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Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listening" or "mood music" format. Faith became a staple of American popular music in the 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. Though his professional orchestra-leading career began at the height of the swing era, Faith refined and rethought orchestration techniques, including use of large string sections, to soften and fill out the brass-dominated popular music of the 1940s.
Faith was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He was the oldest of eight children. His parents, Abraham Faith and Minnie née Rottenberg, were Jewish. He played violin and piano as a child, and played in theatres and at Massey Hall. After his hands were badly burned in a fire, he turned to conducting, and his live orchestras used the new medium of radio broadcasting.
"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor that has been recorded numerous times and has been a hit single for various artists including Merrilee Rush, Juice Newton, Nina Simone, P.P. Arnold, Olivia Newton-John, The Pretenders/Chrissie Hynde, Dusty Springfield, Mary Mason, Melba Montgomery, Vagiant and Billie Davis.
Written and composed by New York-born songwriter Chip Taylor, "Angel of the Morning" was originally offered to Connie Francis to sing, but she turned it down because she thought that it was too risqué for her career. The song's narrator describes the breakup of a presumably illicit love affair: "If morning's echo says we've sinned, well, it was what I wanted now."
Taylor produced a recording of the song with Evie Sands but the financial straits of Cameo-Parkway Records, which had Sands on their roster, reportedly prevented either that version's release or its distribution. Other early recordings of the song were made in 1967 by Danny Michaels for Lee Hazlewood's LHI label and by UK vocalist Billie Davis.
Angel of the Morning, released in 1981, is the debut album of Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen, and the first of several solo albums. Previously, she sang with Mats Rådberg on his album I'm the Singer, You're the Song (1980). Angel of the Morning contains songs in both Swedish and English, including "Angel of the Morning", which Andreassen released in the early 1980s, and the hit "Då lyser en sol". The album reached approximately 20,000 sales in Sweden, equivalent to selling gold in Norway. It peaked at #46 at the Swedish album chart.
Haul out the holly
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again
Fill up the stocking
We may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
It hasn't snowed a single flurry
Oh Santa, dear, we're in a hurry
Climb down the chimney
Hang up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen
Slice up the fruitcake
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough
For we need a little music
Need a little laughter
Need a little singing
Ringing in the rafters
And we need a little something
Happy ever after
We need a little Christmas now
[Interlude]
Oh we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window
Carols at the spinet
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
We need a little Christmas now
Do-do-do-do-do-do
Do-do-do-do-do-do [fade]