Comments on: JOHNNY MATHIS - “When A Child Is Born (Soleado)”

By: Waldo

Waldo — Wed, 28 May 2008 08:30:58 +0000

This was “Mary’s Boy Child” revisited, it seems to me (bugger off, Bunny. I’m talking about Harry) but with less sincerity. The carol is sweet enough and even Johnny’s “And all this happens because the world is waiting…” talkabout blurb fits in well enough so that one is not seriously inclined at the conclusion of the subsequent last chorus to deposit one’s comfortably digesting yuletide roast on top of one’s unsuspecting cat, who is in a deep and peaceful slumber on the sofa, having consumed the same. But the song is just too twee for my liking and Johnny’s starry delivery is identical from those of his non-levitical offerings. Basically, it’s just another day at the MOR office for the famously light-footed Mr Mathis and I’m afraid it shows.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Tue, 27 May 2008 08:24:31 +0000

OK, no bunny bait, but let me guess - the one you’re thnking of, would it have drawn wistful, ironic smiles from Chicory Tip’s HQ?

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:23:37 +0000

#42: well, we’ll wait and see, but I think there’s at least one absolutely epochal, game-changing #1 coming up. No further discussion till we get there, though!

By: Lena

Lena — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:17:06 +0000

I just read the lyrics (I don’t know the song) and it seems to be very conditional…praising the birth of babies in general - aw babies, they make everything good! - and then in the spoken part, talkng about how nice it would be IF a certain baby happened to come along…it’s more wistful than anything else…

By: intothefireuk

intothefireuk — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:37:38 +0000

Now generally I like Christmas songs but this particular one over eggs it’s sentimentality & I’ve never been fully convinced it is a bona fide Crimble song. It’s more along the lines of I Believe which is more about faith & hope than tradional Christmas subjects. My Xmas song of choice this year was Tull’s ‘Ring Out Solstice Bells’ which at least mentioned the Solstice & indeed had bells in it.

Having had a sneak preview of next years number ones I think we are in for a very bleak time. If I was going to miss any year out on Popular it would almost certainly be next year. There has never been a huge correlation between what’s actually happening in music & the number one slot but next year there looks to be a complete disparity (unless you count a certain infamous number two).

By: SteveM

SteveM — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:36:52 +0000

Oh no, Mark ‘Oh! Actually I did like ‘Love Song’…

By: Jungman Jansson

Jungman Jansson — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:19:54 +0000

So THAT’s where Mark ‘Oh got the soppy aaah-ing in “Tears Don’t Lie” from. I had no idea.

By: LondonLee

LondonLee — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:42:49 +0000

Lucky, lucky bastards. Same as last time they won it.

By: Erithian

Erithian — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:49:01 +0000

The whole thing hung on such slender threads - if JT hadn’t slipped Chelsea would have won, but if Van der Sar hadn’t slipped they might not have equalised, if Tevez’ studs had been any longer it could have been 2-0, etc etc. I’ve always thought a penalty shootout means the two sides are equal in quality but someone has to be given the trophy. Hard not to feel sorry for JT, Lamps and Grant, although on the other hand I could watch Kenyon, Anelka and Cashley crying all night.

I mentioned earlier that “Manchester United” the no 50 hit single was written by Tony Hiller, one of the co-writers of “Save Your Kisses For Me”.

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:24:29 +0000

Man Utd at that stage also counted as one of the few acts whose chart career consisted solely of one week at number 50 - their imaginatively-titled 1976 effort “Manchester United.”

Lucky last night or what?

By: Erithian

Erithian — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:12:20 +0000

Slipping steadily down the charts that month, it’s worth noting today, were Manchester United, seemingly heading for the relegation places after eight defeats on the trot when skipper Martin Buchan was injured. Wonder if Waldo’s still speaking to me this morning?

The story goes that if Johnny Mathis hadn’t been signing a record deal on the same day as the US Olympic trials in 1956 he’d have been a shoo-in as a US entrant in the high jump. Can anyone verify this?

By: Snif

Snif — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:33:55 +0000

In the Antipodes we endured six weeks of Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now” at No. 1 - still, it was better than what was to follow.

By: Jonathan Bogart

Jonathan Bogart — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:23:50 +0000

I really only know Mathis from the beginning of his career in the 1950s, when he slotted somewhere between Sinatra and teen idols like Bobby Vinton. I don’t know about later, but then he had a tendency to oversing everything, much like the Pop/American Idols of today. He had the voice for it, but after entire albums of creamy falsettos and reaching-for-the-stars finales, I’m Mathised out.

By: Billy Smart

Billy Smart — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:20:58 +0000

Anticipate more on this theme when we get to 1999…

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:12:01 +0000

Not really - can’t find it on YouTube but it’s a regular on TOTP2.

Also, further down, the totally ghastly “Here’s To Love” by John Christie which turns “Auld Lang Syne” into a godawful plodding ballad.

By: SteveM

SteveM — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:04:29 +0000

and at #28 for this week I see Jethro Tull’s ‘Ring Out Solstice Bells’ - any cop?

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:26:22 +0000

We had it better.

By: vinylscot

vinylscot — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:24:17 +0000

Don’t know if we had it better or worse than the US - they were in the middle of EIGHT WEEKS of Rod Stewart’s “Tonight’s The Night” at the top.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:09:16 +0000

And lurking at 5, Mike Oldfield’s second ’seasonal’ hit in a row, Portsmouth. This and In Dulce Jubilo/On Horseback both neatly suggested Xmas without the need for “Christian rhymes”

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:58:43 +0000

I should point out here that had it not been for Johnny Mathis and Showaddywaddy the ‘76 Xmas number one would have been “Money Money Money.”

By: vinylscot

vinylscot — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:50:32 +0000

If my memory serves me right he wore a particularly unpleasant jumper on TOTP when this was out.

Another of these artists whose only #1 was undoubtedly NOT his best work.

Beyond that I’ve got nothing much to say - I always find it difficult to contextualise Christmas songs, because they become part of EVERY Christmas, not only of the one when we first heard them. I much preferred the St Andrews Chorale.

By: DJ Punctum

DJ Punctum — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:17:15 +0000

Johnny Mathis singing “Oh, the snot has caked against my pants” - This Afternoon’s Potential Greatest Thing Ever.

By: wichita lineman

wichita lineman — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:01:36 +0000

Shocking that the wonderful Misty only made no.12 in arguably pop’s worst ever year, 1960.

And the total change in Arthur Lee’s voice between the first Love album and Da Capo was down to the Mathis influence. No Johnny, no Forever Changes!

By: Kat but logged out innit

Kat but logged out innit — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:56:39 +0000

This got big rotation on Hits!TV last xmas - I agree that it’s about the first xmo, the forward-looking element is from the 3 wise men’s perspective of ‘hurray this baby here is going to benefit millions of dudes in the FUTURE! Our horoscopes said so!’

By: LondonLee

LondonLee — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:17:24 +0000

Love Johnny Mathis, and not in some “ironic” way either, the chap has a lovely voice. Saw him at the Albert Hall in the late 80s and he put on a bloody marvelous show. His version of ‘Misty’ always reduces me to a wobbly mess.

Like Tom said, the singer is better than the song here but I’d still give it a 6.