GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMAN

NAT KING COLE
SONGWRITER: DAVID WILCOCKS
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS
LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 1960
 
        Nathaniel Adams Coles(March 17, 1919–February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. He recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts. His trio was the model for small jazz ensembles that followed. Cole also acted in films and on television and performed on Broadway. He was the first African-American man to host an American television series. He was the father of singer-songwriter Natalie Cole(1950–2015).
   "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection(iii. 452), and is listed as nº 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Tidings of Comfort and Joy", and by other variant incipits.
       The Magic of Christmas is a 1960 album by Nat King Cole, arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael.
      This was Cole's only complete album of Christmas songs, although he had recorded several holiday singles earlier in his career. One of these, "The Christmas Song", originally recorded in 1946, was re-recorded for the 1961 album The Nat King Cole Story
          It is the best-selling Christmas album released in the 1960s, and was certified by the RIAA for shipments of 6 million copies in the U.S. The 1963 version reached number 1 on Billboard's Christmas Albums chart and remained for two weeks.

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ our Savior was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
From God our Heavenly Father a blessed Angel came
And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same
How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
 
Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place
And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas all other doth deface
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.

SILVER BELLS

DEAN MARTIN
SONGWRITERS: RAY EVANS & JAY LIVINGSTON
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: THE DEAN MARTIN CHRISTMAS ALBUM
LABEL: REPRISE RECORDS
GENRE: CHRISTMAS MUSIC
YEAR: 1966
 
         Dean Martin(born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian of Italian descent. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool." Martin gained his career breakthrough together with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis, in 1946. They performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television and in films.
   Following an acrimonious ending of the partnership in 1956, Martin pursued a solo career as a performer and actor. Martin established himself as a singer, recording numerous contemporary songs as well as standards from the Great American Songbook. He became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas and was known for his friendship with fellow artists Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who together with several others formed the Rat Pack.
     Starting in 1965, Martin was the host of the television variety program The Dean Martin Show, which centered on Martin's singing and comedic talents and was characterized by his relaxed, easy-going demeanor. From 1974 to 1984, he was roastmaster on the popular Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which drew celebrities, comedians and politicians. Throughout his career, Martin performed in concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings and appeared in 85 film and television productions.
        His best known songs include "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?", "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", and "Volare".
         The Dean Martin Christmas Album is a 1966 studio album by Dean Martin arranged by Ernie Freeman and Bill Justis.
        This was Martin's only album of Christmas music released on Reprise Records (his only other Christmas album, A Winter Romance, having been released in 1959 on Capitol Records). It was reissued on CD by Hip-O Records in 2008, retitled A Very Cool Christmas.
    Ricci James Martin, Martin's son, wrote in a biography of his father that The Dean Martin Christmas Album was the only one of his father's albums that was played in the Martin household, his parents seldom listening to Dean Martin's music.
   This was the fourth of five albums Martin released in 1966. Billboard magazine reported in its December 3, 1966 issue that The Dean Martin Christmas Album was on top of its "Best Bets for Christmas" chart.
         The release of The Dean Martin Christmas Album in October and The Dean Martin TV Show in November 1966 were accompanied by what Billboard described as a "merchandising avalanche" by Reprise Records and their parent company Warner Music. Billboard described Martin as running the "hottest streak of his career", and said that Reprise planned to sell $4 million of his records over the Christmas sales period. Billboard later reported that Martin had sold 850,000 albums in December 1966.
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughin', people passin', meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
 
Silver bells (silver bells)
Silver bells (silver bells)
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
(Ring-a-ling)
Hear them ring
(Hear them ring)
Soon it'll be Christmas Day
 
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
(Hear the snow crush, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene)
And above all this bustle you hear
silver bells
(Silver bells) silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling
(Ring-a-ling)
Hear them ring
(Hear them ring)
Soon it'll be Christmas day.

BALLADE POUR ADELINE

RICHARD CLAYDERMAN/PIANO
COMPOSITEUR: PAUL DE SENEVILLE
PAYS: FRANCE
ALBUM: BALLADE POUR ADELINE
RECORD: TELEFUNKEN
GENRE: NEW AGE/INSTRUMENT
ANNÉE: 1977
 
       Richard Clayderman, né Philippe Pagès le 28 décembre 1953 à Paris, est un pianiste français. Il a vendu à ce jour plus de 90 millions de disques, incluant les compositions de Paul de Senneville et de Marc Minier. Il a donné plus de 2.000 concerts dans le monde et a reçu plus de 340 disques d'or et de platine.
           Fils d'un professeur d'accordéon de l'école de musique de Romainville, Philippe Pagès commence l'étude du piano à l'âge de six ans dans la classe de madame Liévens, apprenant le solfège avec Robert Liévens, directeur de l'école et professeur de violoncelle, avant d'être admis au Conservatoire de Paris à 12 ans. À la sortie de ce dernier, il travaille comme accompagnateur et musicien de scène. Sa vie prend un nouveau tournant avec la publication en 1976 d'um 45 tours intitulé Ballade pour Adeline, composé par le producteur Paul de Senneville: ce titre, avec une mélodie simple, devient en effet un succès mondial, avec plus de 22 millions de disques vendus dans 38 pays. Depuis, Clayderman a enregistré plus de 1.600 titres et demeure au fil des années l'un des artistes français les plus populaires à travers le monde, avec des ventes estimées à plus de 90 millions de disques. Au sommet de sa carrière, il a produit jusqu'à 200 concerts en 250 jours.
           En 1997, grâce à plus de 1.500 concerts, il a déjà reçu quelque 61 disques de platine et 251 disques d'or.
    Ballade pour Adeline1 est une composition instrumentale de Paul de Senneville. Sur une mélodie relativement simple, elle est interprétée au piano par Richard Clayderman en 1977 et connait un important succès commercial international.
           À l'issue d'une audition, Richard Clayderman est choisi pour interpréter la ballade qui sera vendue à plus de 22 millions d'exemplaires.
          Danielle Licari enregistra une version chantée et Jean-Claude Borelly une adaptation pour trompette en 1982.

RIEN QU'UNE LARME

MIKE BRANT
COMPOSITEURES: MICHEL JOURDAN & MIKE BRANT
PAYS: ISRAEL
ALBUM: SPECIAL DISQUE D’OR
RECORD: SONOPRESS
GENRE: MUSIQUE FRANÇAISE
ANNÉE: 1976
 
          Moshé Michael Brand(en hébreu: משה מיכאל ברנד), dit Mike Brant, né dans la nuit du 1er au 2 février 1947 à Famagouste(Colonie britannique de Chypre) et mort le 25 avril 1975 à Paris (France), est un chanteur et compositeur israélien.
       C'est em France qu'il rencontre le succès, au début des années 1970, avant sa mort prématurée à l'âge de 28 ans. Ses chansons les plus connues sont Laisse-moi t'aimer(1970), C'est ma prière(1972), Qui saura(1972), Rien qu'une larme(1973), C'est comme ça que je t'aime(1974) et Dis-lui(1975). Alors qu'il chante dans une langue étrangère, Mike Brant vend dans l'Hexagone le chiffre record de 15 millions de disques en seulement cinq ans de carrière.
 
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
C'est toujours ta seule réponse
Quand je te dis qu'il vaudrait mieux
Ne plus se revoir nous deux
 
J'étais certain cette fois
Que rien ne me retiendrait
On se trompe quelques fois
Une larme a tout changé
 
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
Et soudain je réalise
Je réalise que de nous deux
C'est moi le plus malheureux
 
Par ma faute trop de fois
Mon amour tu as pleuré
J'ai voulu partir cent fois
Et cent fois je suis resté
 
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
Je comprends combien je t'aime
Je t'aime et je veux te le dire
Je veux te revoir sourire
 
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
C'est toujours ta seule réponse
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
Je veux te revoir sourire
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux
Je comprends combien je t'aime
Rien qu'une larme dans tes yeux.