The origins of the Nylons date back to 1978 when four experienced Toronto stage actors, Connors, Cooper, Morrison, and Simpson, used to get together in the back of a delicatessen to sing doo-wop together. They took their ensemble to parties and friend's houses and constant comments from people convinced them to take their unique a cappella act into the clubs. An acquaintence met at a party was about to open a new cabaret and invited them to debut there. They played there for six weeks, garnering rave critical and audience reviews. In 1979 Simpson retired from the group and Cole was brought on board. They very quickly established themselves as one of the area's classiest and most original ensembles and caught the attention of Attic Records. Their first album eventually went platinum in Canada (100,000 copies), and there followed four more releases on Attic that all sold at least gold in Canada (50,000 copies). They received the equivalent of a Dutch Grammy award and a gold disc for the One Size Fits All album and the Best Singer Award at 1986's Tokyo Music Festival. In 1987 Disney used their song That Kind Of Man in their feature The Tin Man, and their version of Up The Ladder To The Roof was used in the movie Made In Heaven. They also scored a second appearance on the Taft Broadcasting television show Throb after writing the theme song and a previous appearance on the program. In February 1991 founding member Connors left the group and in March of that year died of viral pneumonia. A new deal in 1991 with Scotti Brothers in the US and BMG in Canada saw the release of three more albums, and constant touring on either side of the border. Over the years various member changes have led to today's lineup of Morrison, Robinson, Mosbaugh, and Cassius. In 1997 they signed with Shoreline Records in the US, a label primarily devoted to vocal groups, and released the Fabric Of Life. Today they continue to tour the world to audience and critical acclaim.
Singles
1982 The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Attic) 1983 Silhouettes (Attic) 1983 That Kind Of Man (Attic) 1984 Take Me To Your Heart (Attic) 1984 Perpetual Emotion (Attic) 1984 Stepping Stone (Attic) 1984 Combat Zone (Attic) 1987 Kiss Him Goodbye (Attic) 1987 Happy Together (Attic) 1987 Chain Gang (Attic) 1989 Wild Fire (Attic) 1989 Drift Away (Attic) 1991 Call My Name (Attic) 1991 One Fine Day (Attic) 1992 Don't Look Any Further (Scotti Brothers)
Albums
1982 The Nylons (Attic) 1982 One Size Fits All (Attic) 1984 Seamless (Attic) 1987 Happy Together (Attic) 1989 Rockapella (Attic) 1991 Four On The Floor (Attic) 1992 Live To Love (BMG) 1993 Illustrious: A Collection Of Classic Hits (Attic) 1994 Harmony - The Christmas Songs (BMG) 1994 Because... (BMG) 1996 Run For Cover (BMG) 1997 Fabric Of Life (Shoreline) 1997 Perfect Fit (Windham Hill) [re-release of 1993's Illustrious]
Marc Connors (baritone; RIP 1991) Paul Cooper (tenor) Claude Morrison (tenor) Dennis Simpson (bass) Ralph Cole (bass; replaced Simpson 1979) Arnold Robinson (bass; replaced Cole 1981) Micah Barnes (tenor; replaced Cooper 1991) Billy Newton-Davis (baritone; replaced Connors 1992) Garth Mosbaugh (tenor; replaced Barnes 1994) Gavin Hope (baritone; replaced Newton-Davis 1994) Mark Cassius (baritone; replaced Hope 1997)
The First Noel
The Nylons Lyrics
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Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where 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
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
And let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heaven and earth of naught
And with his blood mankind hath brought
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the king of Israel
The Nylons's song The First Noel is a classic Christmas carol that tells the story of the birth of Jesus. The song begins with the announcement from an angel to a group of shepherds that the savior of the world has been born. The shepherds are poor and humble, yet they are the ones who receive this important message. The angel instructs them to go to Bethlehem to see the newborn king.
The song then describes the journey of the shepherds to Bethlehem, where they find Jesus lying in a manger. They are joined by the wise men who followed the star to witness the miracle of the birth of the king. The chorus of the song, "Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, born is the king of Israel" emphasizes the significance of this event.
The last verse of the song invites all to come together and sing praises to the Lord who has created the world and has given his blood for humankind. This verse captures the essence of the Christmas story, which is about sharing joy and celebrating the birth of Jesus who came to save the world.
Line by Line Meaning
The first Noel, the angel did say
The angel announced the first Noel
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
It was announced to poor shepherds in the fields
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
In the fields where they kept their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
On a very cold and deep winter's night
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the king of Israel
The king of Israel is born
They looked up and saw a star
They saw a star when they looked up
Shining in the east beyond them far
A shining star was in the far east
And to the earth it gave great light
The star gave great light to the earth
And so it continued both day and night
It shone both day and night
And let us all with one accord
Let us all sing together
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
And sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heaven and earth of naught
Who has created heaven and earth from nothing
And with his blood mankind hath brought
And with his blood, mankind has been saved
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind