By: Rhiannon Cook, guest writer
From traditional carols like “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” to hymns, such as “Silent Night,” and pop sensations like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Christmas music makes up a huge part of our holiday season and culture here in America. Not only are these songs and carols pleasing to hear this time of year, but they also have plenty of history behind them and stories to go along. The Squire took the time to research about the history of Christmas music and had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Taylor, one of Eisenhower’s History and English Language Arts teachers, about some fun holiday music facts from his home country, England.
By the end of October, people are already preparing for the most magical time of year; they’re baking, buying presents, and putting on Christmas classics to listen to while decorating. When you think of “holiday songs,” most that come to mind are probably about Jesus’s birth or Santa Claus dropping off presents. The Christmas season as it is to us now was once a time when people would celebrate the winter solstice, the end of the harvest season, and other cold, end-of-the-year related events. A couple thousand years ago, people would sing to honor gods, welcome the new year, say farewell to the old year, and to ask for blessings for the next harvest. They would sing around stone circles – this inspired the word for ‘carol’ from the French ‘carole,’ which, according to the University of Plymouth’s article on the history of carols, means “a popular circle dance accompanied by singing.” Over the centuries, wintertime would become defined by other things, leading to the creation of songs and hymns we know and love.
By the 4th century, between 300 and 400 AD, proper Christmas hymns were being written in Rome and sung in Latin for church services during the annual celebration of Christ’s birth, or Christmas. Some people had a hard time getting into the spirit of Christmas through these songs because they were in Latin, and not everyone understood Latin. So, across Europe, different countries started to write and sing carols in their own languages. Around the Medieval Era, carols such as “Good King Wenceslas” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” were written and are still sung today. And still, Christmas music is the genre that just keeps giving; it spans from these beautiful, traditional hymns and carols, to fun, comforting jazz and pop jingles. This diversity started in the early 1900’s; the early 20th century was taken over with war, but that didn’t mean people stopped singing or celebrating Christmas.
Taylor shared about one of his favorite Christmas songs, one that was inspired in the midst of these conflicts, “One of my favorites is ‘Stop the Cavalry’ by Jonah Lewie. It is sung from the perspective of a soldier in the trenches during World War One and is quite upbeat musically but the lyrics are really sad,” explains Taylor. “It is inspired by the 1914 Christmas truce where, disobeying orders, soldiers from Britain and Germany left their trenches and celebrated Christmas Day together but then had to go back to war with one another the next day.” This song is an excellent example of the role history plays in many holiday songs, and music in general.
In 1942, Bing Crosby, a sensationally known jazz singer, released “White Christmas” and changed the definition of modern Christmas music – not only this, but “White Christmas” is still the best-selling single of all time, out of any genre. Inspired by this change, we now enjoy songs like “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt, a cappella albums of classics by Pentatonix, and original Christmas albums and songs by stars like Ariana Grande, with “Santa Tell Me.”
Another thing to explore is the variety of Christmas music in different countries that also celebrate this season. Taylor was the perfect candidate to give us a look into the holiday song scene in England. He started to explain the differences by stating, “English Christmas songs tend to be a lot less cheesy and schmaltzy than the American standards. They can even be a bit cynical and sarcastic which I think would horrify some Americans!” Modern Christmas songs in America do seem to feel quite romantic or wintery, so it is interesting to know that other places have different tastes in the messages of their holiday songs. Taylor also tells about a specific song that represents this distinction, “There is a song called “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Slade in which the lead singer, Noddy Holder, yells: “It’s Christmas!” during one of the choruses. We have a saying in England that it isn’t officially Christmas until Noddy Holder says so.” This is also a small example of a unique holiday tradition somewhere else.
Taylor recommended some other English Christmas songs, including, “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday” by Wizzard, “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues, and “Christmas Time (Don’t let the bells end)” by The Darkness. He says that these songs were a big part of his Christmas experience growing up, sharing a fun story about his family as well. Taylor details, “When I was younger, Christmas Eve was a big celebration night and my brothers and I would always go to the pub and then sing “Fairytale of New York” on the walk home… we keep the tradition alive by calling each other at English midnight (7pm here) and singing very badly!” It’s great to hear that Christmas music is a universal enjoyment!
The Squire loved learning about the history of the beloved tradition of Christmas music and hearing about how it differs but still means the same to people in other places. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for the interview. The Squire wishes everyone a merry holiday season, filled with the familiar sounds of carols and bells!
The Squire 