"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of the Christmas holiday. It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Songwriting
Regney wrote the lyrics for the song, while Shayne composed the 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."
How Do You Hear Video
Recordings and versions
Original recordings
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" was released shortly after Thanksgiving in 1962. The song was originally recorded for Mercury Records by the Harry Simeone Chorale, a group which had also popularized "The Little Drummer Boy"; and it was released as part of the album "The Wonderful Songs Of Christmas With The Harry Simeone Chorale". As a 45 rpm single, 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, and has been available on numerous compilation Christmas albums and compact discs put out by Capitol Records.
Cover versions
The song was later recorded in diverse ways by hundreds of artists including:
Use in a medley with other songs
- Bobby Lloyd & The Skeletons (1990 - Christmas Party with Eddie G.)(performed as a medley with the rock classic "You Really Got Me")
- Vanessa Williams (1996 - Star Bright) (performed in a medley with "Little Drummer Boy")
- Moya Brennan (2005 - An Irish Christmas) (in medley with "Don oiche...")
Regney said that his favorite version of the song was performed by Robert Goulet: as The New York Times noted, when the singer came to the line "pray for peace, people everywhere," he "almost shouted the words."
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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