Perry Como - Do You Hear What I Hear? (RCA Victor Records 1968)

Details

Description

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a Christmas song written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair were married at the time, and wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists.

Noel Regney wrote the lyrics for the song, while Gloria Shayne composed the Christmas carol's music in October 1962. This was an unusual arrangement for the two writers. Usually it was Shayne who wrote the lyrics for their songs while Regney composed the music, as they did when they wrote a song based on the classic children's song "Rain Rain Go Away".

Regney was inspired to write the lyrics "Said the night wind to the little lamb, 'Do you see what I see?'" and "Pray for peace, people everywhere", after watching babies being pushed in strollers on the sidewalks of New York City. Shayne stated in an interview years later that neither could personally perform the entire song at the time they wrote it because of the emotions surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. "Our little song broke us up. You must realize there was a threat of nuclear war at the time."

The song describes how word of the birth of the baby Jesus is relayed to higher upon ever, higher authority. The message originates with the Night Wind, which whispers it to a small lamb. The lamb reports the message to his shepherd boy, who in turn conveys the news to the king. The king eventually spreads the message to the "people everywhere". In each verse, the message is slightly modified, in a similar fashion to the game of Telephone.

The song diverges from the Biblical account in one particular. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod the Great (king at the time), far from welcoming news of the child's birth, ordered Jesus killed, forcing Jesus, his mother Mary, and Joseph to flee. At the same time, it is never specified in the lyrics that Herod is meant to be the king in question, nor that the events are necessarily taking place in Judea. Also, it is never stated that the shepherds saw a star, only the magi.

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" was released shortly after Thanksgiving in 1962. The song was originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale, a group which had also popularized "The Little Drummer Boy". It went on to sell more than a quarter-million copies during the 1962 Christmas holiday season.

Bing Crosby made the song into a hit when he recorded his own version of it on October 21, 1963, with the record being released as a single on October 26. Crosby also performed the song on a Bob Hope Christmas television special on December 13 of that year. Over the years, Crosby's recording of the song has been widely played on the radio. It is perhaps the most often-heard version of the song.

Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como ( May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943.

He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multi-media star Bing Crosby.

"Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. In the official RCA Records Billboard magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see? (do you see what I see?)
Way up in the sky, little lamb
Do you see what I see (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? (do you hear what I hear?)
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
Do you hear what I hear? (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? (do you know what I know?)
In your palace warm, mighty king
Do you know what I know? (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 (said the king to the people everywhere!)
Listen to what I say (listen to what I say!)
Pray for peace, people everywhere (pray for peace, people everywhere!)
Listen to what I say (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!
Do you hear what I hear? (do you hear what I hear?)
Do you hear what I hear? (do you hear what I hear?)
Do you hear what I hear? (do you hear what I hear?)