Some of the films in Carpenter's career have been critical and commercial failures, with two notable exceptions mentioned above. Yet his soundtrack work has received much praise, bringing comparisons with contemporary dark electronic music. As well, many of his works from the 70s and the 80s that initially had mixed reviews such as 'Dark Star' (1974), 'Assault on Precinct 13' (1976), 'The Thing' (1982), 'Starman' (1984), 'Big Trouble in Little China' (1986), and 'They Live' (1988) have since been seen as cult classics, and Carpenter has been acknowledged as an influential filmmaker by many both in and out of the industry. His latest musical release, an album titled 'Lost Themes', came out in early 2015.
It
John Carpenter 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
The song "It" by John Carpenter is a hauntingly beautiful rendition of two Christmas carols, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "The First Noel". The opening verse of the song talks about a moment when Angels appeared on Earth and played their harps of gold. The lyrics suggest that through their music, peace was brought to the Earth by the grace of Heaven's King. The verse is a reflection on a specific moment in time when all was quiet and still.
As the song progresses, we hear the singer's voice almost becoming a part of the music. The statement "and I hear them singing" seems to suggest that the Angels are still present and their voices continue to be heard. The lyrics of the song go on to reference "The First Noel" and the story of the Angel who appeared to a group of shepherds, telling them of the birth of Christ.
The song paints a vivid picture of a moment in time when everything was still, and the only sound heard was that of the Angels singing. The combination of the two Christmas carols creates an otherworldly atmosphere that feels both peaceful and mysterious.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
The event described next happened at midnight
That glorious song of old
It was a beautiful and ancient song
From Angels playing near the earth
Angels were performing the song close to the surface of the planet
To touch their harps of gold
Their purpose was to play the music instruments made of gold
Peace on the earth could will two men
Two men could come to an agreement to bring peace to the planet
From Heaven's all-gracious King
This peace would be granted by a merciful ruler of Heaven
The world in solemn stillness lay
The world was quiet and still
To hear the Angels sing
Everyone was listening to the Angels perform
And I hear them singing
The artist can hear the Angels singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The artist emphasizes that they can hear the Angels singing
The first Noel the Angel did say
The Angel spoke the first Noel
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The Angel spoke the first Noel to some shepherds while they were lying in a field
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were lying in the fields where they keep their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
It was a very cold and dark winter's night
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edmund Hamilton Sears, Richard Storrs Willis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VICE
WATCH NEXT: George Clooney and Emma Watson examine the revolutionary innovations of Alfonso Cuarón, the Mexican director whose wildly diverse movies share a uniquely visceral impact - https://youtu.be/EsOFXDbJDBI
@komamix
Vice is dead
@kbjdesign
This is one of the best series Vice has come out with for a few years IMO. The interview cuts are perfect and all the celebs are chosen because they genuinely know stuff not because they are popular. I hope we get a Guy Ritchie episode
@JosephMountz
I know right? Makes more sense when you realize these are years old, and simply being re-uploaded
@soup3097
this is from 2016
@DETSRC313
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@DETSRC313
@@soup3097thanks for pointing that out!
@DETSRC313
@@soup3097I wish they would put that up in the corner of the video kinda like Frontline does.
@Drewxcifer
John Carpenter to this day is not only one of the most important film directors in horror but one of THE most important film directors of any genre.
@shadownine9495
"Assault on precinct 13" is my personal favourite from him, followed by "The Thing"