"I Believe Father Christmas is a song by British musician Greg Lake with lyrics by Peter Sinfield.Although often categorized as a Christmas song, this is not Lake's intentions.He said that he wrote the song in protest over the commercialization of Christmas Sinfield, however, the word was about the loss of innocence and childhood beliefs. Released in 1975, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.
Video I Believe in Father Christmas
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Lake wrote the song at his home in West London, after setting the basic guitar strings from E to D. While the song opposed the commercialization of Christmas, it was often misinterpreted as an anti-religious song and, because of this, Lake was surprised by his success. He explained in an interview of Mojo magazine:
"I feel it's horrible when people say it's not politically correct to talk about Christmas, you have to talk about 'Holiday Season', Christmas is a time of warmth and love of the family There is a feeling of forgiveness, acceptance, and I believe in Father Christmas.
The instrumental riff between the verses comes from the "Troika" section of Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant KijÃÆ'  © Suite , written for the Soviet film 1934 Lieutenant Kijà ©  © ; this was added to Keith Emerson's suggestion (an adaptation of the same song used on Emerson's later Christmas album). Sinfield describes the song as "a picture-postcard Christmas, with an unhealthy edge."
Maps I Believe in Father Christmas
Release
The song was recorded by Lake in 1974 and released separately from the ELP in 1975, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. It was kept from number one by Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody". Lake commented: "I was beaten by one of the biggest records ever made, and I would be angry if I was beaten by Cliff (Richard)." However, the Godfrey Salmon orchestra lacked charity: "I was surprised the single was no more successful I think 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is rubbish, and still is.As it gets to No. 1 before we even take us out, I think it will be long before Christmas How did you do that? "The record went on selling and in 1984 and 1986 reached 84 and 98, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached # 98 in Australia at the end of 1975.
Video
The video footage was recorded on the Egyptian Peninsula of Sinai, and in the caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the West Bank, and included footage from the Vietnam War.
Legacy
The second record by a full ELP trio, but with a more efficient arrangement, was included in the 1977 Works Volume 2 album. It was recorded for the third time in 1993, for the box set of ELP The Return of the Manticore , and Lake is reviewing again for the compilation of the Asylum Document 2002 A Classic Rock Christmas . The song also appeared on several other ELP and Christmas compilation albums. The most famous of these re-releases is the 1995 EP titled I Believe in Father Christmas , which includes the original Lake singles as well as the Works Volume II version.
The song has been covered by other artists, including Toyah Willcox on "Pop Goes Christmas" in 1982, Elaine Paige (on her 1986 album Christmas ), the Canadian band Honeymoon Suite (on the 1989 WEA compilation album < i> Revellion ), Horizon Vertical (on the 2002 Holiday compilation: Sounds of the Season 2002), Sarah Brightman (in her 2008 album A Winter Symphony) U2 (on the Starbucks 2009 charity compilation All You Need is Love ), Joe McElderry on his 2011 album Classic Christmas, Susan Boyle (on her 2013 album > Home for Christmas ) and Hannah Peel as B-side of her 2015 single Find Peace .
In 2005 Lake wrote a letter to The Guardian about the song, in answer to a reader's question:
In 1975, I wrote and recorded a song titled "I Believe in Father Christmas," which some readers of the Wali may have remembered and may have. It is a big hit and is still played on the radio every year around December, and it appears on more or less every Christmas compilation takes place. So I can tell you from experience that it's great to get a royalty check around September every year, but by itself, Christmas money is not enough to buy my own island in the Caribbean. I'm currently on tour and the Christmas song is also accepted now like 30 years ago - maybe even more. If Guardian readers can ask it to be played by their local radio station, maybe the Caribbean island will not be so far away - and if I get there, you're all invited.
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song in MetroLyrics
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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