So it is the holiday season and 97.1 F.M. is playing their holiday music. One thing that has always kind of perplexed me is non christian folk singing Christmas music. For instance, Barry Manilow and his christmas collection. Manilow is a fine singer and I don't care that he is jewish but I just find it interesting that he is singing about christmas. I suppose what gets me is that it just seems like selling out to make some money which at the end of the day seems very unchristlike.
I always say that if you are a singer and want to guarantee yourself some air play just come up with a christmas song.
Anyway just wanted to throw that out there and see if anyone else had any thoughts on the subject.
4 comments:
I have a thought - Christmas is pretty much a commercial holiday as it is anyway. Just picking on singers doesn't seem to make much sense. Look at stores and consumers and what people do to get all the "hot" stuff.
As for non-Christian singers singing about Christmas I don't really care all that much. I don't think it is any worse than a Christian singer who may not be all that "Christian-like" in the way they live their life singing about Christmas.
But, does Barry sing about Christmas? Or does he sing stuff like "Jingle Bells," "Happy Holidays," and "Winter Wonderland." Those aren't really religious songs.
I think its okay for a singer to sing Christmas songs even though hes not Christian. Many of his fans are Christian and if there is a demand by them to hear him sing Christmas songs then I dont think there is anything wrong with him fulfilling the demand. If im not mistaken, there are many hindu singers who sing Sikh hymns for the sikh audiences. As a Sikh, it is pleasant to hear some of the better voices out there singing some of our hymns, whatever the faith of the singer is. If the singer has a pleasant voice and people want to hear him/her overlay it with traditional holiday music, and they are willing to pay a bit of money for it, then I dont see why he cant capitalize on it.
But I do agree, Christmas is more of a commercial/consumer/retail holiday rather than a religious one. I think its become part of the culture of America in which many non Christians find themselves participating as well.
Being the only Christian who comes to this blog, this is pretty funny. Don't forget about Neil Diamond!
I agree that Xmas has become more of a commercial holiday and it is about making sales and such. I don't care too much about retailers as that is what they are supposed to do.
I am not annoyed by the singers. I just find it interesting and a little amusing. It's more about their personal financial gain.
To JSR's point, I wouldn't care to listen to hindu singers singing Sikh hymns if they did not understand or "feel" what they are singing. That is a big part of the hymn. To just sing it without caring about the meaning or the words does nothing for me.
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