James Taylor • In The Bleak Midwinter
Christmas Song of the Day: In The Bleak Midwinter, by James Taylor
Yesterday: The Christmas Song, by The Raveonettes
James Taylor at Christmas is one of my favorite listens every December. Almost every track is a favorite. But my most favorite song on this piece of musical art is the lesser famous song, In The Bleak Midwinter. Even though the song, an old English Christmas carol, has been around for more than a century, I wasn’t familiar with it until James Taylor did the song.
If you’re not that familiar with James Taylor, you may be a millennial or a citizen of Planet Gen Z. 🙂 Either way, if you appreciate quality music and craftsmanship in the arts, he would be worth your exploration in the coming year. Or maybe start now. From a purely commercial point of reference, James Taylor has sold over 100 million albums throughout his career and has earned 40 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards, multiple Grammy Awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame.
But more than record selling success, he has gone the distance for 50+ years of quality music. His commitment to excellence in music production and song writing is unparalleled. I hope these few simple words will stimulate you to check out his earlier work, dating back to the Beatles, who discovered him and gave him his start on Apple Records in the 60s. Many great albums and decades later, he still fills venues, including the Hollywood Bowl where I saw him a couple of years ago. One can hear a pin drop during the pauses between carefully crafted lyrics. It is art in musical form. Add that to Christmas music, and you have defined the word Merry.
James Taylor at Christmas is the seventeenth studio and second Christmas album by singer-songwriter James Taylor, released by Columbia Records in 2006. It was his last release for Columbia since signing with them in 1977.
The album is essentially a reissue (with a new title and slightly altered track listing) of James Taylor: A Christmas Album, a limited edition title distributed by Hallmark Cards in 2004. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas originally issued on Taylor's October Road in 2002, and River were not included on the original Hallmark release. Additionally, the original album featured a version of Deck the Halls which is not on the standard Columbia CD. (The Barnes & Noble chain, however, issued a version of the new title with Deck the Halls included as a bonus track.)
The album was reissued on the UMe label in 2012, with the addition of two tracks. One of them, Mon Beau Sapin(a French translation of O Christmas Tree), is a new recording and is only available on this album. The other track new to the collection is a version of George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun by Taylor and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, which originally appeared on Ma's 2008 holiday album Songs of Joy and Peace.
The album was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Album at the 50th Grammy Awards.
Well now you have my challenge to join me as a fan of this singer-songwriter, beginning I hope with In The Bleak Midwinter. You will be blessed by the experience of this historic poem and carol, executed with perfection.
In The Bleak Midwinter is such a great song.
Enjoy listening to James Taylor.
Here are a few of his tracks from Spotify, as well as a video or two or five to enjoy:
First, James Taylor on Spotify:
In The Bleak Midwinter, by James Taylor:
James Taylor at Christmas (Album), by James Taylor:
A few James Taylor Christmas music videos:
Here is a live performance at Rockefeller Center of Winter Wonderland performed by James Taylor:
Here is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, by James Taylor, live on The Today Show:
Here is Jingle Bells, by JT, in full blues style:
Here is a brief discussion by him of In The Bleak Midwinter, where he first heard it and his appreciation for the historic song:
Here is a sort of slideshow of James Taylor to the audio of In The Bleak Midwinter, (there isn’t available a live performance of the song, at least not on YouTube):
——————————————————————————
Full Lyrics
In The Bleak Midwinter
James Taylor
In the bleak midwinter
Icy wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
Snow on snow had fallen
Snow on snow on snow
In the bleak midwinter, long and long ago
Angels and archangels
May have gathered there
Cherubim and seraphim rising in the air
Oh, but only Mary, in her maiden bliss
Worshipped the beloved with a mother's kiss
Heaven cannot hold Him, nor can earth sustain
Heaven and earth shall fall away when He comes to reign
What then can I give Him, empty as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb
If I were a Wise Man, I would know my part
What then can I give Him?
I must give my heart
Source: Musixmatch
In The Bleak Midwinter
