict by many over this small spot on Earth. Most of those conflicts were caused by those who wished to kick the Jews from this place, even though they probably have more right to it than anyone else on Earth.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby – Jingle Bells
An evening pause: Two professionals show how to make a song fresh that unfortunately has become too familiar.
Hat tip Alton Blevins for the song suggestion for this holiday season.
Hila Ben David – Avinu Malkeinu
An evening pause: Though the prayer is recited every fall during services during the Ten Days of Repentance, from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, this music is modern, originally sung by Barbara Streisand. It is fitting now both for Hanukkah and the events in Israel. Activate closed captions to read the English translation. It is a prayer asking God for forgiveness for past sins as well as renewal and mercy in the coming year.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Mannheim Steamroller – Silent Night
An evening pause: Performed live 2012.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.
J.S. Bach – Christmas Oratorio, excerpt
An evening pause: Performed live 2012.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Rachell Ellen Wong & Coleman Itzkoff – Hanukkah Medley
An evening pause: This piece seems appropriate for the first night of Hannukkah, which celebrates the miracle of the lights during the Maccabbean revolt against religious oppression, a revolt that led to the restoration of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, part of which still stands and is called by the Wailing Wall by many Jews. The medley includes two songs, “Oh Hanukkah,” and “Al Hanisim” (Thank You For the Miracles).
It also seems appropriate today, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, as Israel itself responds in like kind to Hamas’s own infamous sneak attack and massacre on October 7th.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
Pentatonix – Mary, Did You Know?
An evening pause: When I posted a different version of this song last year, I said this:
This song honoring Jesus I think really speaks of every child born on Earth, and how every parent should see them. As Wordsworth said, they come “trailing clouds of glory.”
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kissed your little baby then you kissed the face of god.
Still applies, to my way of thinking. That there are people in the world that think it good to kill such things means only that those people need to be removed from human existence as quickly as possible, as they represent the worst evil anyone can conceive.
Hat tip Alton Blevins.