Christmas
Gospel Songs
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Elvis Presley - Christmas
Gospel Songs for the Holidays
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The Christmas holidays are
almost here so it is time to start thinking of
those good old gospel tunes you want to get on cd -
or at least dust off the holiday music albums you
have stored away in the attic!
Here is but one story about
Christmas gospel songs which express the religious
side of the "king". The admirers of Elvis Presley
often claim that he was never properly acknowledged
at the Grammy awards.
This isn't entirely
justified; He was nominated 14 times over the
course of his career, and won the award finally
three times. As much as people identify Elvis
Presley with his genre-defining rock 'n roll, pop
and blues music, Elvis had a very religious side to
his music too, perhaps from his time in church
growing up in the South.
The three wins that he
notched up at the Grammies were all for his gospel
singing. Elvis’ Christmas Album was released
in 1957; while most grown-ups at the time had
trouble with Elvis, this album was a universal hit
both critically and commercially, inside and
outside the circle of people interested in Elvis or
in Christmas gospel songs.
Redoing Great Christmas
Gospel Songs -
When it was first released,
Elvis was best known for his explosive and somewhat
provocative stage performances. The thought of such
a popular rock 'n roll icon singing a devotional
White Christmas really got peoples goats.
Apparently Irving Berlin even
put out an appeal to broadcasters not to support
this album. But Elvis had a religious upbringing on
gospel music and his performances were always
restrained, tasteful and in keeping with the sacred
nature of this music. One of the greatest Christmas
songs on this record is Santa Claus is Back in
Town, and has become a great Christian Christmas
mainstay.
Holidays and Blues
Music
White Christmas, Elvis style,
has a rhythm and blues arrangement. It is often
noted there is such close attention in evidence
here paid to recording values. The song I'll be
Home for Christmas is a perennial favorite.
The song has a bare
minimalist arrangement that brings Elvis’
clear and expressive voice to the fore as it is
seen nowhere else. As an album of Christmas gospel
songs, this album has special tracks towards the
end, Peace in the Valley, Take My Hand Precious
Lord and It’s No Secret (What God Can Do).
The voice, the overall
dignity present in the immaculate presentation, is
peerless. There is humility in the voice in a way
that befits a devotional venture, seen in Take my
Hand Precious Lord. There are flashes of Elvis'
interest in country music too in places, though
there is a visible pop inspiration brought in for
It's no Secret.
People often stop short of
calling this an album of Christmas gospel songs,
seeing that most of the songs that belong to that
genre only appear towards the end. But the
character of this album comes mainly from the songs
at the end, so beautiful are they.
To anyone who listens to this
album today it brings back an era of purity and
musical greatness. If you give it time, this album
certainly is a Christmas staple; but for people who
find that voice voice from the past, Elvis Presley,
really speaks to them, it is just as well an
year-round favorite.
So, get out the music and get
into the Christmas spirit with this and other tunes
for the holidays. Afterthought, you can even give
some of these albums or cd's as gifts if you
like!
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