Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an America… Read Full Bio ↴Aaron Neville (born January 24, 1941, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He made his debut in 1966 with the hit single Tell It Like It Is, a Number One hit on the Billboard R&B charts. From 1977 he performed as part of The Neville Brothers with his siblings, Art Neville, Charles Neville, Cyril Neville & Ivan Neville.

Neville charted again, in 1989, when he collaborated with Linda Ronstadt on three consecutive duets: Don't Know Much, All My Life, and When Something Is Wrong with My Baby, the first two reached Number One on the Adult Contemporary charts. Neville has released more than 20 singles, including three Number Ones on the Adult Contemporary format, and a fourth on the R&B format.

His other hits have included Everybody Plays the Fool, his successful 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; Don't Take Away My Heaven, Hercules and Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song). Neville's biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where "Don't Know Much," "All My Life," and "Everybody Plays the Fool" all reached Number One.

Aaron signed to SonyBMG's new Burgundy Records label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and others for Bring It On Home...The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, Chris Botti, David Sanborn, Art Neville, and others. The album's first single was a remake of The Impressions' 1963 classic It's All Right.

On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless. He sang Stand By Me" and Ain't No Sunshine, from his album, Bring It on Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album of his hits.

http://www.aaronneville.com

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Aaron Neville Lyrics

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It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old
From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heaven's all gracious king
The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing

Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurl
And still their heavenly music floats, O'er all the weary world.
Above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing

And ever o'er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing
Blessed angels sing

O ye, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low
Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow
Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing

O rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing
And hear the angels sing

Overall Meaning

"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is a Christmas carol that was written in 1849 by Edmund Sears, a Unitarian pastor from Massachusetts, U.S.A. The song starts off by saying how angels came down in the middle of the night and played a beautiful, old song on their golden harps that praises and spreads peace and goodwill to all mankind from heaven's king. The world stopped and listened in solemn stillness to hear the angels sing the song. The lyrics convey a feeling of peace, love, and hope that is characteristic of the Christmas season.

The second stanza talks about how the angels are still visiting the world with their peaceful wings despite the world's problems and busy, noisy sounds. Their heavenly music still resonates over the earth's plains and can be heard by everyone. The angels sing a blessed song to remind us of the hope and peace that can be found in the world during challenging times. The third stanza speaks directly to those who may be struggling with life's hardships, urging them to look towards happier times that will come on swiftly through the help of the angels. They are encouraged to rest along the journey and listen to the angels sing, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggles.

Overall, "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is a song that paints a picture of a peaceful and hopeful world in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. It reminds us of the power of music and how it can bring people together and bring comfort during difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old
The beautiful song of old arrived in the peaceful midnight time.

From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold
The angels came closer to the earth to play their heavenly harps made of gold.

Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heaven's all gracious king
Heaven's gracious king sent a message of goodwill and peace to all the people on earth.

The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing
The entire world was quiet and peaceful to listen to the angels singing.

Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurl
The angels still come through the open skies with their peaceful wings spread out.

And still their heavenly music floats, O'er all the weary world.
Their wonderful music still spreads over the entire world, giving relief to the tired souls.

Above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing
They fly above the plain lands full of sorrow and poverty, spreading hope with their hovering wings.

And ever o'er its Babel sounds the blessed angels sing Blessed angels sing
And the angels continue singing their blessed song that rises above the chaos and noise of the world.

O ye, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low
Oh, you, who are burdened and bowed down by the struggles of life,

Who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow
You who walk the difficult path with slow and uncomfortable steps,

Look now for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing
Take a moment to look ahead, for happy and precious hours are coming fast.

O rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing And hear the angels sing
Take a break by the tired road and listen to the angels sing, comforting your heart and soul.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: LEE EVANS, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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