Christmas time brings forth a whole other wave of music that dominates the airwaves, commercials, and music stations of the world in a joint celebration of this wonderful, heartwarming time. For the most part, the classics are in full swing; Mariah Carey is on practically every radio station, and people are trying their hardest to win Whamageddon by avoiding the certain playing of “Last Christmas’ ‘ for as long as they can.
Some of the non-commercial Christmas successes that have been traditionally associated with this festive time are the carols “Silent Night”, “Oh Come Ye All Faithful”, and the topic of today’s article: “Oh Holy Night”. This song in particular has been performed the world over in celebration of Jesus Christ, and in 2015 an Irish vocal band released their own rendition of the Christmas classic. Watch their well-produced video below:
Recorded at Crookedwood Studios, it’s immediately apparent that this 6-piece vocal band from Ireland has real talent. With one member playing guitar and singing, whilst the others provide their own vocal contributions that eventually create a touching cacophony, it’s hard not to get emotional to this revival of a Christmas classic. This band has an incredibly short history that could have gone much further; thankfully, they were able to provide us with this musical treat before disbanding.
It’s hard to determine when “Oh Holy Night” first came into Christmas circulation, but its story is heavily rooted in both Christmas and Christianity itself. According to some sources, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, the carol broke conflict when a French soldier began singing the carol, facing the Germans unarmed and vulnerable whilst singing. The story goes that both sides put down their weapons for 24 hours and embraced the spirit of the song.
The modern, Christmas-focused lyrics of this timeless and traditional song have been centered around the journey of the Three Wise Men to witness the birth of Jesus Christ and have an overbearing message of peace and love to all. Many have taken to the message of this song and applied it in their own lives, by trying to make the world a better place for everyone and sharing goodwill whenever they can.
HomeTown was an Irish boy band that had a massively successful, albeit also incredibly short, history. They were formed and managed by Louis Walsh, an Irish talent scout and television personality, and were signed to RCA Records. Despite these successes, and amassing over 38 million views on their “Oh Holy Night” cover on YouTube, the band was only active for two short years; initially announced as a break from music, the band would eventually splinter and each member would pursue their own individual avenues in the entertainment industry. For example, Brendan Murray went on to represent Ireland in 2017’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Regardless of where all members of HomeTown are today, we wish them all success in their endeavors and thank them for this touching Christmas classic that continues to impact people to this day. If you would like to see more from HomeTown, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel.
