Although this track doesn’t technically qualify as a Christmas track it also doesn’t technically not qualify as Christmas music. Regardless of where this song should be lodged in the flowchart of musical data it is still worth a listen. And on a side note it’s one of the earliest mashup songs I’ve ever heard, even if the two tracks mashed together are a news broadcast and the song Silent Night. I also find it amazing that even after all these years, this song was recorded in 1966 and appeared on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (iTunes), this track still speaks mightily to the modern day political and cultural atmosphere we live in.
mp3 : Simon and Garfunkel - 7 O’Clock News (Silent Night)
This version of the song comes from an older compilation set called Collected Works which is no longer in production. It can now be found on another compilation album entitled Tales from New York. It’s one of my favorite tracks by this legendary duo and as politically charged as it is, I still think of this song around Christmas time.
This was redone in the last couple of years by Benjamin Wagner, with acoustic guitar and gentle singing accompanied by a contemporary evening news broadcast.
It was a nice effort, and a good reminder of the original. But the chills one gets from hearing this version come from realizing how little has changed.