December 4, 2023 • 4 mins
On this episode of Christmas Merry and Bright, Raymond Arroyo, an award-winning broadcaster, New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed vocalist, unveils the hidden backstory of "Deck The Halls", it's 16th century Welsh origins and how it actually had nothing to do with Christmas.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Raymond Arroyo. This year I recorded my first Christmas album,
Christmas Mary and Bright, which inspired this special presentation. I
call it Christmas Mary and Bright Played Backstories, because throughout
the show, I'll reveal the origins the backstories of some
(00:20):
of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. Like me,
you probably have taken these tunes for granted. Well we're
going to clear that up in the course of the show.
Along with many of you, I love Christmas music. I
listened to it year round. Why well, first of all,
these songs make you feel warm and cozy, and they
(00:40):
have real power. You see, these songs are eternal. They're
at once in the past, the present, and the future.
Our great grandparents sang them, we sing them, and our
children's children will be singing them. Few genres can boast
that kind of timelessness. And what do we really know
(01:00):
about these songs? Well, that's why we're together. When I
was preparing my album Christmas Marrion Bright, I collected all
these lyrics and did my own research into each song,
who wrote them, what was the context they were written in,
and what have we missed or lost over the years.
And I have to tell you I was stunned by
(01:22):
what I discovered. Many of these Yule Tide tunes are
not what you imagine. We use that knowledge to shape
all new arrangements and my vocals on the album. I'll
share some of what I found, which I think is
going to surprise you, and we'll also explore other Christmas
favorites and talk to some of the legendary voices of
(01:43):
Christmas Jose Feliciano and Amy Grant. Along the way. I
hope you'll be reminded of the wonder of the season,
the fun, the joy, even the bittersweet moments of Christmas,
and why this season of love continues to move each
of us every year. After this, I make you this promise,
(02:05):
you will never hear these Christmas classics in quite the
same way again. Let's start with the granddaddy of Christmas songs,
Deck the Halls. It is based on a sixteenth century
Welch song called Noss Gollen. I know I didn't know
what it meant either. It means New Year's Eve. It
(02:26):
was sung around a fire, thus the see the blazing
Yule before us. The locals would warm themselves while having
a singing competition. Different people would take turns singing the verse,
and others would repeat the memorable and you know the chorus,
fa la la la la la la la la. Incidentally,
the original Welsh lyrics have nothing to do with Christmas.
(02:50):
It's actually about welcoming the new year by kissing a
girl in a field of clover. The opening line was,
oh how soft my fair ones? Well, I guess I
shouldn't go on. You can imagine what the fair one
body part was soft. But in eighteen sixty two Thomas
Oliphant wrote new family friendly lyrics, giving it a Christmas flavor. Still,
(03:13):
Oliphant gave us one of the great lines of Christmas,
tis the season, and it is did you catch the line? Fast? Away?
The Old year passes? Deck the holes is still a
New Year's song, which has become something of a Christmas staple.
Time and familiarity made it so despite the clear New
(03:36):
Year's references, this is really my favorite time of year.
When else can you hear bells ringing on every corner,
children singing carols, and adults slugging each other over sales bins.
It doesn't happen except this time of year. But that's
not what we're doing today. I promise we are delving
into what I consider one of the most beautiful and
(03:58):
evocative parts of the season, which is this rich canon
of Christmas music that I think not only carries us
into the season, but transports us back to our childhoods
and really warm memories and hopefully wonderful ones when we return.
(04:19):
We're going to share the surprising backstories of some classic
Christmas tunes. They are not what you imagine. I'll tell
you the story behind jingle Bells, which for anybody who
sung jingle Bells, for anybody who's listened to it, particularly
with choirs of children, beware of that you are not
going to believe the origins of this story and what
it's really about. And we'll also talk to our pal
(04:41):
Jose Feliciano and the Great Amy Grant. I'm Raymond Arroyo. Christmas,
Mary and Bright play Backstories continues in a moment
I'm Raymond Arroyo. This year I recorded my first Christmas album,
Christmas Mary and Bright, which inspired this special presentation. I
call it Christmas Mary and Bright Played Backstories, because throughout
the show, I'll reveal the origins the backstories of some
(00:20):
of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time. Like me,
you probably have taken these tunes for granted. Well we're
going to clear that up in the course of the show.
Along with many of you, I love Christmas music. I
listened to it year round. Why well, first of all,
these songs make you feel warm and cozy, and they
(00:40):
have real power. You see, these songs are eternal. They're
at once in the past, the present, and the future.
Our great grandparents sang them, we sing them, and our
children's children will be singing them. Few genres can boast
that kind of timelessness. And what do we really know
(01:00):
about these songs? Well, that's why we're together. When I
was preparing my album Christmas Marrion Bright, I collected all
these lyrics and did my own research into each song,
who wrote them, what was the context they were written in,
and what have we missed or lost over the years.
And I have to tell you I was stunned by
(01:22):
what I discovered. Many of these Yule Tide tunes are
not what you imagine. We use that knowledge to shape
all new arrangements and my vocals on the album. I'll
share some of what I found, which I think is
going to surprise you, and we'll also explore other Christmas
favorites and talk to some of the legendary voices of
(01:43):
Christmas Jose Feliciano and Amy Grant. Along the way. I
hope you'll be reminded of the wonder of the season,
the fun, the joy, even the bittersweet moments of Christmas,
and why this season of love continues to move each
of us every year. After this, I make you this promise,
(02:05):
you will never hear these Christmas classics in quite the
same way again. Let's start with the granddaddy of Christmas songs,
Deck the Halls. It is based on a sixteenth century
Welch song called Noss Gollen. I know I didn't know
what it meant either. It means New Year's Eve. It
(02:26):
was sung around a fire, thus the see the blazing
Yule before us. The locals would warm themselves while having
a singing competition. Different people would take turns singing the verse,
and others would repeat the memorable and you know the chorus,
fa la la la la la la la la. Incidentally,
the original Welsh lyrics have nothing to do with Christmas.
(02:50):
It's actually about welcoming the new year by kissing a
girl in a field of clover. The opening line was,
oh how soft my fair ones? Well, I guess I
shouldn't go on. You can imagine what the fair one
body part was soft. But in eighteen sixty two Thomas
Oliphant wrote new family friendly lyrics, giving it a Christmas flavor. Still,
(03:13):
Oliphant gave us one of the great lines of Christmas,
tis the season, and it is did you catch the line? Fast? Away?
The Old year passes? Deck the holes is still a
New Year's song, which has become something of a Christmas staple.
Time and familiarity made it so despite the clear New
(03:36):
Year's references, this is really my favorite time of year.
When else can you hear bells ringing on every corner,
children singing carols, and adults slugging each other over sales bins.
It doesn't happen except this time of year. But that's
not what we're doing today. I promise we are delving
into what I consider one of the most beautiful and
(03:58):
evocative parts of the season, which is this rich canon
of Christmas music that I think not only carries us
into the season, but transports us back to our childhoods
and really warm memories and hopefully wonderful ones when we return.
(04:19):
We're going to share the surprising backstories of some classic
Christmas tunes. They are not what you imagine. I'll tell
you the story behind jingle Bells, which for anybody who
sung jingle Bells, for anybody who's listened to it, particularly
with choirs of children, beware of that you are not
going to believe the origins of this story and what
it's really about. And we'll also talk to our pal
(04:41):
Jose Feliciano and the Great Amy Grant. I'm Raymond Arroyo. Christmas,
Mary and Bright play Backstories continues in a moment
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