Merry Christmas Darling

by

The Carpenters

Album: Christmas Portrait      Released: 1970

UK Chart: 25

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This was the Carpenters' first attempt at Christmas music. The lyric was written in 1946 by Frank Pooler, who was the choir director at California State University, Long Beach. Karen and Richard Carpenter were both part of the choir. In 1966, at Pooler's request, Richard composed the music for this ballad, which was first released in 1970. This sparked the interest and idea of a Christmas album by The Carpenters, and on October 13, 1978, Christmas Portrait was released. (thanks, TimmT - Orange, CA)

In the UK, this was re-released in 1990 as a single with "(They Long to Be) Close to You," which is when it hit #25.

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Comments:

the "logs on the fire" chord sequence makes no sense to me, but that coda is beyond Heavenly...puts Richard right up there with Brian Wilson as a vocal arranger...
- andy, glen burnie, MD

It ain't the official Christmas season until you've heard this song about a gazillion times. Timeless classic.
- Camille, Toronto, OH

Thank you John for sharing that story. That is so cool!
- Mary, Phoenix, AZ

John, that's a really beautiful story...I absolutely love this song. It sends shivers down my spine and makes me feel very nostalgic. Karen Carpenter had the voice of an angel.
- Shirley, Ocean, NJ

I met Frank Pooler in 1995, I was submitting a song to him called Triumpth of the Human Spirit that was to be used for the 1996 paralympic games, hoping that he could get Richard Carpenter to give it a listen. It was just before Christmas and when I delivered the cd he was sitting at the piano in the front of his home. I handed him the cd and told him the story about the possible licensing of the song by the paralympic comitte and he was interested. We talked a little about the impact the song could have and then the conversation turned to christmas songs. I told him that I loved the song Merry Christmas Darling and he smiled, and asked me if I would like to hear the story behind that song. Of course I said yes. He said that it was some lyrics that he wrote back in the 40's and it was about his relationship with his Fiance whom he was engaged to here in the U.S. and he was in WWII in Germany. It was Christmas time and he was lonesome and wrote these words to tell her how he felt being without her at Christmas. He then told me that he was just eating dinner at a local restaurant and he said he did not eat home much since his wife passed and he said he was sitting there eating and there was an older lady eating across the dining hall from him and he said she looked familiar and asked her her name, she told him her name it turned out that she was his old sweetheart that he was engaged to during WWII. They both could not beleive it. Needless to say they had dinner together that night and he proceeded to tell her the story about the song Merry Christmas Darling and that the song was based on a letter that he wrote to her when he was lonesome at Christmas in Germany. He said she was speachless, and they both with a tear and a smile in their eyes finished dinner. After Frank told me that story I was in tears. I love the song and I love the story behind it. John C.
- john, lakewood, CA

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