Merle Haggard Celebrates The Holidays With 1973 “Silver Bells” Performance
When The Cowboy Sings / YouTube
It’s not Christmas without at least one round of the holidays classic “Silver Bells.”
Fortunately for us, one country version of the tune is so unforgettable that we can’t stop listening to it!
Country music legend Merle Haggard recorded his version of the song back in 1973 and included it in his Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present, a Christmas album that featured a variety of the holiday classics and brought joy to country music fans. Haggard’s album included five covers of Christmas classics, as well as five original songs, including the iconic “If We Make It Through December.”
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The other original songs on the album are “Santa Claus and Popcorn,” “Bobby Wants a Puppy Dog for Christmas,” “Daddy Won’t Be Home Again for Christmas,” and “Grandma’s Homemade Christmas Card.” The classics Haggard included were “White Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells.”
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Haggard’s performance, although simple and pure, humbly captures the feeling of the holidays in each and every note.
The calming music perfectly showcased the singer’s impressive voice and instilled a warm sense of holiday spirit into listeners.
His voice smoothly transitions to the chorus as he sings, “Silver bells, silver bells/ It’s Christmas time in the city/ Ring-a-ling/ Hear them ring/ Soon it will be Christmas day.”
“Silver Bells” was composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans in 1950.
Originally titled “Tinkle Bells,” it was inspired by the bustling holiday atmosphere in New York City. Evans once said, “We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay went home and his first wife said, ‘Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?”
Can you imagine if we all sang “Tinkle Bells”?! Bing Crosby and Carol Richards popularized the song, capturing the charm of Christmas in the city.
Listen to Haggard’s performance in the video below and get yourself in the holiday spirit!
