Tied with Big Star’s “Jesus Christ” as my favorite religious rock song by an otherwise non-religious rock band is The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight”, a track which takes much of its lyrics directly from the King James. The google-challenged Band – in this writer’s opinion the greatest performing unit the rock world has ever produced (see Rock of Ages) – included the song on their final studio record, Islands, and it was the out-and-out highlight of a swansong that was as much a contractual obligation as a cohesive work of art. Not only was “Christmas Must Be Tonight” an unexpected shot of religious devotion, a topic they had only ever alluded to in passing, it was proof that if substance abuse and ego hadn’t sidelined the group at the end of the 70s, long may they (might) have run.
Oddly enough, “Christmas Must Be Tonight” is the only Band song that lead guitarist/songwriter Robbie Robertson – the world’s only half-Jewish, half-Mohawk Canadian rock star – ever re-recorded after he left the group. And he did so twice – once for the soundtrack of Bill Murray’s Scrooged! Robertson’s unrivaled storytelling gifts are on full display here, sadly the last time he would use them for over a decade. Of course, his subsequent Scorsese soundtrack work drew from the same wells. Enjoy:
One more bit of trivia: The Band’s multi-instrumentalist savant Garth Hudson is the only musician I know of to have made the successful transition from Anglican organist to rock star. He’s quoted as saying:
“The Anglican church has the best musical traditions of any church that I know of. It’s the old voice leading that gives it the countermelodies and adds all those classical devices which are not right out there, but which add a little texture.”
In that spirit, King Harvest Must Surely Come:
P.S. The only original Robbie Robertson composition to see the light of day from 1978 to 1987 was the little-heard and now tragically unavailable “Between Trains” off of the King of Comedy soundtrack. But man oh man did it not disappoint! He even got Richard Manual to sing back up and Garth Hudson to provide keys. As much as I enjoyed the non-Robertson 90s reunion albums from The Band, “Between Trains” represents the true last gasp of that group’s magic. You might even call it an epitaph, considering how much the song deals with death. Thank God for Youtube:
Love it!
and by the way, Levon Helm's new stuff is rather good, too.
Check this quote from Garth:
"There is a view that jazz is 'evil' because it comes from evil people, but actually the greatest priests on 52nd Street and on the streets of New York City were the musicians. They were doing the greatest healing work. They knew how to punch through music that would cure and make people feel good."
way to be DZ!
Love the Band….
mpm
btw- ever consider a piece on Voltron for describing the Body of Christ? Came up in a men's group and it sounded very Mockingbird…
Thanks Matt! I'm super into The Band at the moment. It's all I'm listening to in fact. I hope to cook up another post on them soon.
Voltron = Body of Christ sounds like very fertile ground. You should write something and send it to me! Pretty please?
[…] Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Band has been released. See David Zahl’s appreciation of The Band and Levon Helm here, and Robertson’s unexpectedly blessed Christmas Tune, Christmas Must Be Tonight, here. […]
Robbie wrote this song for his son who had been born 6 months earlier. He was Robbie’s 3rd child and his only son. What a gift being able to write a song for your child.
[…] surviving member of The Band and the only person I know of to make the successful transition from Anglican organist to rock legend. Alan Jacobs posted a touching tribute to soft-spoken Garth, and how can you not be […]