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104-585: Dylan said that, although he was born and raised Jewish (he converted to Christianity in the late 1970s), he never felt left out of Christmas during his childhood in Minnesota. Regarding the popularity of Christmas music, he said, "... it's so worldwide and everybody can relate to it in their own way". The album opened at No. 1 on the Billboard Holiday Album chart, No. 5 on the Folk Album chart, No. 10 on

208-427: A B-side in 1979 and on compilation Pure Dylan in 2011. "Ain't No Man Righteous" was covered by reggae group Jah Mallah, but no Dylan version was released until 2017. "Ye Shall Be Changed" was issued on The Bootleg Series Vol 1–3 . All three outtakes were also released on The Bootleg Series Vol. 13: Trouble No More 1979–1981 in 2017. As the album approached completion, Dylan was required to provide testimony in

312-836: A choir that included Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald (better known as folk music duo The Ditty Bops ). When asked in an interview if Dylan played classic recordings of Christmas songs for the musicians as reference points, Hidalgo responded: I mean, these songs, you know, they’ve been around forever and everybody knows them. And you have to be reverent, and you have to do them justice in a way. So, before we did ' Silver Bells ,' that first day, I think we listened to Bing Crosby and Dean Martin doing it. We’d listen to, say, ' The Christmas Song .' We’d listen to Nat King Cole ’s version, and we’d listen to Mel Tormé ’s version, and it would be like: Well, we can’t do that – but we’ll do something that works, we’ll make it our own. You know: to try and one-up Nat Cole isn’t going to happen. So we’d come up with

416-459: A course held at the Vineyard School of Discipleship, which would run four days a week over the course of three months. "At first I said, 'There's no way I can devote three months to this, ' " Dylan would say in a 1980 interview. " 'I've got to be back on the road soon.' But I was sleeping one day and I just sat up in bed at seven in the morning and I was compelled to get dressed and drive over to

520-451: A defamation-of-character suit brought against him by Patty Valentine, an eyewitness to the murders described in Dylan's song " Hurricane " from Desire . In a May 22 pre-trial deposition, Dylan was asked about his wealth. "You mean my treasure on earth?" replied Dylan. He was asked about the identity of the 'fool' in "Hurricane". Dylan said the 'fool' was "whoever Satan gave power to ... whoever

624-494: A different arrangement…Other songs, we’d listen to Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra doing the same song, Burl Ives doing the same song, we’d listen to The Louvin Brothers doing that same song, and just kind of pick a direction, you know, take elements from each one, and just kind of try and find something, until Bob felt the band had a feel for it. If we started playing and it wasn't happening, we’d go back and rethink things. There were

728-478: A drawing by Olivia De Berardinis of pinup Bettie Page dressed as Mrs. Claus . At Metacritic , the album currently holds a score of 62 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. While the unexpected move by Dylan to record a Christmas album was received with skepticism at first, the outcome of the project was lauded by critics for bringing a fresh breath of air into these classics. Slant Magazine ' s critic Jesse Cataldo awarded

832-469: A dream,‍—‌and lo, the good St. Nicholas came riding over the tops of the trees, in that self-same wagon wherein he brings his yearly presents to children, and he descended hard by where the heroes of Communipaw had made their late repast. And he lit his pipe by the fire, and sat himself down and smoked; and as he smoked, the smoke from his pipe ascended into the air and spread like a cloud overhead. And Oloffe bethought him, and he hastened and climbed up to

936-555: A few times we’d do a song and Bob would take it home and listen to it overnight, and next day he’d come back: 'Let’s try that again. We’ll do a different take on it'. It was wide open the way he works. In an interview published by Street News Service , journalist Bill Flanagan asked Dylan why he had performed the songs in a straightforward style, and Dylan responded: There wasn't any other way to play it. These songs are part of my life, just like folk songs. You have to play them straight too. When Flanagan reported that some critics thought

1040-444: A fight and leaves the party by jumping through a living-room window. In the closing scene, Dylan and Santa Claus are on the front porch together watching the rabble-rouser's departure. As of Christmastime 2023, the video had been viewed over seven-and-a-half million times on YouTube, significantly more times than the next most popular versions of the song (i.e., those recorded by Mitch Miller , Raffi , and Brave Combo). "Must Be Santa"

1144-419: A friend of writer Washington Irving and member of the same literary society – may have acquired some of his knowledge of New York Dutch traditions from Irving. Irving had written A History of New York in 1809 under the name of "Dietrich Knickerbocker". It includes several references to legends of Saint Nicholas, including the following that bears a close relationship to the poem: And the sage Oloffe dreamed

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1248-458: A great record, full of mean-spirited spirituality. It's a genuinely nasty record, certainly the nastiest 'Christian' album I've ever come across." All tracks are written by Bob Dylan Technical personnel Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. A Visit from St. Nicholas " A Visit from St. Nicholas ", routinely referred to as " The Night Before Christmas " and " ' Twas

1352-878: A large ensemble. It was the beginning of six months of touring North America, performing his new music to believers and his hecklers alike. Despite the mixed reactions to Dylan's new direction, "Gotta Serve Somebody" was a US Top 30 hit, and the album outsold both Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde in its first year of release despite missing the top of the charts. It even managed to place at No. 38 on The Village Voice ' s Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1979, proving he had some critical support if not universal acclaim. During this period, Dylan refused to play any of his older compositions, as well as any secular material. Though Pastor Larry Myers had assured Dylan that his old compositions were not sacrilegious, Dylan would say he would not "sing any song which hasn't been given to me by

1456-484: A letter titled "From Saint Nicholas" that may have predated 1823. Foster also contends that Moore hated tobacco and would, therefore, never have depicted Saint Nicholas with a pipe. However, Kaller notes, the source of evidence for Moore's supposed disapproval of tobacco is The Wine Drinker , another poem by him. In actuality, that verse contradicts such a claim. Moore's The Wine Drinker criticizes self-righteous, hypocritical advocates of temperance who secretly indulge in

1560-515: A list of Dylan's best songs of the 21st century. The Big Issue listed the same song as #65 on a list of the "80 best Bob Dylan songs – that aren't the greatest hits". It was the only track included from Christmas in the Heart and an article accompanying the list proclaimed it to be "the best-ever Christmas album!" Dylan's version of the song has also proven influential on other artists: both She & Him , in 2016, and Kurt Vile , in 2022, have recorded

1664-554: A literary source, [Dylan] now made its allegories come out in black and white." In an interview taken in 1985, Dylan would say, "What I learned in Bible school was just ... an extension of the same thing I believed in all along, but just couldn't verbalize or articulate ... People who believe in the coming of the Messiah live their lives right now, as if He was here. That's my idea of it, anyway. I know people are going to say to themselves, 'What

1768-477: A lot of those songs beforehand," recalls Knopfler. "And they might be in a very different form when he's just hittin' the piano, and maybe I'd make suggestions about the tempo or whatever. Or I'd say, 'What about a twelve-string ?'" When sessions were held in Alabama, Dylan retained only two members from his 1978 touring band: Helena Springs and Carolyn Dennis , both background singers. Veteran bassist Tim Drummond

1872-400: A more 'live' sound even though overdubs on the 24-track recordings were virtually expected. "Bob began playing and singing along with the musicians," recalls Wexler. "We were in the first stages of building rhythm arrangements; it was too soon for him to sing, but he sang on every take anyway. I finally persuaded him to hold off on the vocals until later, when the arrangements were in shape and

1976-425: A relative of Dr Moores in her Album" and second, "by a friend of hers, from Troy". Moore preferred to be known for his more scholarly works, but allowed the poem to be included in his anthology in 1844 at the request of his children. By that time, the original publisher and at least seven others had already acknowledged his authorship. Livingston family lore gives credit to their forebear rather than Moore, but there

2080-445: A repertoire of Christmas songs that genuinely sound like modern material, while avoiding ever being cliché. The critic for Tiny Mix Tapes rated the album 4 stars out of 5, writing: On Christmas in the Heart ... it's not the heat, but the bitter cold, the kind you feel in northern Minnesnowta[sic]. These are traditional numbers, aged but not antiquated. In keeping with releases like Good as I Been to You and World Gone Wrong ,

2184-410: A reputation as an erudite professor and had not wished at first to be connected with the unscholarly verse. He included it in the anthology at the insistence of his children, for whom he had originally written the piece. Moore's conception of Saint Nicholas was borrowed from his friend Washington Irving , but Moore portrayed his "jolly old elf" as arriving on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. At

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2288-504: A result, "New Yorkers embraced Moore's child-centered version of Christmas as if they had been doing it all their lives." In An American Anthology, 1787–1900 , editor Edmund Clarence Stedman reprinted the Moore version of the poem, including the Dutch spelling of "Donder" and German spelling of "Blitzen" that he adopted, rather than the version from 1823 "Dunder and Blixem" that is more similar to

2392-471: A tailored, big funk sound, which he didn't have on his records. He wanted a little more precision, a little more musical input. It was something he felt was time." According to Wexler, it was his, not Dylan's, initiative to bring in Knopfler: that was "the innovative part of it...Instead of going with the regular Muscle Shoals section, I changed it a little bit." Studio recording had become much more complex during

2496-493: A version of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" as part of her 1955 album Happy Holiday . The first completely musical rendition, that used the text of the poem in its entirety without material additions or alterations, was the cantata "A Visit from St. Nicholas" composed by Lucian W. Dressel in 1992 and first performed by the Webster University Orchestra, SATB Soloists, and Chorus. More recent performances of

2600-587: A view long espoused by the Livingston family. Livingston was distantly related to Moore's wife. Foster's claim, however, has been countered by document dealer and historian Seth Kaller, who once owned one of Moore's original manuscripts of the poem. Kaller has offered a point-by-point rebuttal of both Foster's linguistic analysis and external findings, buttressed by the work of autograph expert James Lowe and Joe Nickell , author of Pen, Ink and Evidence. On January 20, 1829, Troy editor Orville L. Holley alluded to

2704-453: A week after recording the master take. "No Man Righteous (Not No One)" (ultimately left off Slow Train Coming ) was constructed in similar fashion. As Heylin notes, Dylan also broke from his "usual practice of recording songs without running them down for the musicians." "Bob might run it down on piano or guitar, just singing and playing the background until we had a rough shape in our minds; then

2808-715: Is coming back to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem for a thousand years." As Heylin writes, "[Dylan's] belief in the imminence of the End was reflected in almost all of the songs he now found himself writing." Dylan would later say in an interview taken in 1984, "The songs that I wrote for the Slow Train album [frightened me] ... I didn't plan to write them ... I didn't like writing them. I didn't want to write them." "Precious Angel", "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking", "When You Gonna Wake Up?" and " When He Returns " all "drew heavily and directly upon

2912-615: Is his best album since Blood on the Tracks . The singing is passionate and detailed." Reviewing the album in Rolling Stone , Jann Wenner proclaimed it "one of the finest records Dylan has ever made". However, in an interview in Rolling Stone , Ann Druyan stated "The thing that I always loved about Dylan was the courage of his metaphors and the way he could cut to the bone of some kind of naked feeling. It always seemed very gutsy. And now it seems that he's turned away, he's blinded by

3016-415: Is largely responsible for some of the conceptions of Santa Claus from the mid-19th century to today. It has had a massive effect on the history of Christmas gift-giving. Before the poem gained wide popularity, American ideas had varied considerably about Saint Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors. "A Visit from St. Nicholas" eventually was set to music and has been recorded by several artists. On

3120-514: Is more optimistic than Moore's poetry published in his own name. But Stephen Nissenbaum argues in Battle for Christmas that the poem could have been a social satire of the Victorianization of Christmas. Kaller claims that Foster cherry-picked only the poems that fit his thesis and that many of Moore's unpublished works have a tenor, phraseology, and meter similar to "A Visit". Moore had even written

3224-457: Is no proof that Livingston himself ever claimed authorship, nor has any record ever been found of any printing of the poem with Livingston's name attached to it, despite more than 40 years of searches. Advocates for Livingston's authorship argue that Moore "tried at first to disavow" the poem. They also posit that Moore falsely claimed to have translated a book. Document dealer and historian Seth Kaller has challenged both claims. Kaller examined

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3328-460: Is that he had a very profound experience which answered certain lifelong issues for him." Hints of Dylan's newfound faith began to appear publicly. In the final four weeks of the tour, Dylan could be seen wearing the same silver cross that catalyzed his conversion. During performances of " Tangled Up in Blue ", lyrics were replaced with explicit references to the Bible. As Heylin writes, "Rather than having

3432-467: Is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan , released on August 20, 1979, by Columbia Records . It was Dylan's first album following his conversion to Christianity , and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan's existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming

3536-605: The Muscle Shoals Sound," writes Clinton Heylin. Like Knopfler, when Wexler agreed to produce, he was unaware of the nature of the material that awaited him. "Naturally, I wanted to do the album in Muscle Shoals—as Bob did—but we decided to prep it in L.A., where Bob lived," recalls Wexler. "That's when I learned what the songs were about: born-again Christians in the old corral ... I liked the irony of Bob coming to me,

3640-569: The Vineyard Fellowship , a Christian organization introduced to them by T-Bone Burnett . Helena Springs , one of the singers in the band, was brought up Christian and still practiced her faith. Dylan was also romantically linked with Mary Alice Artes; raised as a Christian, she had strayed from her faith only to return to it after joining the Vineyard Fellowship (without the influence of Burnett, Soles or Mansfield). At one meeting with

3744-607: The Wandering Jew , to get the Jesus feel ... [But] I had no idea he was on this born-again Christian trip until he started to evangelize me. I said, 'Bob, you're dealing with a sixty-two-year-old confirmed Jewish atheist . I'm hopeless. Let's just make an album.'" Knopfler voiced his concerns to his manager, Ed Bicknell, remarking that "all these songs are about God," but he was also impressed with Dylan's professionalism. "Bob and I ran down

3848-472: The 1970s, and after his struggles recording the large ensemble performances of Street-Legal , Dylan was resolute in hiring an experienced producer he could trust. He was familiar with Wexler's celebrated work with Aretha Franklin , Wilson Pickett , Percy Sledge , Dusty Springfield , and other soul artists. "Synonymous with a small studio in Sheffield, Alabama, the sixties Atlantic recordings of Wexler defined

3952-481: The 21st century in an article for Poetic Justice Magazine . It's a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone—12 million of those children—often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season. Bob Dylan Feeding America received Dylan's royalties from sales in

4056-468: The 2:10 mark) and home movies that have been rotoscoped with water colors and crayons to tell a modern version of the story of the Nativity of Jesus in the song's lyrics. The video, described by one critic as "the most beautiful Christmas gift Bob Dylan could give his fans", premiered on Amazon as part of the company's "12 Days of Christmas" promotion with the site linking directly to Feeding America , one of

4160-501: The Bible school." Pastor Gulliksen would later say, "It was an intensive course studying about the life of Jesus; principles of discipleship ; the Sermon on the Mount ; what it is to be a believer; how to grow; how to share ... but at the same time a good solid Bible-study overview type of ministry." As Heylin writes, "A well-read man, for whom the Bible had previously been little more than

4264-505: The Book of Revelation," notes Heylin. "In the early months of 1979, Dylan was writing his most message-driven album in sixteen years. This time, though, the pursuit of the millennium had overtaken more sociopolitical concerns." Dylan first heard Mark Knopfler when assistant and engineer Arthur Rosato played him the Dire Straits single " Sultans of Swing ". Later, on March 29, 1979, Dylan caught

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4368-516: The Fellowship certainly shared the ' born again ' precepts of more right-wing credos—believing such a change was an awakening from original sin ('Adam given the Devil reign/Because he sinned I got no choice')—it represented a more joyous baptism of faith." As Mansfield would say, "a big part of the fellowship of that church was music." Under the guidance of the Vineyard Fellowship, Dylan was asked to attend

4472-532: The Heart is credited to Coco Shinomiya who had designed Dylan's previous album Together Through Life . The album's cover, an illustration of a sleigh ride in a snowy landscape, is from an antique print. The back cover, an illustration of the Biblical Magi , is by artist Edwin Fotheringham. The inner sleeves feature a black-and-white photo by Leonard Freed of four musicians wearing Santa Claus suits as well as

4576-532: The Lord to sing". Fans wishing to hear his older songs openly expressed their disappointment. Hecklers continued to appear at his concerts, only to be answered by lectures from the stage. Dylan was firmly entrenched in his evangelical ways, and it would continue through his next album, whether his audience would follow or not. When asked "What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?" Nick Cave replied: "I guess it's Slow Train Coming by Bob Dylan. That's

4680-564: The Muscle Shoals band would start to play it," recalls Wexler. "As soon as it sounded right, Bob and the girls would start to sing." Unlike his previous album sessions, Slow Train Coming sessions would run smoothly and efficiently after a slow start. The basic tracks for the remaining ten songs were recorded in just six three-hour sessions over a period of three days. The first takes of "I Believe in You" and "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking" would become

4784-481: The Night Before Christmas " from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously under the title " Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas " in 1823. Authorship has been attributed to Clement Clarke Moore , who claimed authorship in 1837, but it has also been suggested that Henry Livingston Jr. may have written it. The poem has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American" and

4888-548: The Rock Album chart and No. 23 on the overall album charts. As with most of Dylan's 21st century output, he produced it himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost . The album was recorded at Jackson Browne 's Groove Masters Studio in Santa Monica . In addition to Dylan's Never Ending Tour band, the sessions featured contributions from other musicians including Los Lobos ' David Hidalgo , Chess Records veteran Phil Upchurch, and

4992-446: The US, where it reached No. 3 . A high-definition 5.1 surround sound edition of the album was released on SACD by Columbia in 2003. By November 1978, Dylan had received some of the worst reviews of his career. In late January, he finally premiered Renaldo and Clara , the part-fiction, part-concert film shot in the fall of 1975, during the first Rolling Thunder Revue tour. Though

5096-825: The USA, while two further charities, the United Nations ' World Food Programme and Crisis in the UK, received royalties from overseas sales. Dylan said: "That the problem of hunger is ultimately solvable means we must each do what we can to help feed those who are suffering and support efforts to find long-term solutions. I'm honoured to partner with the World Food Programme and Crisis in their fight against hunger and homelessness". Additional musicians Technical Artwork Slow Train Coming Slow Train Coming

5200-615: The Vineyard Church. His book, The Late Great Planet Earth (1970), became Dylan's second Bible and added an apocalyptic edge to his worldview". According to Lindsey, current world events had been foretold in the apocalyptic tracts of the Bible," Heylin continued. "His basic premise, in The Late Great Planet Earth , was that the events revealed to St. John in Revelation corresponded with 20th century history, starting with

5304-402: The Vineyard Fellowship, Artes approached pastor Kenn Gulliksen, seeking pastoral guidance for Dylan. Pastors Larry Myers and Paul Emond were sent to Dylan's home where they ministered to him. As Heylin writes, "by embracing the brand of Christianity advocated by the Vineyard Fellowship, Dylan was about to become, in popular perception, just another Bible-[thumping] fundamentalist . In fact, though

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5408-402: The album 4 stars out of 5 and said: This enjoyable sense of exploration, which prizes levity in a genre that usually amounts to an artistic wasteland, is invaluable. It also proves how much life is left in the songs, and how much other artists have succeeded at butchering them. Se7en magazine's critic agreed, writing: The arrangement of his band mixes up the style of the songs, resulting in

5512-598: The album features Dylan exorcising the musical spirits of the land. Some will rank it among other gimcrack releases, like Dylan & the Dead . Still others will categorize it as an oddity, like Self Portrait . It's all and none of these. These songs are Dylan's latest exploits, but they're deathly sincere (and jolly), as serious and kitschy as Theme Time Radio Hour . It's the music that introduces old Disney films, an album as dense and allusive as his other recent outings. In 2020, Rolling Stone placed " Must Be Santa " 24th on

5616-415: The album was an ironic treatment of Christmas songs, Dylan responded: Critics like that are on the outside looking in. They are definitely not fans or the audience that I play to. They would have no gut level understanding of me and my work, what I can and can't do—the scope of it all. Even at this point in time they still don't know what to make of me. Nash Edgerton directed an official music video for

5720-709: The album was ready for issue, and pre-release copies of Slow Train Coming circulated through the press. New Musical Express would proclaim "Dylan & God – It's Official". In a year when Van Morrison and Patti Smith released their own spiritual works in Into the Music and Wave , respectively, Dylan's album seemed vitriolic and bitter in comparison. Critic Charles Shaar Murray wrote, "Bob Dylan has never seemed more perfect and more impressive than on this album. He has also never seemed more unpleasant and hate-filled." Greil Marcus wrote, "Dylan's received truths never threaten

5824-673: The album. In the meantime, Dylan's latest tour was getting its own share of negative reviews, many of which reflected the negative criticism which greeted the American release of Bob Dylan at Budokan , taken from performances in February and March 1978. Yet Dylan was in good spirits, according to his own account: "I was doing fine. I had come a long way in just the year we were on the road [in 1978]." This would change on November 17 in San Diego, California . As Clinton Heylin reports, "the show itself

5928-587: The astonished Van Kortlandt a very significant look; then, mounting his wagon, he returned over the tree-tops and disappeared. MacDonald P. Jackson , a professor emeritus at the University of Auckland and a fellow at the Royal Society of New Zealand , authored a book in 2016, Who Wrote "The Night Before Christmas"?: Analyzing the Clement Clarke Moore Vs. Henry Livingston Question , in which he evaluates

6032-495: The author of the Christmas poem, using terms that accurately described Moore as a native and current resident of New York City, and as "a gentleman of more merit as a scholar and a writer than many of more noisy pretensions". In December 1833, a diary entry by Francis P. Lee, a student at General Theological Seminary when Moore taught there, referred to a holiday figure of St. Nicholas as being "robed in fur, and dressed according to

6136-593: The basic tracks for the masters. The final song recorded was " When He Returns ". Its role as the album's closer was already decided, but Dylan planned on having Springs or Dennis sing the lead vocal. After recording a guide vocal, backed by Beckett on piano, he reconsidered. As Heylin suggested, Beckett's "strident accompaniment made him think again." Dylan practiced singing "When He Returns" overnight before laying down eight vocal takes over Beckett's original piano track. The final take, described by Heylin as "perhaps Dylan's strongest studio vocal since ' Visions of Johanna ',"

6240-413: The book in question, A Complete Treatise on Merinos and Other Sheep , as well as many letters signed by Moore, and found that the "signature" was not penned by Moore, and thus provides no evidence that Moore made any plagiaristic claim. Kaller's findings were confirmed by autograph expert James Lowe, by Dr. Joe Nickell, the author of Pen, Ink & Evidence, and by others. According to Kaller, Moore's name

6344-477: The breast of the new fallen snow ... etc.". and rewrote and replaced many others such as "the prancing and pawing of each little hoof" with "the clattering noise of each galloping hoof"), by the American composer Ken Darby (1909–1992), whose version was recorded by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians three separate times; in 1942, 1955, and 1963. The latter 1963 stereo recording for Capitol Records became

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6448-574: The cantata have been performed by regional orchestras and choruses in Missouri, Illinois and Colorado. Four hand-written copies of the poem are known to exist and three are in museums, including the New-York Historical Society library. The fourth copy, written out and signed by Clement Clarke Moore as a gift to a friend in 1860, was sold by one private collector to another in December 2006. It

6552-456: The charities benefiting from Christmas in the Heart 's royalties. Dylan released a statement on Amazon along with the video, saying, "Happy Holidays Friends. Since this season is all about giving, I’d like to take a moment and mention the good people at Feeding America. They provide meals for over 25 million hungry Americans each year. If you have a moment, you can join me in contributing to this worthy charity". The package design of Christmas in

6656-534: The description of Prof. Moore in his poem". Four poems including A Visit from St. Nicholas appeared under Moore's name in The New-York Book of Poetry , edited by Charles Fenno Hoffman (New York: George Dearborn, 1837). The Christmas poem appears on pp. 217–19, credited to "Clement C. Moore". Moore stated in a letter to the editor of the New York American (published on March 1, 1844) that he "gave

6760-504: The final show of a Dire Straits ' residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, California . Dylan approached Knopfler after the show, asking the guitarist to participate on his next album. Knopfler agreed, unaware of the religious nature of the material that awaited him. Dylan also approached Jerry Wexler to produce the upcoming sessions. "What he wanted", Wexler told interviewer Ted Fox, "was more of

6864-413: The fireplace, and laughs to himself. They share a conspiratorial moment before Santa bounds up the chimney again. As he flies away, Santa calls out "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night." The authorship of A Visit is credited to Clement Clarke Moore who is said to have composed it on a snowy winter's day during a shopping trip on a sleigh . His inspiration for the character of Saint Nicholas

6968-499: The first song he had ever written around a dictum from the Bible, indeed a saying directly attributed to Jesus himself: 'All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean' ( Matthew 7:12 )." Dylan was not alone in his religious awakening. Band members Steven Soles and David Mansfield had already joined

7072-415: The fuck is this guy talking about?' but it's all there in black and white, the written and unwritten word. I don't have to defend this. The scriptures back me up." Through his Bible classes, Dylan became acquainted with "the works of Hal Lindsey , the man to whom God in his infinite wisdom had revealed the true code of Revelation," writes Heylin. "Though no saint himself, Lindsey was closely associated with

7176-461: The house of Israel, and with the house of Judah' ( Jeremiah 31 :31 )." Dylan also began writing songs that would reflect his new spirituality. During soundchecks on the final two weeks of the tour, he worked on a new song called " Slow Train ". At the final show in Hollywood, Florida , he would introduce a new song to his audience: "Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)". According to Heylin, it "was

7280-513: The last days, perilous times shall be at hand. Men shall become lovers of their own selves. Blasphemous, heavy and highminded.' ... Take a look at the Middle East. We're heading for a war ... I told you ' The Times They Are A-Changin' ' and they did. I said the answer was ' Blowin' in the Wind ' and it was. I'm telling you now Jesus is coming back, and He is! And there is no other way of salvation ... Jesus

7384-533: The light, and so he looks for some easy explanation." On October 20, 1979, Dylan promoted the album with his first—and, to date, only—appearance on Saturday Night Live , performing "Gotta Serve Somebody", "I Believe in You", and "When You Gonna Wake Up". On November 1, Dylan began a lengthy residency at the Fox Warfield Theater in San Francisco, California , playing a total of fourteen dates supported by

7488-533: The most familiar of the poem's musical adaptations. Christmas song-writing specialist Johnny Marks also composed a short version in 1952, titled "The Night Before Christmas Song", which has been recorded multiple times, and was used in the soundtrack for the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , sung by Burl Ives , which does not appear in the television special. It was also arranged for choir by Lee Kjelson and Margaret Shelley Vance . The poem

7592-508: The mysterious lady in the topless bar quoting an Italian poet from the 13th century [sic], she was quoting from the Bible, initially from the Gospel According to Matthew . Gradually, though, the lines changed, until he settled upon a verse from Jeremiah —the one he would quote on the inner sleeve of the Saved album: 'Behold, the days come, sayeth the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with

7696-423: The night of Christmas Eve , a family is settling down to sleep when the father is awakened by noises on their lawn. Looking out the window, he sees Santa Claus , also known as Saint Nicholas , in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer . After landing his sleigh on the roof, Santa gets down the chimney. He carries a sack of toys, and the father watches his visitor deliver presents and fill the stockings hanging by

7800-430: The old Dutch "Donder en Blixem" that translates to " Thunder and Lightning ". Moore's connection with the poem has been questioned by Professor Donald Foster , who used textual content analysis and external evidence to argue that Moore could not have been the author. Foster believes that Major Henry Livingston Jr. , a New Yorker with Dutch and Scottish roots, should be considered the chief candidate for authorship,

7904-413: The opposing arguments, using author-attribution techniques of modern computational stylistics to examine the long-standing controversy. Employing a range of tests, including a statistical analysis of phonemes, Jackson contends that Livingston authored the classic poem. Parts of the poem have been set to music numerous times, including a bowdlerized version (that omitted several verses such as "The moon on

8008-534: The performances were well-received, the overwhelming majority of film reviews were negative, particularly those by The Village Voice , which printed four negative reviews by four different critics. Though critical reception in the United Kingdom was kinder, with some British critics proclaiming it a major work, his most recent album, Street-Legal , was also received poorly by most American critics. Charges of sexism, poor production, and poor writing were thrown at

8112-689: The players could place their licks around—not against—Bob." As the sessions wore on, Wexler's techniques seemed more accommodating. Once arrangements were set, Dylan could focus on recording a strong vocal track while subsequent overdubs would fill in the gaps. As Heylin describes it, the basic tracks with "lead vocals intact [were] laid down before Dylan's boredom threshold was reached. Adding and redoing bass parts, acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals, horns, organ, electric piano, and percussion would require their own set of sessions, but by then Dylan could be an interested observer." For "Precious Angel", bass, guitar, organ, and horns would all be overdubbed

8216-418: The poem in Moore's handwriting, forwarded by T. W. C. Moore along with a cover letter dated March 15, 1862, giving circumstances of the poem's original composition and transmission after a personal "interview" with Clement C. Moore. After "A Visit from St. Nicholas" appeared under Moore's name in the 1837 New-York Book of Poetry , newspaper printings of the poem often credited Moore as the author. For example,

8320-620: The poem is credited to "Professor Moore" in the December 25, 1837 Pennsylvania Inquirer and Daily Courier . Although Moore did not authorize the earliest publication of the poem in the Troy Sentinel , he had close ties to Troy through the Protestant Episcopal Church that could explain how it got there. Harriet Butler of Troy, New York (daughter of the Rev. David Butler) who allegedly showed the poem to Sentinel editor Orville L. Holley ,

8424-457: The poem was included in two 1840 anthologies, attributed to "Clement C. Moore" in Selections from The American Poets , edited by William Cullen Bryant (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1840), pp. 285–86; and to "C. C. Moore" in the first volume of The Poets of America , edited by John Keese (New York: S. Colman, 1840), pp. 102–04. The New-York Historical Society has a later manuscript of

8528-480: The publisher" of The New-York Book of Poetry "several pieces, among which was the 'Visit from St. Nicholas.'" Admitting that he wrote it "not for publication, but to amuse my children," Moore claimed the Christmas poem in this 1844 letter as his "literary property, however small the intrinsic value of that property may be". "A Visit from St. Nicholas" appears on pp. 124–27 in Moore's volume of collected Poems (New York: Bartlett and Welford, 1844). Prior to 1844,

8632-505: The re-establishment of the Jews' homeland, Israel . By identifying Russia as Magog and Iran as Gog —the confederation responsible for instigating the final conflict, the Battle of Armageddon —Lindsey prophesied an imminent End." In later shows, Dylan would reflect these beliefs on stage. At one show in the fall of 1979, Dylan said, "You know we're living in the end times ... The scriptures say, 'In

8736-401: The song " Must Be Santa " that was released on November 16, 2009 and described as "bonkers" by Rolling Stone . The video depicts Dylan and some holiday revelers lip synching the song at a raucous Christmas house party. Count Smokula makes an unexpected appearance as an accordion player, miming the accordion part that David Hidalgo played on the actual recording. One of the guests instigates

8840-603: The song in versions directly inspired by Dylan's. Stereogum ran an article to coincide with Dylan's 80th birthday on May 24, 2021 in which 80 musicians were asked to name their favorite Dylan song. Girl Band 's Dara Kiely selected "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" from Christmas in the Heart, noting, "It is earnest yet fun, serious yet joyful. His voice makes sense and he still means every word". Singer/songwriter Elliott Murphy cited Dylan's performance of " Here Comes Santa Claus " on this album as one of his top 10 songs of

8944-507: The stage. Once in a while I do. Sometimes I don't. But I looked down at that cross. I said, 'I gotta pick that up.' So I picked up the cross and I put it in my pocket ... And I brought it backstage and I brought it with me to the next town, which was out in Arizona ... I was feeling even worse than I'd felt when I was in San Diego. I said, 'Well, I need something tonight.' I didn't know what it was. I

9048-509: The substances which they publicly oppose, and supports the social use of tobacco in moderation and wine and opium , which was more acceptable then than now. Foster also asserts that Livingston's mother was Dutch , which accounts for the references to the Dutch Sinteklaes tradition and the use of the Dutch names "Dunder and Blixem". Against this claim, it is suggested by Kaller that Moore –

9152-414: The time that Moore wrote the poem, Christmas Day was overtaking New Year's Day as the preferred genteel family holiday of the season, but some Protestants viewed Christmas as the result of "Catholic ignorance and deception" and still had reservations. By having Saint Nicholas arrive the night before, Moore "deftly shifted the focus away from Christmas Day with its still-problematic religious associations". As

9256-542: The top of one of the tallest trees, and saw that the smoke spread over a great extent of country; and as he considered it more attentively, he fancied that the great volume of smoke assumed a variety of marvelous forms, where in dim obscurity he saw shadowed out palaces and domes and lofty spires, all of which lasted but a moment, and then faded away, until the whole rolled off, and nothing but the green woods were left. And when St. Nicholas had smoked his pipe, he twisted it in his hatband, and laying his finger beside his nose, gave

9360-458: The unbeliever, they only chill the soul" and accused Dylan of "sell[ing] a prepackaged doctrine he's received from someone else." According to Clinton Heylin, "Marcus isolated Slow Train Coming' s greatest flaw, an inevitable by-product of his determination to capture the immediacy of newfound faith in song." Robert Christgau gave a mostly positive review, grading it a B+. "The lyrics are indifferently crafted," wrote Christgau. "Nevertheless, this

9464-496: Was a family friend of Moore's and possibly a distant relative. A letter to Moore from the publisher Norman Tuttle states, "I understand from Mr. Holley that he received it from Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Mr. Daniel Sackett who was then a merchant in this city". The reported involvement of two women, Harriet Butler and Sarah Sackett, as intermediaries is consistent with the 1862 account of the poem's earliest transmission in which T. W. C. Moore describes two stages of copying, first "by

9568-479: Was a local Dutch handyman as well as the historic Saint Nicholas . Moore originated many of the features that are still associated with Santa Claus today while borrowing other aspects, such as the use of reindeer. The poem was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823, having been sent there by a friend of Moore, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. It

9672-669: Was a physical thing. I felt it. I felt it all over me. I felt my whole body tremble. The glory of the Lord knocked me down and picked me up." Heylin writes that "his state of mind may well have made him susceptible to such an experience. Lacking a sense of purpose in his personal life since the collapse of his marriage, he came to believe that, when Jesus revealed Himself, He quite literally rescued him from an early grave." "[Dylan's] conversion wasn't one of those things that happens when an alcoholic goes to Alcoholics Anonymous ," David Mansfield , one of Dylan's band members and fellow-born-again Christian, would later say. "The simplest explanation

9776-499: Was also released as a music video ecard and a 7" single, the B-side of which is a recording of Dylan reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that was first broadcast on Theme Time Radio Hour . Dylan released a second music video to promote Christmas in the Heart , for " The Little Drummer Boy ", on December 9, 2009. Directed by artist/filmmaker Jeff Scher , the video features images from classic films (actress Jane Greer appears at

9880-488: Was also set to music by British child composer Alma Deutscher (b. 2005). In 1953, Perry Como recorded a recitation of the poem for RCA Victor with background music arranged and conducted by Mitchell Ayres . Louis Armstrong recited the poem in a March 1971 recording made only four months before his death. It was recorded at his home in Corona, Queens and released as 45rpm by Continental Records. Jo Stafford recorded

9984-589: Was blind to the truth and was living by his own truth." Five days later, Dylan's pre-trial statement was reported in The Washington Post , which also interviewed Kenn Gulliksen, who revealed to the paper that Dylan had joined the Vineyard Christian Fellowship. By June, with the album virtually finished, Dylan gave London's Capital Radio station an acetate disc of "Precious Angel", which premiered on Roger Scott's afternoon radio show. By July,

10088-423: Was first attributed in print to Moore in 1837. In 1842, the noted poet and editor William Cullen Bryant credited Moore as the author when he included the piece in an anthology of American poetry he had compiled. Moore himself acknowledged authorship when he included it in his own book of poems in 1844. By then, the original publisher and at least seven others had already acknowledged his authorship. Moore had

10192-644: Was hired, as was Dire Straits ' drummer Pick Withers on Knopfler's recommendation. Keyboardist Barry Beckett and the Muscle Shoals Horns , both key elements of the celebrated Muscle Shoals Sound, were also brought in.” The first session was held on April 30; it proved to be very difficult. Much of the day was dedicated to recording "Trouble in Mind," a song that was ultimately left off Slow Train Coming . Wexler criticized Dylan for unnecessarily vocalizing while Dylan refused to wear headphones, adamant that they pursue

10296-507: Was likely written on the book by a New-York Historical Society cataloger to indicate that it had been a gift from Moore to the Society. The following points have been advanced in order to credit the poem to Major Henry Livingston Jr.: Livingston also wrote poetry primarily using an anapaestic metrical scheme, and it is claimed that some of the phraseology of "A Visit" is consistent with other poems by Livingston, and that Livingston's poetry

10400-468: Was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music . The album was generally well-reviewed by music critics, and the single " Gotta Serve Somebody " became his first hit in three years, winning Dylan the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 on the charts in the UK and went platinum in

10504-452: Was proving to be very physically demanding, but then, he perhaps reasoned, he'd played a gig in Montreal a month earlier with a temperature of 105." "Towards the end of the show someone out in the crowd ... knew I wasn't feeling too well," recalled Dylan in a 1979 interview. "I think they could see that. And they threw a silver cross on the stage. Now usually I don't pick things up in front of

10608-536: Was purchased for $ 280,000 by an unnamed "chief executive officer of a media company" who resides in New York City, according to Heritage Auctions which brokered the private sale. The poem is read or recited in numerous Christmas films , including Prancer (1989), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), The Santa Clause (1994), Reindeer Games (2000), and Falling for Christmas (2016). It also inspired two television specials called ' Twas

10712-400: Was selected as the master. Wexler convinced Dylan to overdub new vocals for "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking" and "When You Gonna Wake Up?", but otherwise the overdubbing sessions held the following week focused on instrumental overdubbing. Dylan recorded three additional songs during these sessions, but these did not make the final cut for Slow Train Coming . "Trouble in Mind" was issued as

10816-418: Was used to all kinds of things. I said, 'I need something tonight that I didn't have before.' And I looked in my pocket and I had this cross." Dylan believed he had experienced a vision of Christ in his Tucson hotel room. "Jesus did appear to me as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords," he would later say. "There was a presence in the room that couldn't have been anybody but Jesus ... Jesus put his hand on me. It

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