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 Holy Night
Neil Sedaka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
The lyrics to Neil Sedaka’s “O Holy Night” are a beautiful tribute to the birth of Jesus Christ. The opening lines, “O holy night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth,” set the scene for the song’s message of hope and reverence. The next few lines, “Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth,” acknowledge the world’s longing for salvation and liberation from the darkness of sin. The song then speaks to the joy that comes with the arrival of Christ, “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
The chorus of the song invites us to join in the celebration of Christmas, “Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O holy night, O night divine!” The second verse of the song describes the scene of wise men traveling to see Jesus following the light of a star. The passage “The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!” reminds us that Christ came to earth to be a friend to those in need and to offer hope and grace. Finally, the song concludes with a call to unity and peace, “Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in his name all oppression shall cease.”
Line by Line Meaning
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
This night is special and holy! The stars in the sky are shining especially bright tonight.
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Tonight marks the birth of our beloved Saviour.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
For a long time, the world was trapped in sin and lost in confusion.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
But when He arrived, the Holy Spirit was reminded of its great value.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
Thanks to Him, the tired, heavy world finds excitement and joy once again.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
A new and bright morning is approaching beyond the horizon.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
We must kneel in reverence and listen carefully to the angelic voices that surround us.
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
This is a holy and divine night because it marks the birth of Christ.
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
This night is so holy and divine, it deserves to be celebrated and praised multiple times.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
Guided by our faith, we walk calmly towards His birthplace.
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
Our hearts are filled with warmth and light as we stand by His manger.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
A star shines beautifully over the world, marking the arrival of our Saviour.
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The wise men arrive from far away lands, following the star to see the newborn King.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
The King of kings is humbly laid in a manger meant for livestock.
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He was born to be our friend and comfort us during our hardest times.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
He understands our needs and is familiar with our weaknesses and struggles.
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
We must recognize and honor the newborn King by humbly bowing before Him.
Truly He taught us to love one another,
He taught us that the key to a righteous and peaceful life is to love one another.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
His teachings are centered around love, and His message preaches peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
He has the power to break the chains of injustice, for we are all brothers and sisters in His eyes.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
In His name, all forms of oppression and suffering will be eradicated.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
We express our gratitude and joy by singing sweet hymns together in unison.
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
With our entire hearts, we worship and honor His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
He is our Lord and King, and therefore, we must always remember to praise Him.
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
We must continue to declare and proclaim His power and glory to the world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Adolphe Adam
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Hoffman
Finally someone sings all the verses....thank you Neil.....
Eric Linder
Sung with such reverence and devotion! My favorite performance of a Christmas song by anyone - ever. This from a long time lover of hard rock / stoner rock / you name it.
Millicent Kaufman
SENDS SHIVERS UP My SPINE-"-"0 Holy Night-" Thank you Neil Sedaka for this magnificent rendition of my favorite Christmas Song
June Smith
This is a favourite of mine. Love Neil singingng it,
June Grace Aldana
Merry Christmas everyone 🎄☃️
Teresa Dwyer
Great sonh