Which Christmas hymn is the most popular? In North America, at least, it's Joy to the World, which dates back to the mid-18th century, and has been republished hundreds and hundreds of times. (It's also the sixth pick in my musical advent calendar; click on the link to see other albums and songs I've picked for the season.) Not surprisingly, it's been adapted every which way: in my iTunes library, which I'm skipping through right now, I have the languid take that Aaron Neville recorded five years ago with the Blind Boys of Alabama for the latter's Christmas album. There's a bluegrass version by Darrin Vincent, the full-battle treatment from both the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, and a 45-second treat from Bruce Cockburn's guita. Also instrumentally, and from my own home base here in St. John's, I recommend Gordon Quinton's guitar version (from From A Christmas Guitar) and Dave Panting's (from Mandolin Christmas).
But the standout in our house has been Aretha Franklin's version, which has this way of grabbing your attention and not letting go. It was recorded about 15 years ago and has been variously anthologized since, including on this import. (A consumer warning: you won't find it on This Christmas, a boring CD Franklin released in 2008, and which can be safely skipped.) Franklin "sang" Joy to the World at the Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree lighting just last week, as long as you define "sang" as "lip-synched." In any event, it's a wicked performance, with Franklin rocking - no exaggeration - a very old hymn.
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