One of the great and most influential American gospel singers, Mahalia Jackson recorded one of the definitive versions of “Silent Night.”
One of the reasons I still expand and maintain my own personal CD/MP3 collection is the holiday season, where I want to hear a mix of my favorite Christmas songs I have collected over the years, many that are not on streaming services. Another benefit is that when I put my holiday songs on random play it is more likely one of my favorite recordings will pop up. Of course, a streaming service might make it more likely I would discover something new. But for Christmas, there is a lot to be said for things that are old.
Amidst my collection on some old gospel Christmas collection CD that you can’t even find referenced on the Internet, I have a beautiful version of Mahalia Jackson singing “Silent Night.” There are many lovely versions of the Christmas classic, but hers has become one of my favorites.
Jackson, who was born on October 26, 1911 and passed away on January 27, 1972, is one of the most influential American singers. Her gospel recordings are powerful, both because of her voice and because of her genuine faith. So when she sings about the night Jesus was born, you feel you are there with her, capturing the joy and anguish of the world-shaking birth.
Below, Mahalia Jackson sings “Silent Night,” which was written in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Austria.
Wishing everyone happy holidays and an inspiring new year.
In March 1975, John Lennon and Paul Simon appeared together at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards to present an award and to have some fun along with Andy Williams and Art Garfunkel.
On March 1, 1975, John Lennon and Paul Simon appeared together at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, presenting the award for Record of the Year for 1974. Olivia Newton-John, who was not present at the awards, would win the Grammy with producer John Farrar for “I Honestly Love You.” But it was the presentation banter between the two legends that seems most significant today. Joined at various points by Andy Williams and Art Garfunkel, the appearances and the jokes seem like a condensed snapshot of 1975 pop culture.
The four men were connected in a number of ways leading up to this encounter.
Andy Williams and His Connection to John Lennon
First, there is Lennon and Simon (perhaps both drunk?) trading jokes with crooner Andy Williams. While Williams may be less known today, if you were around in the 1970s, you knew him. He was well known for his recordings, The Andy Williams Show, “Moon River,” and his Christmas songs and TV specials. He also hosted the Grammy’s that year and in fact every year between 1971 and 1977.
Viewers would not only know Williams but would know that his former partner “Claudine” referred to in the somewhat risqué banter was his newly ex-wife Claudine Longet. Audience members probably also caught that the “three hits” he referred to from their partnership was their three children.
Although later in life Williams explained that he was a Republican, he also had been friends with the Kennedys. And he also was outspoken against the Nixon Administration’s efforts in the 1970s to deport John Lennon. So, the affection you see between Lennon and Williams is likely genuine.
John Lennon in Early 1975
As for Lennon, in early 1975, he was coming off his famous “Lost Weekend” period and separation from Yoko Ono that lasted from 1973 until early 1975. He was having some success working with other artists (Elton John and David Bowie).
Also, later in 1975 Lennon would release Rock ‘n’ Roll, his last album before his 1980 return with Double Fantasy. A the time of the Grammy’s, Yoko was pregnant. As later in the year on October 9, 1975, John’s 35th birthday, Yoko Ono gave birth to their son Sean Ono Lennon.
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in 1975
Simon of course was connected to Art Garfunkel, who appears near the end of the clip. But he also had some mixed experience with Lennon. Simon and Garfunkel had broken up their partnership years earlier. Hence, the joking about whether they would reunite or whether Lennon would reunite (a reference to the 1970’s often-discussed rumors about the Beatles getting back together).
But in 1975 Simon and Garfunkel were doing some work together, although one might detect some tension in the onstage joking. Apparently, not long before this appearance, Simon and Garfunkel had reconciled to some extent when they visited John Lennon and Harry Nilsson during a recording session in 1974.
Simon and Lennon’s Relationship
Apparently, Simon and Lennon had some sort of disagreement during that Harry Nilsson recording session. According to different reports, either Simon walked out or Nilsson threw out both Simon and a drunk Lennon. Lennon also apparently called Simon some names at the time.
But as you see in the exchange, Lennon and Simon seem to have gotten over that riff. And after John Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980, Simon referenced his sadness about the death in “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” a song regarding blues singer Johnny Ace who had died in 1954. “On a cold December evening/ I was walking through the Christmas tide/ When a stranger came up and asked me/ If I’d heard John Lennon had died/ And the two of us/ Went to this bar/ And we stayed to close the place/ And every song we played/ Was for the Late Great Johnny Ace.”
Before that tragedy, though, back in 1975 for one evening, the four talented artists came together for some fun.
With only changing a few words in Paul Simon’s “American Tune,” Rhiannon Giddens made the song even more timely.
In 2022, as part of a Grammy salute to Paul Simon, Rhiannon Giddens joined Simon on stage to sing his song, “American Tune.” Besides the great artist tribute and the wonderful performance by Giddens, a significant aspect of this performance was a change in lyrics that further broadened the meaning of the song.
When they taught us as kids in the early 1960s about the United States, we may have learned with a less critical eye than what we understand about history today. Still, one thing that always stands out is that the country thrives when it moves forward to become broader, more accepting, and more loving.
Many of our leaders have understood this truth about our history, perhaps nobody more than Abraham Lincoln, when after a contentious reelection in 1864 during the midst of a Civil War, America did the right thing in choosing the best person for President. He spoke at his inauguration, while the war continued, of having “malice toward none with charity toward all.”
Simon’s “American Tune” has always connected the conflicting views of America as one of both hope and loss. We’ve previously written in another post about the song and its musical origins by composer Johann Sebastian Bach. We noted there are beautiful covers of “American Tune” by artists like Eva Cassidy and Willie Nelson.
Giddens’ version makes the song even more relevant for today. As sung by a woman with African-American and Native American ancestry, her moving performance further reminds us of America’s complicated history, while still maintaining the hope for tomorrow.
The lyric change appears across two lines near the end of the song, a change approved by Simon. In Simon’s original 1973 version, with the nation’s Bicentennial approaching, Simon sang about arriving aboard a certain ship we learned about as kids: “We come on the ship they call The Mayflower/ We come on the ship that sailed the moon.”
But in Giddens’s retelling, she reminds us that not everyone came on the Mayflower. Importantly, though, the lyrics also remind us that those who did not come on the Mayflower play an essential part of singing our American Tune.
And high up above my eyes could clearly see, The Statue of Liberty, Sailing away to sea; And I dreamed I was flying. We didn’t come here on The Mayflower; We came on a ship in a blood red moon; We come in the age’s most uncertain hours, And sing an American tune.
Leave your two cents in the comments. Images via YouTube and Wikipedia.
What is the song “Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair),” which has been recorded by many artists, really about? While appearing to be a religious song, the message tells us something about parenthood and childhood.
A number of famous artists have recorded the song “Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair).” Although Jo Stafford first had some success with a recording of the song in 1949, one of the most popular versions is Harry Belafonte’s version, first released in 1956. Because of Belafonte’s recording and performances of the song, it has continued on as a classic of sorts, having been covered by Roy Orbison, The Cats, Dinah Shore, Jim Reeves, Gene Vincent, Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, and in more recent years by artists like Sinéad O’Connor (one of my favorite), Cliff Richard, and Willie Nelson. Perry Como called it “perhaps the most beautiful tune I ever sang.”
But what is the song about? The song is in the voice of a parent, who is looking in on their daughter at bedtime. The daughter is in prayer and asks “for me some scarlet ribbons,/scarlet ribbons for my hair.” The parent then recounts how all of the stores in town were closed and they could not find any scarlet ribbons for the child that night.
In the morning, though, the parent again looks into the child’s room and sees in her room, “In gay profusion lying there,/ Lovely ribbons, scarlet ribbons.” The singer ends, amazed at the mystery.
If I live to be a hundred, I will never know from where, Came those lovely scarlet ribbons; Scarlet ribbons for her hair.
On his Stardust album bonus track, Willie Nelson changed the line about living to “a hundred” to “two hundred.”
Evelyn Danzig wrote the music for the song, and then in 1949, during a party at her home, Jack Segal filled in the lyrics. The song, however, sounds like a timeless folk tale, complete with a mysterious ending that seems fitting of many old folk songs. But what is the song really about?
The Writing of “Scarlett Ribbons”
The song’s lyricist, Jack Segal, has explained that he was visiting the home of composer Evelyn Danzig on Long Island, NY and heard her play some music. She played a piano exercise she wrote that intrigued him, sounding to him like a child’s lullaby. Right there, after he was left alone in the room, he sat down and composed the lyrics in fifteen minutes.
Although the song was soon recorded by several artists, it was not until Belafonte recorded a stripped down version on his second album that the song started to resonate into the classic it has become.
What is the Meaning Behind “Scarlet Ribbons”?
The simple explanation behind the song is that it is about a girl’s faith in God being rewarded. Her prayer for the scarlet ribbons is miraculously answered. The proof of the miracle is provided by the parent. The parent had confirmed there was no other way that the little girl could have obtained the ribbons that night, as all of the stores were closed.
The interpretatin of the song as one about God and faith is consistent with the way many have used the song. For example, after Jim Reeves’ death, his record company included the song on the Jim Reeves gospel collection, A Beautiful Life: Songs of Inspiration (2014) (even though he originally included it on the partly religious album Songs to Warm the Heart (1959)).
While we often should defer to the simplest explanation of something, I think regardless of the songwriter’s intent, there is another reason the haunting song has resonated through the years. The reason is not that people were looking for a song about God providing a girl with ribbons for her hair. At least for me, there is another way that the song has meaning for me. And this interpretation is reflected in the video that Jim Reeves made for the song, where the focus is on the father overlooking his sleeping child. Maybe the song is about parenthood and childhood.
Like many fathers of a young child, I worry about her constantly. What will life bring for her? What can I do to protect her? How do I make sure she has what she needs and learns what she needs to know?
So, when I hear “Scarlet Ribbons,” the lyrics provide the viewpoint of the parent. The parent worries that they cannot provide the daughter with the scarlet ribbons she prays for. Wanting to help the daughter find what she wants, and perhaps also to maintain the child’s belief in miracles for a little while longer, the parent searches the town for the ribbons even though it is late.
So, I relate to the parent’s anxiety. But what about the miracle of the ribbons appearing in the morning? As most parents know, the lives of our children are filled with small miracles every day. Every morning when I wake up, I see my daughter growing in new ways. And each day, she is capable of something new, with or without my help.
And like the miracle of the ribbons, these little miracles appear and bring me great joy. They also reassure me that something more powerful than me is looking after my daughter, whether that something be what we call “God” or nature or years of evolution or growing up or whatever. And whatever it is called, it is still a miracle.
One may ask why did the author chose “scarlet ribbons” to reflect the child’s growth? Of course, it could just that Segal in writing lyrics for Danzig’s music found the four-syllable phrase fitted the music. But if the “scarlet ribbons” were selected for a specific meaning, the most obvious one might be that the red ribbons reflect a symbol of a girl growing up and changing, i.e., getting her first period. That of course is not to argue that he song is about menstruation, but such a symbol would tie into one of the ways children change and grow.
Whether or not the choice of “scarlet ribbons” was made for a reason, the song still seems to be about a parent’s anxiety and faith in a child’s growth. Ribbons may seem silly or insignificant. But in the song they remind us that the little miracles surrounding our children are sometimes more powerful than the parting of the Red Sea.
Kris Kristofferson got his big break with “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” which may be the greatest song ever written about loneliness.
Kris Kristofferson passed away on Saturday, September 28, 2024. As many of the obituaries point out, he had an amazing career, songwriter, actor, singer, Rhodes scholar, army helicopter pilot, and so much more. I was lucky while visiting a childhood friend to see Kristofferson in Houston back in March 1990 as he started the first Highwaymen tour with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings. But if you ask me the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Kristofferson, it is the song “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down.”
Kristofferson may have had greater songs, and you can easily make the case for “Me and Bobby McGee” or “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” among others. But “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” may be the greatest song ever written about loneliness.
On the Sunday morning sidewalks, Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned; Cause there’s something in a Sunday, That makes a body feel alone; And there’s nothin’ short of dyin’, Half as lonesome as the sound, On the sleepin’ city sidewalks, Sunday mornin’ comin’ down.
Johnny Cash first recorded the song. In 1969, Kristofferson was working sweeping floors at Columbia studios and hoping to be a songwriter. You can hear this part of Kristofferson’s life in “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” where he had moved to Nashville, alone, alienated from his family, and struggling to get by.
Kristofferson famously flew a helicopter to Johnny Cash’s house to get Cash’s attention and give the singer a tape of his songs that included “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” Cash subsequently played the song on his weekly television show, telling the audience about the up-and-coming songwriter. Cash released the song on record, and his version became the one that most people remember hearing first.
Lyrics and Johnny Cash’s Changes
Johnny Cash did tweak a few of the words in “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.” In his version, he refers to “Then I washed my face and combed my hair / And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.” But in Kristofferson’s original version, he sings about shaving instead of washing, “And I shaved my face and combed my hair / And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.”
Also, Kristofferson’s original describes the kid differently than Cash: “But I lit my first and watched a small kid / Cussin’ at a can that he was kickin’.” Cash took out the referencing to cussing: “But I lit my first and watched a small kid / Playin’ with a can that he was kickin’.”
Why did Cash change a few words? Some have speculated Cash’s version is a little more optimistic, with the singer washing off his sins and seeing kids playing instead of cussing. I have not seen Cash or Kristofferson explain the small changes, but my theory is a little different.
Recall that when Cash first recorded the song, Kristofferson was not the established songwriter we know. He was new to the business and was the annoying guy trying to get his songs heard. So, Cash, even while recognizing a great song, did not approach it with reverence. So, he might have just thought the word changes sounded better. Regarding the kid kicking the can, Cash’s change got rid of the more blatant alliteration “cussin’ at a can” and stretched it out more, tying together the “w” in the first phrase (“watched”) to two more “w” words in the next phrase (“with”/”was”). Regarding the other change, he may have just liked the elongated sound of “washed” over “shaved.”
Cash’s tweaks were small, and he left most of the song alone, including what I consider the most heartbreaking line in the song, about smelling frying chicken. Most folks who have moved away from home can relate to recalling family dinners on Sundays and what it means to now be on your own.
Then I crossed the empty street, And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin’ chicken; And it took me back to somethin’, That I’d lost somehow, somewhere along the way.
We lost something else when we lost Kris Kristofferson, but we still have his music to lift us up and to comfort us when we are down and alone.
