Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends showcases a wide variety of Anne's favorite female vocalists. Among the album’s tracks and collaborating artists are "Snowbird" with Sarah Brightman, "You Needed Me" with Shania Twain, "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" with Anne’s daughter Dawn Langstroth, "Danny's Song" with Martina McBride, “Another Pot O’ Tea” with Emmylou Harris, “A Little Good News” with Indigo Girls, “Cotton Jenny" with Olivia Newton-John, “Could I Have This Dance” with Amy Grant, “Daydream Believer” with Nelly Furtado, “A Love Song” with k.d. lang, “Time Don’t Run Out On Me” with the song’s writer, Carole King, and more.
In 1979, Anne and Dusty Springfield each recorded the song "I Just Fall In Love Again." Anne's version became a hit single that garnered her Canada’s Juno Award for "Single of the Year" in 1980. Anne and Dusty remained friends until Dusty’s passing in 1999, and for Anne, releasing an album with this type of sisterly theme wouldn't seem complete without Dusty's inclusion. With the blessing of the Springfield family and estate, a new version pairing Dusty's original with Anne’s newly recorded vocals is featured on the album.
Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends was produced by one of the most respected music producers in the world, Phil Ramone (Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel), who counts 14 Grammy Awards and 32 Grammy nominations among his many honors. Together, Anne and Phil decided they would treat the songs on their own terms and not adhere rigidly to the arrangements of Anne’s classic versions. While Anne had designs on how she imagined the arrangements, she gave Phil free rein to rework the songs.
“We approached the sessions as if we were just handed these songs and told to make this record,” explains Ramone. “While arrangements were changed, there are also licks on some songs that I didn’t mess with. We stayed true to the song.”
Working with Anne for the first time, Ramone adds, was an easy task. “What I love about Anne is there are no words minced about whatever she feels,” he says. “This is not a person you have to think, ‘Will she tell me the truth?’ When we met for a few hours in Michigan before we started, we agreed we wanted to bring some daring ideas and some freshness to this album.”
“I said to Phil,” joked Anne, “The only reason I asked you was that I’m the only singer left that you haven’t worked with!”
“I’ve done duets throughout my career,” Anne says. “I did duets when I started out on (CBC Television’s) ‘Singalong Jubilee.’ I did a duets album in 1971 with Glen Campbell. Growing up I did lot of group singing at school and sang with my brothers. I’ve always loved singing harmony.”
Since releasing her debut album in 1967, Anne Murray has been honored with a spectacular number of awards. She is the proud recipient of four Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Awards, three Canadian Country Music Association Awards and twenty-four Juno Awards. Anne has also been honored with the Legacy Award from the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2006), the East Coast Music Association Directors' Special Achievement Award (2001), induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame (2002), and induction into the Juno Hall of Fame (1993).
Anne Murray will tour to several U.S. cities in February and March 2008 (confirmed tour dates listed below). For updates and additional information, visit Anne Murray’s official Website: www.annemurray.com
In 2011, Billboard ranked her 10th on their list of the 50 Biggest Adult Contemporary Artists Ever, and on July 1, 2017, in celebration of Canada’s 150th Anniversary, the Toronto Sun listed Anne at #1 in Canada’s Top 160 Influences that helped define Canadian culture!
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Anne Murray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That glorious song of old
From angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the Earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The first noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
Noel, noel, noel, noel
Born is the King of Israel
Noel, noel, noel, noel
Born is the King of Israel
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far
Noel, noel, noel, noel
Born is the King
Born is the King
Born is the King of Israel
The song "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" by Anne Murray is a classic Christmas carol that recounts the story of the angels announcing the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the fields. The first stanza describes the moment when the angels began to sing near the earth while playing their harps of gold. The second stanza reveals the message of peace on earth that the angels conveyed from "Heaven's all-gracious King" to men. The world lay in "solemn stillness" as the people stopped to listen to this celestial sound.
The refrain emphasizes the beauty of the angel's singing, and the song ends with the words of the hymn "The First Noel," which declares that a star led the shepherds to the baby Jesus, who was born the King of Israel. Overall, the lyrics of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" remind us of the wondrous story of Jesus' birth and the peace and hope that his coming brought to the world.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
A beautiful song of old came upon the peaceful night
That glorious song of old
This magnificent piece of music is from the past
From angels playing near the earth
The angels were present on earth making joyful music
To touch their harps of gold
The angels played heavenly melodies on their golden harps
Peace on the Earth could will two men
The gracious king from heaven wished for peace on earth between all humans
From Heaven's all-gracious King
This generous king is from heaven above
The world in solemn stillness lay
The world was silent and still in reverence
To hear the angels sing
To hear the angels' beautiful voices singing joyfully
And I hear them singing
The singer can hear the angels singing their joyful music
Sing, I do hear them singing
The singer emphatically states that they can hear the angels singing
The first noel the angel did say
The angel first spoke of the good news
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The angel revealed the good news to humble shepherds in a field
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were working and keeping watch over their flock in the fields
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
The night was chilly and wintry, with a deep darkness over the land
Noel, noel, noel, noel
The singers are joyfully exclaiming, 'Good news, good news, good news!'
Born is the King of Israel
The newborn king of Israel, Jesus, has been born
They looked up and saw a star
The shepherds gazed upward and witnessed a star shining brightly
Shining in the east beyond them far
The star was gleaming brightly far off in the east
Born is the King
The king has been born
Born is the King
The king has been born
Born is the King of Israel
The new king of Israel, Jesus, has been born
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEE EVANS, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Thompson
on Me Too
Lyrics found here are completely wrong; completely different song.