I grew up watching this, along with many other Christmas specials, recorded onto a janky old VHS tape. The tape is long gone, but God bless RU-vid and other streaming services that allow it to remain a part of my holiday traditions!
I found a DVD of it not long ago, best purchase I ever made. This special continues to be a part of my family tradition, passed along to my own children now. Like you: grew up watching it on VHS for decades.
Every time I hear or sing or think of this song, I automatically think of the camels! They have a way of coloring the sound of this song with their jazzy version of the chorus!
+Derek Hauk :D Were you bummed when the VCR tape finally wore out and you discovered "Claymation Christmas" wasn't available on DVD? (or at least it wasn't last time I checked).
First watched this in 5th grade English class when my teacher showed it to the classes. Randomly popped into my head and I searched it up 6 years later.
My parents got it on VHS and we watched it every Christmas. Us kids are grown and, there are some grandkids, but watching it on DVD is still part of our family tradition.
Fun Fact: There was one more lyric to this song that the deep voiced king was supposed to sing about Myrrh, but Claymation most likely deemed it too dark for children... they're definitely not wrong. xD
Aloof Peacock Myrhh is mine. It's bitter perfume. Breathes a life of gathering gloom. Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying. Sealed in a stone cold tomb. (Cue cute cartoon camels)
I watched this every year for most of my childhood, and I distinctly remember the verse about myrrh being in it, so I think they for whatever reason cut it out of this video. Also, there are three kings, and they all sing the first verse, so it makes logical sense that each would have a second verse.
It's not too dark for children; It's literally the gospel. It's the most important part. Why glaze over what Good Friday and Easter are supposed to be? It is just all leading to the cross and the resurrection.
I can't hear this song without thinking of this and having this beat in my head. I guess this is why I like blues and jazz so much from an early age....thanks
THEY SKIPPED THE THIRD VERSE! Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom; Sorr’wing, sighing, bleeding, dying, Sealed in the stone cold tomb.
How I recall the first Christmastime in the 1990's when I first saw this Claymation Special first on CBS and then a year later on The Disney Channel it's fun to watch and even if it's possibly silly.
This was always my favorite segment of the show. My folks and I would always get quiet while it was playing then get really into it while the camels were singing. I hate that it took me forever to understand why, especially now that they're all gone.
Remember this very well. Am I crazy or does one of those singers sound like the actor who played Steve Rhoades in 'Married...With Children'? Gotta find those credits.
Tradition has the Wise Men [The Bible never gave an amount. Jericho was a wicked, wicked city. Three men carrying valuables would never make it through. This is a prime example of 'Safety in Numbers'.] visiting Jesus in the manger. This is another tradition that is wrong. Matthew 2:11 says that Jesus was in a house. We are not told whose house, or how Mary, Joseph & Jesus got the house.
Yes, all the Nativity scenes have the Wise men in it, but that's inaccurate. Jesus could have been as much as a year or two old by the time they arrived.
No claymation could ever be as frightening as the movie Caroline. It’s because of that movie that my sister is traumatized into not watching almost all stop motion movies.
They should have mentioned the myrrh part of the song predicting the crucifixion and included Herod slaughtering the two year olds to try to kill Christ out of fear of being usurped by the Messiah after the wise men mentioned to him their quest of following the star. And, Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt with toddler Jesus to avoid Herod's men and using the wealth of the wise men's gifts to survive in exile. Then, we could have really gotten into the scary parts.
Hell, they could have included the angels talking to the shepherds or warning Mary and Joseph of Herod in their biblically accurate forms, and we could keep reminding ourselves to "be not afraid".
Love this version - but - why didn't they do a cute Claymation depiction of the verse where Jesus is slowly tortured to death and his body is sealed in a stone-cold tomb? That would have been BOSS!
