Clay's first CD, Measure of a Man (Number One, Top 200), went triple platinum selling more than 613,000 copies in its first week. Including singles like "Invisible", "The Way," "I Will Carry You" and the Neil Sedaka cover "Solitaire," it was the subject of conflicting reviews. Billboard Magazine called it the best pop album of 2003. Many fans and some critics recognized and admired the pure pop sound ("so pure it floats") and top-notch production values while others heard only a manufactured sound, noting that the singer hadn't earned his musical chops but "merely" sang his way to the hearts of millions on television, a perceived unjust leap-frogging of "the true path of the true artist."
Aiken fronted a country band, Just By Chance, pre-Idol and recorded 3 demo CDs. As a young man he was a member of the Raleigh Boy's Choir and was in numerous musical productions in North Carolina Theater.
The National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation) was launched in 2003, supporting the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of their non-disabled peers. In November 2004, Clay was appointed as a National Ambassador for UNICEF, with a mission to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education.
In November 2004, Clay released Merry Christmas With Love (Number One, Top 200). His first Christmas album, it went platinum, won 2 Billboard Music Awards and spurred a yearly holiday tour and a follow-up EP, All Is Well - Songs for Christmas. 2004 was also the year Clay made #2 on the New York Times Best Seller List with his "inspirational memoir" titled Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.
His next studio album, 2006's A Thousand Different Ways (Number Two, Top 200), was, through the direction of mega-producer Clive Davis, largely a covers CD. Ten of the fourteen cuts being well known melodic pop songs ranging from Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Dolly Parton, Mister Mister, and Elton John. Two other songs, available only on digital versions of the album, are "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (through K-Mart.com) and "Lover All Alone" (through iTunes and co-written by Aiken himself). Many fans have wondered about the relative exclusion of the latter song, left languishing from the song list present on the physical CD, as its intimate emotional material and Aiken's own writing handiwork produce a spellbinding effect.
In May of 2008 Aiken released On My Way Here (Number Four, Top 200), his first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man. While searching for songs for this album, he fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics -- how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults -- struck such a deep chord with Clay that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection. In addition to enlisting Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, On My Way Here also included the talented musicians of none other then the Steely Dan band.
A fifth album, The Very Best of Clay Aiken, was released at the end of March 2009 on Sony's Legacy Recordings Playlist Series.
To date, Aiken has headlined 8 tours., one of them co-headlining with Kelly Clarkson.
Aiken made his Broadway debut playing the role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot in January 2008. His first run ended in May. He rejoined the cast as Sir Robin in September and remained through January 4, 2009.
In August of 2008 Clay became a father to Parker Foster Aiken with producer Jaymes Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster.
Clay will release a brand new album, titled "Tried and True", on June 1, 2010 on the Decca Records label.
Clay also has made numerous TV appearances, guest-starring on everything from Scrubs to Days of Our Lives to the season finale of the popular show 30 Rock. He has earned a place on such talk-shows as Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, Tyra Banks, Rachel Ray, Ellen and has cooked with both Martha Stewart and Paula Deen.
Though clearly, based on his television and concert appeal, a performing artist whose live presentations show consummate showmanship, bringing surprising dynamism to studio songs, Aiken has had to endure a persistent hammering from entertainment critics and a tenacious (not to say malevolent) interest on the part of some in the media relating to questions about his personal life.
Always full of surprises, fans look forward to the continued ways in which this multi-talented artist expresses himself and uses his voice in ways that will expand his appeal in and beyond the US.
Merry Christmas With Love
Clay Aiken Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching evergreen bend in the snow
Remembering Christmas the way it had been
So many seasons ago.
When children would reach for their stockings
And open the presents they found
The lights on the tree would shine bright in their eyes
This year there's no one to open the gifts
No reason for trimming the tree
And just as a tear made it's way to the floor
She heard voices outside start to sing.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love.
Carolers sang as she opened the door
Faces of friends in the crowd
And all of the shadows of lonely reminders
Driven away by the sound.
Now the heart that for years had been silent
Was suddenly filled with a song
As she clung to their hands like a child in the night
She found her self singing along.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Merry Christmas if even just one
May the joy of the season surround you
Merry Christmas with love
The lyrics of Clay Aiken’s song Merry Christmas With Love paint a picture of a woman gazing out of her window, watching the evergreen trees bend in the snow. She is reminiscing about how Christmas used to be when she was younger, the way children would excitedly reach for their stockings and open their presents under the glow of the Christmas tree lights. However, this year is different. There is no one to share Christmas with. As she wipes away a tear, she hears the sweet voices of carolers harmonizing outside her door. The warmth of their singing touches her heart and comforts her loneliness, as she opens the door to see faces of friends in the crowd. The shadows of her lonely reminders are driven away by their joyous singing.
The song captures the essence of the holiday season, illustrating how the love and joy of Christmas can fill the vacuum of loneliness and despair. The carolers’ singing brings hope, happiness, and new meaning to the woman's life. The lyrics also remind us to cherish the company of loved ones during the holiday season, to let the spirit of Christmas take hold of our hearts and inspire us to share the same love, joy, and kindness with others.
Line by Line Meaning
She leaned with her head on the window
She stood by the window with her head leaning on it.
Watching evergreen bend in the snow
As she watched, the evergreen tree bent in the snow.
Remembering Christmas the way it had been
She thought about Christmases in the past and how they used to be.
So many seasons ago.
It had been a long time since those Christmases.
When children would reach for their stockings
In the past, the children would eagerly reach for their stockings.
And open the presents they found
And then they would open the presents they found.
The lights on the tree would shine bright in their eyes
The bright lights on the Christmas tree would reflect in their eyes.
Reflecting the love all around.
The lights reflected the love and joy that was in the air.
This year there's no one to open the gifts
This year, there was no one to open the gifts.
No reason for trimming the tree
There was no reason to decorate the Christmas tree.
And just as a tear made it's way to the floor
Suddenly, a tear fell from her eyes and landed on the floor.
She heard voices outside start to sing.
Then, she heard the sound of voices singing outside.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
The voices wished everyone living there a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas if even just one
They wished even just one person a Merry Christmas.
May the joy of the season surround you
They hoped that everyone would experience joy during the season.
Merry Christmas with love.
They wished a Merry Christmas filled with love.
Carolers sang as she opened the door
As she opened the door, carolers were singing outside.
Faces of friends in the crowd
She saw familiar faces of her friends in the group of carolers.
And all of the shadows of lonely reminders
All the sad memories and feelings of loneliness went away.
Driven away by the sound.
The sound of the carolers singing drove all those feelings away.
Now the heart that for years had been silent
Her heart which had been silent and empty for years,
Was suddenly filled with a song
Was suddenly overflowing with happiness and joy.
As she clung to their hands like a child in the night
She held onto their hands tightly like a child holding onto their parents in the night.
She found her self singing along.
She started to sing along with the rest of the carolers.
Merry Christmas to all who may dwell here
Everyone was wished a Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas if even just one
Even just one person was wished a Merry Christmas.
May the joy of the season surround you
The joy of the season was hoped to surround everyone.
Merry Christmas with love
A Merry Christmas filled with love was wished to all.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: BILLY LEE SMILEY, GREG WAYNE DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind