I have been reviewing some modern worship songs, but I’ve taken a break to explore some Advent and Christmas hymns. 😀. Just when you think Christmas is over, you remind yourself that December 25th is the first of the 12 days of Christmas. So, I’ll wait until January 7th to go back to normal hymns.
Today I’ve chosen Mary’s Boy Child.
This one is unusual in that it was both a chart hit and a song that you might find in hymn books or Christmas carol sheets. Boney M were huge in 1978. This was one of two number 1s that they had that year, the other being Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In The Ring.
I remember hearing the original Mary’s Boy Child as a young child. Harry Belafonte had a number 1 with it back in 1957, so everyone knew it through the 1960s.
The one thing that I remember about it when singing in church was hymnbooks or carol sheets changing the following line:
Man will can live forever more.
Perhaps it was felt that it would be misleading to say that the birth of Christ means that everyone will live forever in heaven. The offer of salvation needs to be accepted. We do this by repenting and believing in Jesus. The Bible does teach that we will exist forever, but we associate the term “living forever” with spending eternity in heaven.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
I can think of at least one other calypso hymn – Calypso Carol. I remember learning that one when I was working with London City Mission back at Christmas 1982. I’m sure there must be many more hymns sung in this style in the Caribbean.
Here are some interesting versions of Mary’s Boy Child:
Were there every any other Christmas chart hits with spiritual themes. Not many. Two that I can think of are Silent Night by Bros in 1988 and Saviour’s Day by Cliff Richard in 1990:
Hibernia Gospel 