Song Lyric Sunday: Advent Countdown 8 🥂

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Something a little different today from the way I usually do Song Lyric Sunday. Jim kindly agreed to give today the theme of ‘Anything Christmas,’ as he describes in his post, and it feels right for me to include this as part of my Advent Countdown series. As my title says, this is episode eight of that, and will be followed by the final part tomorrow: yes, I’ll be here on Christmas Day if you feel like dropping in! The change is that I’m going against the rules for SLS and not sharing the song lyrics, but two of these are lyric videos so I’m offering those in my defence! I’m giving you four songs today, using the extra space that I’ve created by not including the lyrics, and I’m expecting that, unless you have been following me long enough to have seen these here before, only one of them will be familiar to you. But I like them all, so here you go…

First up is one that can only really be played with any meaning today:

That is so utterly beautiful and charming, and I never tire of it. Tomorrow Is Christmas Day was on Snowed In, a five track EP that Mindy Smith released in 2013, comprising a couple of self-penned songs and some Christmas/New Year standards. Anyone who has ever been a parent can relate to this so much – it certainly brings back happy memories for me of the days when my two daughters were little and Christmas was a time of magic.

Regular readers of my blog may well recall that I am a big fan of a Russian folk band called Otava Yo. For something a little different from the norm here on SLS, how about one of their Christmas offerings? If the English subtitles aren’t visible, just click the ‘CC’ symbol on the video:

That is such a joyous sound that I couldn’t resist it! Otava Yo are those in the front and back, accompanied by the singers of the choral group Vasilisa, who add their own special charm. Otava Yo have been a big find for me over the past three years or so: I have yet to find a video of theirs I didn’t like, and even without subtitles they produce beauty and happiness in their music – what more could you want? This song, if you hadn’t realised, is entitled The Day Christ Was Born, and is a great way to celebrate Christmas.

Another song which is perfect for today is this one:

Christmas Eve was originally released by Blackmore’s Night in 2006 on their Winter Carols album. The album has undergone three reissues with various additions, culminating in 2021’s bumper 27 track version. This song was a revised version, originally issued as a single alongside the 2013 album: the video they made especially for that reissue has been removed due to a copyright issue, but this new one was published two weeks ago to replace it. I think it is lovely. For those who don’t know, the band is led by Ritchie Blackmore and his wife, Candice Night – it’s a long way from his Deep Purple days, isn’t it!

I’m closing with another song that is a good fit for today:

This is one I play most years but it is only the second time for this video, which was released in December 2022: I think it complements the song perfectly. Christmas Must Be Tonight was originally recorded in 1975 for inclusion on The Band’s Northern Lights – Southern Cross album, but was left off the final release. It finally appeared on their 1977 album Islands, which was a contractual obligation album of unreleased material for Capitol Records, before their Last Waltz triple album came out on Warner Bros. It was the final album with their original line up, so there is a touch of poignancy about this one, which is a lovely narration of the Nativity story, from the perspective of a shepherd watching his flock. The song was written by Robbie Robertson, who died in August of this year: I wrote a tribute post to him at the time, and this is another reminder of what a good songwriter he was.

That’s all for today, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this rather eclectic mix. If so, please join me again tomorrow, when I’ll be bringing my Advent Countdown to a close with some special songs for the big day. Until then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and don’t forget to put your stockings out for Santa 🎅

38 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: Advent Countdown 8 🥂”

    • The only one I thought people would know is The Band, but it seems that one passed you by! Glad you liked them, even if there were no standouts.

      Another eclectic mix coming up tomorrow and I confidently predict that you will know at least one of them, maybe even two if I’m lucky 😊

      Have a lovely evening 🎅

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      • Methinks a lot of music passed me by, my friend. For a number of years, I was going to grad school and working 3 jobs to support my 3 children, so I missed out on a lot in the way of music during that time. I have visited today’s (well, yesterday’s now) and enjoyed it very much! I did know only one, but liked them all!

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  8. Very far from Deep Purple LOL! But still a good song. I’ve never heard of Otava Yo before but by the 15 second mark I knew this was a group I’d be listening to more of. That was a great song! I agree about Robbie Robertson’s songwriting and I’ll just add that I think Rick Danko’s vocals were always amazing. Even though it was their last ‘real’ album, I never got into it as much as their earlier albums.

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    • I rather like this current version – they make very pleasant music.

      I’m glad you enjoyed Otava Yo. This is typical of them: a good tune, well played, with doses of humour. If you’re looking for more, try their fun side with their song Street Cleaner – a great video.

      I agree on Rick Danko’s vocals too – they made some great albums!

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  9. This is the first time that I ever clicked on the ‘CC’ symbol in any video that I ever watched, thanks for explaining that Clive. I loved all of the music that you selected, and the Blackmore’s Night video was really cool to watch. I am looking forward to reading and listening to your Advent Countdown closer tomorrow, Clive. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

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