Sedaka wrote his 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. In 1963, King released a humorous answer entitled "Oh Neil".
The Laughter In the Rain Songfacts says Sedaka's hits dried up when The Beatles arrived, but then he teamed up with the lyricist Philip Cody and had a a number 1 hit with "Laughter In The Rain." It re-ignited Sedaka's career and he had 6 more Top-40 hits in America by 1977.
Sedaka's voice is in the tenor range.
O Come All Ye Faithful
Neil Sedaka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!
O come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created.
[Refrain]
See how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
We, too, will thither
Bend our hearts' oblations.
[Refrain]
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
We to the Christ-child
Bring our hearts' oblations
[Refrain]
Child, for us sinners,
Poor and in the manger,
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee,
Loving us so dearly?
[Refrain]
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
"Glory to God,
In the highest!"
[Refrain]
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
[Refrain]
Neil Sedaka's version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, and invites us all to come and behold the newborn king in Bethlehem. The refrain sets the tone of this joyful hymn, inviting the faithful to come and adore Christ the Lord. The use of the exclamation mark underlines the enthusiasm and sense of urgency of the invitation. The lyrics remind us of the significance of the occasion, as we are called to join the shepherds and the magi in adoring the Messiah.
The second verse of the hymn reminds us of the divine nature of Jesus, as he is described as God of God and Light of Light. The lyrics allude to the virgin birth of Jesus, which is a central tenet of Christian theology. The hymn affirms that Jesus is very God, begotten but not created, further emphasizing the link between the divine and the human.
The third and fourth verses evoke the Biblical story of the nativity as it is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. The shepherds, who were tending their flocks at night, were visited by an angel who brought them the good news of the birth of the Savior. The magi, who were astrologers and kings, followed a star that led them to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The hymn invites us to participate in the adoration of Jesus, just as the shepherds and the magi did.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, all ye faithful,
Come to Bethlehem, all you who are faithful and devoted to Christ.
Joyful and triumphant,
Come with joy and celebration for the birth of the Savior.
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come to Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
Come and behold Him,
Come and see the newborn King.
Born the King of Angels!
The baby born is the King of Angels.
O come let us adore Him,
Let us worship and honor Him.
Christ the Lord!
The baby born is Christ, the Lord.
God of God,
The baby born is divine, of the same essence as God.
Light of Light,
He is the source of spiritual light, emanating from God the Father.
Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;
He accepted being born of a virgin's womb.
Very God,
He is truly God.
Begotten, not created.
He is the begotten Son of God, not created like us.
See how the shepherds
Look at how the shepherds
Summoned to His cradle,
Called to come to the baby's manger.
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze!
They left their sheep to come and see the baby.
We, too, will thither
We will also go there
Bend our hearts' oblations.
We will offer our sincere and devout praise.
Lo, star-led chieftains,
Look at how the leaders were led by a star
Magi, Christ adoring,
Magi devoted to Christ
Offer Him incense, gold and myrrh;
They brought gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.
We to the Christ-child
We also, to the baby Jesus
Bring our hearts' oblations
We offer our sincere and devout praise.
Child, for us sinners,
Jesus, born for us who are sinners
Poor and in the manger,
Born into poverty and lying in a manger
Fain we embrace Thee with love and awe;
We gladly embrace Jesus with love and awe.
Who would not love Thee,
Who would not love you
Loving us so dearly?
When you love us so deeply.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing, all you angelic choirs,
Sing in exultation,
Sing with joy and triumph,
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Sing, all you dwellers of heaven above!
"Glory to God,
"Praise God
In the highest!"
In the highest heaven!"
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Yes, Lord, we welcome You
Born this happy morning,
Born on this joyful morning
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
All glory be given to You, Jesus.
Word of the Father,
The Son, who is the Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Now appears in human form!
Christ the Lord!
The baby born is Christ, the Lord.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind