Born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendant of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit, selling far better than Fats Domino's original version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone's career, which focused on covering R&B songs by black artists for a white market. Previously, rock 'n' roll had had only limited exposure outside of the African American community. Pat Boone's pale covers gave attention to the more authentic original artists, such as Little Richard and Fats Domino and to rhythm and blues in general. In addition, the songwriters and copyright holders benefited even when individual artists did not.
In fact, only six of Boone's many hit singles were R&B covers, and only four of those were rockers. All were released in the first two years of his long career. These were "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino and "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, and "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" by the El Dorados. The other two R&B covers were well-chosen blues ballads, "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter and "Chains of Love," a hit for Big Joe Turner and later B.B. King that had been written by Ahmet Ertegun. By 1957, Boone was concentrating on the middle-of-the-road music that dominated his career. He never recorded another R&B cover.
Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white [teens]] and parents. His singing style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing Crosby. Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits included "Love Letters in the Sand" (with the instrumental break featuring Boone's whistling), "April Love", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and "Don't Forbid Me".
His teen idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that of Elvis Presley, and, like Presley, he soon tried his hand at acting. Boone's pictures included 1960's Journey to the Center of the Earth alongside Hollywood notable James Mason.
His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film April Love topped the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. Pat also wrote the theme song for the movie Exodus.
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church for more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role opposite the decade's reigning sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Among his other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s and began writing in the early 1960s, a series of self-help books for adolescents, including Twixt Twelve and Twenty.
The British Invasion effectively ended Boone's career as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly radio. He is currently working as the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the major labels.
Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country music great Red Foley and singer Judy Martin, in 1953 and they had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many motivational seminars. He was also a distributor. He never reached the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit his style. To promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans, including Jack Hayford, accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by Trinity Broadcasting and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003, the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The Church on the Way in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osborne's song "Crazy Train" became the theme song for The Osbornes. (It appears on The Osbornes Soundrack.) Osborne said that Boone "never complained once" about living next door to his less-than-traditional family.
Boone once claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words when upset.
In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot, under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. He also recently was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, where he expressed his outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie Chicks) that their criticisms of the President showed they did not "respect their elders". Another article defended Mel Gibson after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant. Despite their differing political views, Pat Boone is friends with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
The First Noel
Pat Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel,
Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a Star,
Shining in the East, beyond them far;
And to the earth, it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel,
Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
The star drew nigh to the North-West,
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did, both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel,
Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
(Last time) Noel, Noel,
Noel, Noel,
The First Noel is a Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics begin with the announcement by an angel to certain poor shepherds that the Savior has been born. These shepherds were the first ones to hear of the news and were able to see the baby Jesus lying in a manger. The expression "Noel" was a common term used in Europe during the Middle Ages, and it was used to describe the Christmas season.
The carol reveals that the shepherds were watching their flocks during a cold winter’s night when an angel appeared and declared the birth of Jesus Christ. The angel instructed the shepherds to go and visit the newborn baby. As they traveled to Bethlehem, they followed a bright light in the sky, which was a star. As they reached their destination, the shepherds found Jesus lying in a manger with His mother Mary and His father Joseph.
The song emphasizes the joyous news of the birth of Jesus Christ, and that He is the true King of Israel. The chorus repeats the word "Noel" to punctuate the significance of the occasion. The lyrics powerfully describe the supernatural event that led the shepherds to the manger, amplifying the miraculous story of the birth of the savior.
Line by Line Meaning
The first Noel, the angel did say,
The angel announced the first Christmas to poor shepherds, who were lying in the fields.
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
The message of the first Christmas was given to lowly shepherds while they were watching their sheep.
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
The shepherds were lying in a field with their sheep, just as they had done many times before.
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
It was a frosty and dark winter night, making the shepherds' job of keeping their flock warm challenging.
Noel, Noel,
The chorus means "good news" or "Christ is born"
Noel, Noel,
The chorus means "good news" or "Christ is born"
Born is the King of Israel.
The baby Jesus, who would later become the King of Israel, was born on this night.
They looked up and saw a Star,
The shepherds witnessed a bright star in the sky.
Shining in the East, beyond them far;
The star was shining in the East, far away from the shepherds.
And to the earth, it gave great light,
The star shone brightly and illuminated the earth, making everything brighter.
And so it continued both day and night.
The star kept shining both day and night, never fading or dimming.
The star drew nigh to the North-West,
The star moved northwest, closer to where the shepherds were situated.
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
The star came to a stop over Bethlehem and remained stationary.
And there it did, both stop and stay,
The star didn't move after it stopped over Bethlehem.
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
The star was positioned directly over the exact spot where the baby Jesus was born.
Contributed by Jake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.