Looking for a carol that sounds original but simultaneously familiar? Listen to The Four Freshmen's version of "And The Bells Rang!" It covers most of the secular basics you'd expect in a carol--bells ringing, obviously, but also children singing, tinsel on a tree, reindeer, and snow. I was surprised to read that it's a traditional Swedish carol, as it sounds like an in-studio answer to the question, "How do we come up with lyrics that capture a lot of the things people like about Christmas while saying them in a relatable way that hasn't been said before?" It's sung pleasantly, though, so I let play it out when it came up frequently on WRTH years ago. If you get to the end of the tune and find it doesn't do much for you, it's only two minutes out of your life.
Three other notes about The Four Freshmen's "Freshmas!" CD:
- If you like the unhurried way The Beach Boys approach their vocals on "We Three Kings," you'll probably enjoy The Four Freshmen's similar take on the carol.
- The Four Freshmen's version of "The First Noel" approximates what The Beach Boys might have sounded like performing before a church's congregation in the '60s.
- When iTunes pulled up the "Freshmas!" CD, it misidentified the group as Fat Beat Soundsystem. I'm still having trouble imagining how a group by that name would approach "And The Bells Rang!"
