Every year at Christmas there will be one song which becomes my favourite for the season and one I will play non-stop.
One year as young my passion for ‘Pipes of Peace’ by Paul McCartney nearly drove my brother mad. As yet again it spun on my turntable, volume at its loudest, he stormed into my room, lifted the arm from the record and said sweetly, ‘Enough.’ I realised then he might be right.
‘Mary’s Boy Child’ by Boney M was a hit with us both and one to which we would bop around the living room.
Last year, on a Christmas CD of older hits I fell for the warm ‘olde’ tones of ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’.
This year I have returned to my Swedish roots. The song ‘Tänd Ett Ljus’ is sung in acappella and never fails to make my spirits soar it every time I hear it. The sheer clarity of the voices brings tears to my eyes and the words touch my soul. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Do you have a season favourite tune? Is it the same each year or does it change?
Here is a translation of the song:
‘Light a candle, let it burn,
never let hope disappear.
It is dark now but light will come.
Light a candle for all Earth’s children.
I saw a Star fall, it was night and all slept.
I think I wished then you were near.
For a minute it burnt, then disappeared.
Was it only me who saw?
On the radio they sang about peace on Earth,
I wanted to believe these worn words.
Light a candle ……
I got a card from Wyndham, didn’t know where it was.
I saw on the map that you are
on the other side of the planet.
But it is the same sky, the same ocean,
the same star I saw,
Fell for all our dreams, fell so we never forget.
Light a candle…..’
Annika Perry 
Pingback: Christmas in Music – Annika Perry
A truly wonderful New Year wish in any language, and the tune is truly contagious. Thank-you very much for sharing and thank-you for the translation which added to the whole experience. Happy New Year, peace and joy to you and yours.
I wish you a very Happy New Year and hope the first few days have treated you well. So glad you liked the song – definitely contagious and I must admit I’m still humming it weeks later. Wishing you much peace, joy and resolution in the New year.
Gott Nytt år
A very Happy New Year to you too! 😀 Lovely to see this in Swedish. Do you speak it? Have you learnt from your travels?
I am learning it.. 😊
Beautiful! Wishing you a lovely Christmas!
Thank you so much Inger! Wishing you a Christmas holiday filled with joy and peace. 😀
I enjoyed “Tänd Ett Ljus,” although I’m glad you supplied the title since I’d probably have referred to it as the “Dom Dom Dom” song if you hadn’t. They group are clearly all very talented singers. I’m not sure the song would be improved if I attempted to sing along, so I’m content just to listen.
I know what you mean about thinking about the song as the ‘Dom Dom Dom’ song! The singing is amazing, so clear and full of spirit. Great that you liked it and enjoy listening to it.
Yes, it was a nice one. (I was humming Dom Dom Dom for a long time after listening to it.) 🙂
Very beautiful song! I just adore the seasonal music. Okay, so this one will sound maybe a touch odd but I’ve enjoyed a particular song last year and still listening to it this year. It’s the seasonal song for glade and it’s quite beautiful. I believe each year someone else sings it and it’s really so different with each person but still the same words. Last year was the version that struck me, and still does. ‘This is My Wish’ Featuring Kevin Ross. Merry Christmas ~
Karin, thank you for letting me know about this song. I’ve never heard it before and don’t know how that is possible. I love it!! For others wanting to listen to it, something which I highly recommend the link is: https://youtu.be/-wC1bxyhHBI. Wishing you a lovely peaceful Christmas and may the light shine! 😀
Isn’t it wonderful!! The video, which is very beautiful is hard to find now but I did find it. Take a look…
Thank you for taking the effort to find this and posting it here. We (the family ) have just been watching it and love it. The lights in the video remind me of Liseberg in winter. It’s a large gardens and theme park in Gothenburg and every Christmas they open specially and around the gardens there are over one million bulbs lights shining bright. Heavenly!
Would love to see that. Sounds amazing! I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I watch it and turn it up entirely too loud 🙂 I’m sorry it posted the video right to your post. I thought it would just share the link. Have a wonderful day.
Karin, I’m so glad you shared it like this!! It looks great and so easy for others to access. Seriously, thank you. 😀😀
Beautiful piece of music Annika. It soon turns into an “earworm”, but that’s fine; it’s just so right.
Glad you liked it Peter and it’s one amazing song to have in your head! Merry Christmas.
What a lovely song. I’ve listened to it a few times now and it seems to sum up Xmas perfectly. It remind me of home and the family for some reason.
Have a peaceful and joyful Xmas
Mike
So happy you enjoyed the song, Mike. Wishing you a magical and peaceful Christmas. 😀
Oh, Annika. Please tell me how you added “Blogs I Follow” to your home page. I really want to add that to my page, too.
I’m working off my iPad tonight and soon signing off but will have a closer look on my computer tomorrow and try to remember and get back to you then. You have the option of the image or the name of the blog you follow as well as how many are displayed. Some choose only to show ten or so, I think I have the last fifty I follow showing.
Oh, I always enjoy a good acapella piece. Vocal harmonies are my favorite! Gosh, it’s hard to decide what my favorite Christmas songs are. All the classics are fun in moderation, plus there are a couple of modern takes on the classics that are pretty great: Matt Turk’s God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Jack Johnson’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
I agree, good accapella music are very special and pieces like this are make me tingle. It’s not easy to name a favourite piece – rather like name in a favourite book. The answer often changes with week, your mood and events in your life. This just happens to be mine this Christmas. I will look at the two songs versions you have mentioned, both of which I do like a lot. I wish you a lovely Christmas, Eve. 😀
Tänd ett ljus is beautiful! I can’t believe how much alike we are in our taste for music. The voices are right on pitch and beat. When I find a piece of music which “moves my spirit” I play it over and over. We are singing this afternoon for the Franciscan nuns at their mother house and have prepared several songs. There are a couple with faster rhythms like “Run, Run, Run to the Manger” and “Little Lamb.” African American gospel music is about my favorite next to classical but all forms of music inspire me. I plan to play this song over and over and learn the Swedish words as best I can. Your intonation pattern in Swedish is lovely. Great post!
Thank you Mary Ann. I just read your last post about your choir singing and realised you would like this – then saw your comment here. Lovely. I can’t believe you’re going to learn this – brilliant!! 😀I’ll take a closer look at the two songs you mention but I must agree gospel music has its own soul – touches you to the core whilst being so uplifting. ‘Tänd ett ljus’ has been played non-stop here at home and just now as we lit our fourth Advent candle. Wishing you peace and enjoyment during your performance today.
Every time I hit replay for Tänd ett ljus today, I thought of you. I need lots of practice to master the song in Swedish but enjoy the challenge. Music is indeed uplifting. One nun said that singing is praying thrice! Wow!
I love that comment about singing is praying thrice – maybe we should all start singing more! 😀😀
Agree. Nothing so good and calming.
Beautiful Annika. Heard it before. But you made me listen to the words and the music in another way. I love it. Thanks dear and Kent and I wish you all a GOD JUL. Kram
Thank you, Marion. I’ve often found that with songs. Sometimes I have heard one hundred of times but for one occasion it will be as if I’ve heard it afresh for the first time, bringing extra meaning to me. GOD JUL to you both, wishing you a wonderful holiday and warmest wishes for the New Year. Stor Kram ❤️
I love Christmas because of all magical atmosphere! 🙂
Absolutely! 😀 This year I feel it more than ever which is great. Candles, christmas lights, music, family and friends – perfect.
That snappy background and the ‘dom dom dom’ opening–wonderful song. Even without the translation, Annika. But the translation–even better. Thanks for this.
Yes, Jacqui, I love the beginning and I had to laugh at this video as they’ve put in all the ‘dom dom’. The lyrics are so potent with meaning and so I thought a translation was definitely needed. Glad you liked it. Have a lovely Christmas. Warm wishes
Beautiful, Annika. Thanks so much for sharing more of your heritage. I’ve been listening to Christmas songs (so many of my favorites) on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmg5lEfFGHQ this evening. I’ll be listening ‘in the spirit’ for weeks after Christmas too! My mom and dad used to sing them to us; I sang them to my children. It’s hard to pick a favorite, like you, each day’s listening and singing along brings back more wonderful Christmas memories. “The Christmas Song” and “O Holy Night” always remain at the top of my list. Wishing you A Very Merry Christmas and abundant blessings in the new year ahead! ❤
Thank you, Bette, I’m so happy that you enjoyed listening to the song. I love the sound of your warm and loving Christmas with your parents singing Christmas songs to you, what a wonderful blessing and memory to carry in life. Unfortunately my iPad won’t let me play the link but I’m going to try on my computer and hope to have more success later, thank you for putting it on for me. I’m not sure I know the first song you mentioned but your mention of ‘O Holy Night’ had me listening to an array of versions this morning. Pure bliss – I’m so glad you reminded me about this one. Wishing you a warm joyful Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
I think you’ll recognize The Christmas song from the intro: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose; Yuletide carols being sung by a choir and folks dressed up like Eskimos…” Blessings, Annika! ❤
Of course, Bette! Silly me. It was the title that I didn’t recognise. Thanks for letting me know.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas, Annika! ❤
Thank you for sharing this song. The first three bars of the song are very much needed now. The lyrics remind me of a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”.
I do like this quote, thank you for telling me. If I’m not mistake there are quite a few excellent and deep sayings by Eleanor Roosevelt. You are right about how apt and needed those first three lines are in today’s world, maybe that’s why it struck a chord with me particularly this year. Thank you for your comment, always much appreciated. 😀
Such a beautiful song, Annika. There aren’t many Christmas songs that don’t make me cry. And if I’m in a church listening…break out the tissue.
One of my all-time favorites is Ava Maria.
Ava Maria such a beautiful song, Jill, it seems to reach heaven itself. I find myself holding my breath whilst listening to it not wanting the sublime tones to end. There is definitely something special about listening to music in church (most of the time), glad you’ve got the tissues to hand. I find I need them more often now whilst watching films, even ones that aren’t particularly weepy!
I know…it doesn’t take much these day for the tears to escape.
Thank you for sending this wonderful song Annika. I heard it first time at First Advent this year.
Fell totally. Your post is so warm and cheering and I laugh at your brother’s firm and to the point ‘order’. :))
By the way, the birdsong is fantastic out there, sounds like spring……still, dark very early so plenty of candle time.
My brother is a few years older than me, so I would definitely listen to him – although as you can guess from this he’s a man of few words. In this case ‘enough’ spoke volumes. Actually I lay in bed this morning and wondered what was a bit odd, then realised I was listening to the birds but it was pitch black outside. Very weird however the birds seemed content!!😀
Thank you so much for the wonderful song. It even makes sunny Florida seem a little more like a traditional Christmas.
So glad you liked it JC. It makes Chrsitams seem a bit more traditional for us too here in the UK as it is unseasonably warm with temperatures approx, 15 degrees centigrade and much more like early Autumn. Even the bulbs are confused, with some flowering!
Beautiful song, Annika. I can see why it’s a favorite. Thanks for the translation too. My grandson and I are on our second year of Jingle Bells. We might learn a new one this year – I’m thinking Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Now you know where my head is at! Ha ha. Happy Holidays.
Oh Diana, I think you needed to hear the peace of this song! Two years of Jingle Bells is one too many I think!😀 Good luck in changing to a new one and in the meantime make sure you have glass of wine close by every time the song comes on! Should help a bit. Warmest wishes.