I really love the radio this time of year. Usually, I don’t listen to it
much, except at work, where I don’t have much of a choice. In December,
instead of merely tolerating the music – aside from those rare gems
that make me burst out in an exuberant smile and, given a sufficiently
empty hallway, sing along – I feed off of it. I’m completely energized
by hearing all those marvelously familiar songs on a subject so near and
dear to my heart. Another plus: every once in a while, something comes
along that I’ve never heard before. And once in a great while,
it’s a song that grabs me and refuses to release me, sending me
scrambling for YouTube videos to keep my fixation in check. This year,
the main song in question is Rob Thomas’s A New York Christmas.
It took me a couple of times through it for me to realize just how m
much I loved it, but there’s no mistaking it now, and whenever it comes
on the mall radio, I can’t help but smile.
This is a Christmas
song that is totally contemporary but with a timeless message. It is
specifically rooted in New York City, which is very much associated with
Christmas. You have all the morning shows that broadcast from New York,
showing the city in all its decorated glory; Christmas traditions like
the Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting; movies like Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 2 and Elf.
New York is gorgeous indeed this time of year, but there are many who
are cold, hungry and otherwise in great need during this season of
celebration, and this song asks us to think of them. The tone is not
accusatory, but it is a rallying cry as well as a prayer. God help us,
and let us help those around us.
I discovered that Thomas wrote
this song in the aftermath of 9/11, when the suffering in New York City
was especially acute, and that the song is tied in with his Sidewalk
Angels Foundation, which supports a number of charitable causes. Its
mission is stated as follows: “The world can move so fast that those in
need are often passed by. From animals that have been abandoned and
abused to those who are destitute, homeless, or cannot afford proper
medical care - these are universal problems that Sidewalk Angels
Foundation, through its efforts, encourages people to address locally.”
On 9/11, we saw the worst of humanity, but we saw the best of it as so
many people banded together to help each other. For all too brief a
time, the sense of community was palpable. This song makes that come
rushing back and serves as a reminder that it shouldn’t take a horrific
tragedy to get us to pay attention to each other.
A New York Christmas
has a rock edge to it, but it also has a powerful driving melody that’s
hard to get out of your head. There’s a swift undercurrent of
percussion that sets an energetic tone for the verses. The electric
guitar puts me in mind of traditional folkie grassroots movements, while
the hints of the organ tie in nicely with the generally reverent
feeling of the song. The whole thing feels bustling and energetic like
the New York itself; it’s easy to imagine you’re hearing the heartbeat
of the city. While Thomas’ voice is wonderfully melodic, it also has a
rough edge to it that encourages everyone to sit up and take notice.
I
don’t think I heard this song before this year, when it joined the
regular Christmas music rotation in the mall. I don’t recall ever having
heard it on the regular radio or on television, though that seems
surprising to me. Thomas is a fairly big-name guy, having been in the
band Matchbox 20, and this is an outstanding song that strikes me as a
modern classic. When I first heard it this year, what initially caught
my attention was the word “compassion”. That’s one of my favorite words,
and it’s not one you hear in too many songs, though you should. The
first song that comes to mind for me in association with that word,
especially this time of year, is God Bless Us Every One, from the 2004 musical version of A Christmas Carol: “Let the stars in the sky remind us of man’s compassion. Let us love till we die and God bless us everyone.”
In
this song, it’s, “Bring your compassion, your understanding (or, in the
later verse, forgiveness). Lord, how we need it on this New York City
Christmas.” The song is loaded with religious imagery, particularly
angels. I especially love the line, “Hear the sidewalk angels echo
hallelujah.” In this context, “angels” makes me think of Hebrews 13:2,
which reads, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some
have entertained angels unawares.” This song is all about caring for
those who could use a little extra help, whether that’s in the form of
warm clothing, food or just a kind word. It’s a refreshingly
unmaterialistic message. “So call on your angels, your beaten and
broken. It’s time that we mend them so they don’t fade with the season.
Let our mercy be the gifts we lay from Brooklyn to Broadway…”
I
just discovered this song a couple of weeks ago, but it has quickly
become one of my favorite Christmas songs. It’s a stirring anthem that
reminds me how good I have it and how many people don’t have it so easy.
You don’t have to go to New York City to find people in need. This is a
song for New York, but it’s also a song for America and beyond. Now, to
act on it…
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