Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Her 1995 studio album, Medusa, includes cover versions of songs such as "No More "I Love You's"'" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". To date, she has released six solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). With eight Brit Awards, which includes being named Best British Female Artist a record six times, Lennox has been named the "Brits Champion of Champions". She has also collected four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard. In 2004, she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Lennox's vocal range is contralto. She has been named "The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No. 22 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. In June 2013 the Official Charts Company called her "the most successful female British artist in UK music history". As of June 2008, including her work with Eurythmics, Lennox had sold over 80 million records worldwide. As part of a one-hour symphony of British Music, Lennox performed "Little Bird" during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. At the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards, Lennox was made a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (The Ivors Academy), the first woman to receive the honour. Lennox and her Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa. She founded the Sing campaign in 2007 and founded a women's empowerment charity called The Circle in 2008. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes". On 4 June 2012, she performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace. In 2017, Lennox was appointed Glasgow Caledonian University's first female chancellor.
Studio albums
Diva (1992)
Medusa (1995)
Bare (2003)
Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)
Nostalgia (2014)
The Holly and the Ivy
Annie Lennox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they are both full-grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
Oh, the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
The Holly and the Ivy is a traditional Christmas carol with English roots, said to have originated in the 18th century. The carol depicts the holly and the ivy as symbols of Christ, with the holly representing his crown of thorns and the ivy representing his resurrection. The lyrics describe the physical features of the plants as well as their symbolic meanings in the context of the Christian faith.
The opening stanza emphasizes the superiority of the holly over other trees in the forest, as it bears the crown. The following stanzas describe the whiteness of the holly's flowers symbolizing the purity of the Virgin Mary, the redness of its berries representing the blood of Christ shed for sinners, and the prickly nature of its leaves symbolizing the crown of thorns placed on Jesus' head. The final stanza returns to the theme of the holly's superiority, with "the holly bears the crown" becoming the concluding refrain.
In addition to its religious significance, The Holly and the Ivy has been associated with pagan traditions as well. The holly and the ivy were both plants revered by ancient European cultures, with the holly representing the masculine principle and the ivy representing the feminine. The intertwining of these two plants in the carol may therefore be seen as a symbol of union between these two principles.
Line by Line Meaning
The holly and the ivy
This song is about two different types of plants, the holly and the ivy.
When they are both full-grown
The plants are most impressive when they reach maturity.
Of all the trees that are in the wood
Out of every tree in the forest, the holly is the most majestic.
The holly bears the crown
The holly is the king of the forest.
Oh, the rising of the sun
The beginning of the day.
And the running of the deer
The movement of animals in the forest.
The playing of the merry organ
The joyous sounds of music filling the air.
Sweet singing in the choir
The beautiful harmony of voices lifted in song.
The holly bears a blossom
The holly plant produces flowers.
As white as lily flower
The flowers of the holly are as bright and pure as lilies.
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
The song references the biblical story of Mary giving birth to Jesus.
To be our sweet Savior
Jesus is considered a savior by Christians.
The holly bears a berry
The holly plant also produces berries.
As red as any blood
The berries of the holly are bright red, reminiscent of the color of blood.
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
The song references the birth of Jesus again.
To do poor sinners good
Jesus is believed to have come to earth to help those who were suffering or in need.
The holly bears a prickle
The holly plant has sharp thorns.
As sharp as any thorn
The thorns of the holly are particularly sharp and painful.
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
Another reference to the birth of Jesus.
On Christmas Day in the morn
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th each year.
The holly bears a bark
The outer layer of the holly plant is known as bark.
As bitter as any gall
The holly bark is bitter to the taste, like gall.
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
The final reference to the birth of Jesus in the song.
For to redeem us all
Jesus is believed to have come to earth to save humanity from sin.
The holly and the ivy
The two plants that are the subject of the song are named again.
Now both are full well grown
The plants have grown to their full size.
Of all the trees that are in the wood
As before, the holly is considered the most majestic of all the trees in the forest.
The holly bears the crown
Once again, the holly is referred to as the king of the forest.
Oh, the rising of the sun
The song ends with a repetition of the opening lines, suggesting a circularity in the natural world.
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing in the choir
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LALO SCHIFRIN, . TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind