One of my all-time favourite Christmas carols is “Ça Bergers”. (Most of my favourite carols are French, since I came up in a French immersion school. It makes it hard to find them, living as I do in a predominantly English part of Manitoba. Oh well.)
Every year I look it up on YouTube. The first year, there was one version, not a great one. It sounded like it’d been recorded in a high-school gym onto cassette, and probably was.
This year: There are plenty of choices. Here are a couple for you. (Well, for me.)
For those that didn’t care for yesterday’s Giger delights, I offer this.
When I was a kid, we had this song (along with the other two Snoopy vs. the Red Baron tunes, and a bunch of Royal Guardsmen songs on the B‑side) on an LP with a pink cardboard sleeve. I must have come pretty close to wearing the record out over the years.
I actually still have the record (thanks, Mom!) but a) I don’t have a record player and b) it’s pretty badly warped now, so the last time I tried to listen to it, it sped up and slowed down to a degree comparable to the songs they play on Lip Sync Battle.
Fun fact: As a kid I assumed the sound effect on the line “The Baron then offered / A holiday toast” was a toaster popping out toast. Now I know it’s a champagne cork. Ah, youth.
When I went to see Les Claypool when he played Winnipeg, I was pretty thrilled when he opened with this little ditty. It’s long been a favourite of mine. I hope you enjoy it too.
Faith No More put out a new album earlier this year, their first release in 18 years. Because I’m old, I bought the CD. Here’s a live version of the first track, “Sol Invictus” (which is also the title of the album). It’s a quiet meditation on the loss of faith.
I believe in something, I think — for some reason that line really gets me.
Also, for those looking for something a bit louder and more aggressive, well, the new album has you covered, too.
- 1 -
De bon matin j’ai rencontré le train
De trois grands rois qui allaient en voyage
De bon matin j’ai rencontré le train
De trois grands rois dessus le grand chemin.
Venaient d’abord les gardes du corps
Des gens armés avec trente petits pages
Venaient d’abord les gardes du corps
Des gens armés dessus leur justaucorps
- 2 -
Puis sur un char doré de toutes parts
On voit trois rois modestes comme d’anges
Puis sur un char doré de toutes parts
Trois rois debout parmi les étendards.
L’étoile luit et les rois conduit
Par longs chemins devant une pauvre étable
L’étoile luit et les rois conduit
Par longs chemins devant l’humble réduit.
- 3 -
Au Fils de Dieu qui naquit en ce lieu
Ils viennent tous présenter leurs hommages
Au Fils de Dieu qui naquit en ce lieu
Ils viennent tous présenter leurs doux voeux.
De beaux présents: or, myrrhe et encens
Ils vont offrir au Maître tant admirable
De beaux présents: or, myrrhe et encens
Ils vont offrir au bienheureux Enfant.
On the way home from Christmas celebrations, we* were listening to CBC. They played a French Christmas concert, featuring “Le marche des rois” (above), as well as my favourite carol in either language, “Ça bergers, assemblons-nous”.
Hope everyone had a merry Christmas.
* Well, one of us was listening, and one of us was sleeping.
It opens with a headlong rolling bassline. Then a piano starts to tinkle overtop of the bass.
Here it is again it’s so so mad
Turning young and happy into old and sad
Here it is again just passed by chance
All the way to the lawyer from a sloppy dance
It was another holiday argument
But she threw him into the sea
A glass bottomed boat pulled him up
His face was rotting in weed
It was rotting in weed, I’ve seen those people bleed
If it never happens well it happened to me
Do you know who you love
Does anybody here have a clue
Just who they’re with
And it was glance by glance
And it was blow by blow
Did they know
Just who they loved
At some point the strings come in. I’m never sure if they’re there before I notice them, or if they’re just inserted so smoothly that I don’t notice when it happens.
Here it is again in the same disguise
Clean shoes, smart tie and deep blue eyes
Here it is again and it makes you sick
Watch the blind man walk along without a stick
Heads he was a beautiful lover
Tails he was definitely bad
Heads you’re like no other
Tails just the best he’d had
You’re the best he’s had
You’re the best so far
All the way to the church from the back of a car
The voice is husky and charming, but there’s a sense of urgency to it. You’re never sure if it’s fear or anger or sorrow driving the words. You just know that you need the song to go on longer. Maybe forever.
Do you know who you love
Does anybody here have a clue
Just who they’re with
And it was glance by glance
And it was blow by blow
Did they know
Just who they loved
Just who they loved
Just who they loved
Just who they loved
Just who they loved
And then you press rewind and listen to it again, so loud that the bass threatens to destroy your cheap car speakers. Let ’em go. What a way for them to die.
Then you see the girl in the next car, giving you a funny look because she’s caught you singing along. Oh well.