MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING

WHICH VERSION DO YOU LIKE BETTER OF MERRY Christmas Darling


  • Total voters
    22
  • Poll closed .
We may have talked about this before but when Karen and Richard decided to re-record Karen's vocals on the 78 version of MCD...whose decision would it have been for Karen to change the embellishment of ...a "special" one for you...would this have been Karen's decision or Richard's? Was it Richard that said I want to change that to make it sound like this and Karen agreed or was it Karen that said I don't want to sing it like the 70 version at this phrase...these are little things that peak my interest.
 
We may have talked about this before but when Karen and Richard decided to re-record Karen's vocals on the 78 version of MCD...whose decision would it have been for Karen to change the embellishment of ...a "special" one for you...would this have been Karen's decision or Richard's? Was it Richard that said I want to change that to make it sound like this and Karen agreed or was it Karen that said I don't want to sing it like the 70 version at this phrase...these are little things that peak my interest.

In this instance I think it was definitely Karen who wanted to make that conscious change of that word and general sentiment of this recording. Richard never thought anything was wrong with the original but as Karen's voice developed she didn't like her less polished vocal and was happy to redo it with her matured voice.
 
In this instance I think it was definitely Karen who wanted to make that conscious change of that word and general sentiment of this recording. Richard never thought anything was wrong with the original but as Karen's voice developed she didn't like her less polished vocal and was happy to redo it with her matured voice.
The consummate perfectionist just like her brother.
 
I hadn't heard anything about it and I didn't know if it was because its not getting much hype it seems beyond the fan base.
Facebook seems to be buzzing a little about it. Maybe that's just among my mother's baby boomer friends though. Lol
 
Just looking at smooth radio Poll!!!!

1
Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling

2
Wham! - Last Christmas

3
George Michael - December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas)

4
Cliff Richard - Mistletoe and Wine

5
Kelly Clarkson - Underneath the Tree

6
Band Aid - Do They Know it's Christmas
 
I'm always amazed each year just how Karen's vocals differ from each other. I know it's always talked about at length, but I think it's also demonstrative of the tonal variety shadings her voice was capable of, even many prefer one to the other. One is filled with a spirit of yearning, the other sounds like she's rather content and satisfied despite the lyric.
 
I have always been a big fan of the 1970 single version, and I still am today. However, this new version with RPO is absolutely awesome! Karen’s never sounded as good as she does on the new remix and she’s right upfront where she should be. 1978 was a fantastic year for Karen’s vocal chords. I’ve got a whole new appreciation for the 1978 vocal performance.
 
I like the new version but it's almost too sweet, squeezes even more feeling out of the original intentions of the song/lyric.
 
The latest e-mail from MeTV includes a link to the following: "These were the best-selling Christmas albums of the 1970s" (These were the best-selling Christmas albums of the 1970s ). Front and center in the photo collage of 70s Christmas albums is 1978's Christmas Portrait. Special mention is given to "Merry Christmas Darling" as "arguably the definitive Christmas song of the decade."

Here is the complete accompanying text:

"With a Norman Rockwell homage on the album cover, the Carpenters were aiming squarely for warm and fuzzy nostalgia on their Christmas album. Heck, by 1978, everyone (including Karen and Richard) was already nostalgic for the Carpenters' Christmas classic "Merry Christmas Darling." The single first went to No. 1 on the Christmas charts in 1970, the year of its release, and peaked again in '71 and '73. It was re-released in '74 and '77, and a new version of the noel was included on this album. It is arguably the definitive Christmas song of the decade."​
 
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