Admittedly, I've acknowledged that the Ray Conniff Singers weren't wrong to have given "Carol Of The Bells" a grim interpretation in their rendition, "Ring Christmas Bells." Still, I have to wonder why such a dark interpretation, which, as my brother showed me last year, resulted in a truly bizarre AI-generated video, keeps making the cut for Christmas radio playlists. Are other versions of "Carol Of The Bells" not foreboding enough for the masses already? Do adult contemporary radio listeners prefer "Carol Of The Bells" as it might sound performed by a choir of skeletons in a haunted house?
To my ears, the downcast tone and haunting scream near the end make "Ring Christmas Bells" an unappealing way to ring in the season. Apparently, other listeners disagree, or I wouldn't keep hearing it every year.
