THE VIEW FROM RIZAL
Last Sunday, the first of September, social media sites blossomed with memes of the country’s most famous contemporary voice of the Christmas season – singer, composer, and sugar magnate Jose Mari Chan.
For decades, Jose Mari Chan has been an icon of the season. The appearance of his smiling face signals the advent of the “ber” months, telling us that the official Christmas season is just around the corner. His popularity and that of the songs in his Christmas album is so huge that the international publication TIME magazine featured him in one of its issues a few years ago.
The time article said, “Chan credits divine intervention for his musical success – he’s received multiple lifetime achievement industry awards – particularly for “Christmas in Our Hearts.”
The article noted that Jose Mari Chan has never been comfortable with the title “Mr. Christmas,” adding that the singer would rather that the season “remain focused on God.”
In a way, Jose Mari Chan underscored the role that Christmas songs like those in his best-selling album is to help us savor the meaning of the coming holidays and to focus on, Christ, the Reason for the Season. This must be why the atmosphere and our collective mood change when Christmas songs fill the airwaves.
Not all artists who came up with Christmas bestsellers had the same modesty and humility as Jose Mari Chan. My elders were quick to recall that an African-American singer of the 50s “allowed” himself to be dubbed the “King of Christmas.” He had a bestselling album with that title to solidify his claim to that “throne.”
His name was Nat King Cole, the father of the also-famous Natalie Cole. My elders said that during their time when September comes, Nat King Cole’s Christmas songs ruled the airwaves. He belted out both traditional songs of the season like “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night,” plus the more contemporary compositions, such as, “The Christmas Song” which began with the famous lines “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”
Just a few years before Nat King Cole claimed the title, another singer gave the world the song that ushered in the season. He was Bing Crosby, the artist whose voice brought “White Christmas” to the airwaves. The song, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the bestselling Christmas record of all time. It reportedly sold some 50 million copies. That record, of course, will later on be eclipsed.
Starting in that era, it appeared it became “mandatory” for artists to record Christmas albums.
Most of the biggest names in the international recording industry of various eras had hot-selling Christmas albums: Elvis Presley, Connie Francis, Brenda Lee, the Ray Conniff Singers, and Mahalia Jackson who belted out the classic soul version of “Silent Night.”
During my childhood, Jose Feliciano was the sultan of the season’s songs. His “Feliz Navidad” was easily at the top of the charts, becoming the unofficial Christmas anthem of the 70s and 80s. And, who can forget the Jackson Five’s “Give Love on Christmas Day?” This will definitely be part of many people’s Christmas playlist in the next few weeks.
Then came Mariah Carey who may well be the unofficial “Queen of Christmas Songs.” Based on official sales records, her Christmas song “All I Want for Christmas is You,” released in 1994, is said to have eclipsed all other records. Officially, it is the bestselling and most-played Christmas song of all time.
In the Philippines, before Jose Mari Chan, our grandparents had the Mabuhay Singers, the singing group that brought “Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” to our homes. Yes, this is the same group that popularized the immortal “Tayo na sa Antipolo.” We were also serenaded by the Christmas songs of Gary Valenciano (“Pasko na Sinta ko”), Ariel Rivera (“Sana Ngayong Pasko”), and the sentimental “Miss Kita Kung Christmas” by 60s songstress Susan Fuentes.
As the scent of the onset of the Christmas season blends with the songs of Jose Mari Chan, we remember the first Christmas song and the first carolers in the history of mankind.
The first song ever sung in connection with the birth of the Savior must have been the song of the Angels who heralded his coming: “Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” Glory to God in the Highest!
The first carolers must have been the shepherds who were the earliest visitors of the manger in which laid the tiny Baby who was destined to be the Savior of Mankind.
As we listen to the voices of Christmas, may the voice of Him for whom we celebrate this season continue to ring clear in our hearts and minds.
As Jose Mari Chan’s face and memes light up our social media sites, may we be inspired by his encouragement to focus on God during this time. The voices of Christmas are meant to be mere background to the continuing story of God’s eternal love for His Creation – a love that presented itself in the Manger of Bethlehem.
(The author is the current mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, DENR assistant secretary and LLDA general manager. Email address — [email protected])