Marx was born to Dick and Ruth Marx. Marx grew up in a mixed faith household where father was Jewish and his mother was a Christian. His father was a jingle writer for commercials for popular products such as 'Chicken of the Sea', which is where Marx got his start writing at the tender age of five. His father also was talented jazz musician, well-known in the Chicago area.
At the age of 17, Marx created a demo to showcase his talents, which landed in the hands of soul artist Lionel Richie. Richie invited Marx to Hollywood saying, "I can't promise you anything, but you should come to L.A." Marx would eventually appear as a background singer in Richie's songs "You Are" and "Running With The Night" as well as on Richie's follow-up album, which included the smash hit "All Night Long".
*Richard Marx*
Marx's first album, a self-titled work, went multi-platinum, selling nearly 4 million copies. He also earned his first #1 single, "Hold on to the nights", which he told Songfacts.com was inspired by a friend who had the dilemma of having met the love of his life when both the friend and the girl in question were already in relationships. He also had several other top five hits including "Don’t Mean Nothing" (#3), "Should've Known Better" (#3) and "Endless Summer Nights" (#2). He later revealed in an interview on 'VH-1 Classic' that his favorite song that he performed from his first album was "Have Mercy."
*Repeat Offender*
Repeat Offender eventually moved into the #1 spot and gave Marx two more #1 hit singles.
*Rush Street*
Rush Street's "Hazard" (#1), which depicted a man's rejection in a fictional version of Hazard, Nebraska. He released Paid Vacation in 1994, Flesh & Bone in 1997, Days in Avalon in 2000 and My Own Best Enemy in 2004.
Richard Marx also sang with Donna Lewis, best known for her hit "I Love You Always Forever", on the track "At the Beginning" of the Anastasia soundtrack. He has sung background vocals for Madonna in her True Blue album.
He has served as a writer/producer for an extensive list of other recording artists, including Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Keith Urban, 98 Degrees, Kenny Loggins, Emerson Drive, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton, *NSYNC, Olivia Newton-John, Sarah Brightman, SheDaisy, John Farnham and Vince Gill.
Marx has been married to Cynthia Rhodes, who starred in the 1987 blockbuster Dirty Dancing and is a former lead singer for 80s pop band Animotion, since 1989. The couple has three sons: Brandon, Lucas, and Jesse. Brandon is the eldest followed by Lucas then Jesse.
One of Marx's most recent works is a song titled "Remember When", composed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Performed by LeAnn Rimes, the song may be heard on the park's official 50th Anniversary album, as well as selected times in the park.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Richard Marx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."
Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
Richard Marx's song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a haunting and poignant melody that reflects the true spirit of Christmas. The song starts with the familiar sound of bells ringing, which brings back pleasant memories of Christmases past. The carols that they ring are familiar and well-known, and the words they repeat are those of peace on earth and goodwill towards men. The song showcases the hope and optimism that people have for the world at Christmastime. They think of peace and good will, and they put aside their differences to come together and celebrate the season.
However, as the song moves on, Marx's lyrics take a darker turn. He realizes that despite the abundance of good will during the season, the world has not yet found peace. He is skeptical of the idea of peace on earth and thinks that hate is too strong for peace to prevail. Marx is in despair, and he bows his head, unable to see a way forward. But then, the bells ring out more loudly and deeply, and he hears a message of hope. The words of the bells tell him that God isn't dead and that justice will ultimately prevail. The wrong will fail, and the right will triumph. The message of the bells is that justice and peace will come, but only if people work together to make it happen.
Overall, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a deeply moving song that captures the true spirit of Christmas. It reflects the hope, optimism, and good will of the season while acknowledging the darkness and despair that can sometimes lurk beneath the surface. Ultimately, it is a song about the power of hope and the importance of working together to create a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
The singer is hearing the ringing of Christmas bells
Their old familiar carols play,
The carols being played by the bells are ones the singer knows well
And wild and sweet the words repeat
The words of peace and good will being sung by the bells are powerful and moving
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The message being sung by the bells is one of peace and goodwill towards all people
I thought how, as the day had come,
The artist reflects on the meaning behind the bells ringing on this particular day
The belfries of all Christendom
The bell towers of Christian churches all over the world
Had rolled along the unbroken song
The bells have been ringing this message for a very long time
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The message of the bells is one of peace and goodwill towards all people
And in despair I bowed my head:
The artist becomes downtrodden upon reflecting on the state of the world
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
The artist becomes pessimistic about the possibility of peace on earth
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
The presence of hate in the world makes it seem like the message of peace is being ridiculed or ignored
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
The message that the bells are singing seems impossible in the face of so much hate
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
The bells ring louder and deeper, drawing the singer's attention again
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The bells remind the singer that God is still present and aware, even in troubled times
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
The message of peace and goodwill will ultimately triumph over evil
With peace on earth, good will to men."
The message that the bells are singing is ultimately hopeful
Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The sound of the bells continues to reverberate through the air
The world revolved from night to day,
The world seems to transform, from darkness to light
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
The sound of the bells is like a beautiful, otherworldly song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
The message of peace and goodwill continues to resound through the air
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: John Mark Hall, Dale Oliver, Bernie Herms
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michele Lee Chenard
on Hold on to the Nights
love this song this is for my bf who i love so much