As I mentioned in Part 4 I am adding in an extra set of tunes, as there are so many still to play and I know I’ll run out of time! One thing that I try to do every year is to include a few more serious songs in the mix, and it seems a good idea to do them all in one set, to build their own little theme. These have all been played here before – in fact, I played the same set last year – but they are songs with meanings and messages that we shouldn’t forget in the midst of the headlong rush towards the big day of celebrations, which is why I’m playing them again. It is an added bonus for me that I like them all, too, and they also give me the opportunity to play a couple that were chart hits, for those who might like something more familiar.

Today’s first song is one that I expect just about everyone will know:

That reached #4 in the UK in December 1972, when it was first released, though its best rating was #2 in 1980, and it was a hit single in many other countries. It had previously been released in 1971 in the US, and has charted there on several occasions, as indeed it has here too. It is currently at #38, keeping a run going of reappearances since 2007.

This next one is seen as a novelty hit, but it carries a serious message under its jaunty little tune:

That wasn’t a US hit, but it reached #3 here in 1980, and was a big chart hit in Australia, New Zealand, and in many European countries. It is a regular Christmas favourite here, and has reached our charts a further ten times since its original release, including this year – back in this week at #87. I’m guessing that it will be new to most American readers, though, apart from those of you who may remember it from my playing it before. There is a kind of odd link between these first two songs: for one of the five weeks he spent at #3 Jona Lewie was held off the #1 spot here by two John Lennon songs, which hit the top again after he was murdered on 8 December of that year – one of them being Happy Xmas (War Is Over), the other was Imagine. Fifty two years on since the Lennon one was first released here and forty four years for Lewie there is, sadly, still a relevance to both of these which we shouldn’t ever forget, even at a time of celebration. Current events in Ukraine, Gaza/Israel and elsewhere are everyday reminders.

This next one is another that carries a meaningful message, but is far from being well known – unless, again, you’ve seen it here before. When I first played this I remarked that I would imagine that many of you are familiar with the story of the unofficial truces between German and British troops on Christmas Day 2014 in WW1, during which gifts were exchanged and a game of football was played in the no-man’s land between the trenches. English readers won’t be surprised to hear that Germany won the game (without having to go to penalties), but it provided the background to a remarkable song:  

That remastered video was released in 2014, to mark the centenary both of the Christmas truces and the beginning of WW1, although the song itself dates back to 1977. Not to be confused with the New Zealand folk singer with the same name, Mike Harding will be known to some here as a radio presenter of folk and roots music programmes, but he has also had a long career as a folk singer and songwriter of some note, with a wide range of publications and TV broadcasts to his name, plus many albums. Amongst all the other strings to his bow he has also been a stand up comedian, and actually had a #22 hit here in 1975 with his song The Rochdale Cowboy. I saw him play live a couple of times at my university’s folk club – he was a regular visitor, and his shows were almost as much a collection of extremely funny anecdotes as they were of music. But he also has a sensitive side, as this song demonstrates. The video for it is as beautiful and heartfelt as the song. To complete the story, 50% of the proceeds from its 2014 re-release were shared between the Royal British Legion and the Help For Heroes charities.

Today’s two remaining songs aren’t anti-war messages, but they are both reminders of what the season may mean for us. This next one is from one of my favourite musicians: I’m not a particularly religious person, but I can appreciate that the meaning of this time of year may have become a little lost. Here’s a reminder:

The video that someone has compiled for this track is inspired. The images match perfectly with the beauty of Jackson Browne’s lyrics, which should prompt us all to consider our beliefs and our behaviours. Religion can be a wonderful support for people, but it can also be damaging and divisive. In a world which has so much division we need to heed lessons like this one. Although this was Jackson’s song it first appeared as a guest performance on The Bells Of Dublin, an album of seasonal songs released by The Chieftains in 1991 – I recommend the album highly. This song was first released under Jackson’s name as a single in 1997, to promote his first ‘Best Of’ album, The Next Voice You Hear: I think it is stunning.

Today’s final tune is from another of my favourites. This one is actually a retelling of the Nativity and is also accompanied by a lovely video that has been made for it by a fan:

As I said, I’m not religious but the first time I heard this was while I was driving. I had to pull over, as it isn’t really safe to drive when tears are springing to your eyes. It still has that effect on me: even more so when I first played it in 2021, as I was nervously awaiting the birth of my second granddaughter – who celebrated her third birthday last Sunday. This was the closing track on Steve Earle’s third album, Copperhead Road: I’ve always loved the album, which is probably still my favourite of his, though it has some stiff competition! The harmony vocals are from Maria McKee, formerly of the band Lone Justice, who is best known in the UK for her 1990 #1 hit Show Me Heaven. A really beautiful song to bring today’s set to a close, I think.

No ad or funny video today: as I said, this is my serious day. I hope you haven’t minded my taking a more serious side to this set of tunes – I think we should all take some occasional time out to reflect on the important things in life, especially at Christmas. I’ll see you again tomorrow for the regular Song Lyric Sunday date, so take care until then. I’ll just leave you with this thought: