Monday, December 02, 2019

Sounds of December: Yoko Ono and 'Listen the Snow is Falling'



 
There are three kinds of Christmas songs.

There are carols celebrating the birth of Christ, such as “O Holy Night.”

There are songs celebrating the Christmas season, including “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

Then there are winter songs that have nothing to do with Christmas, but you wouldn’t dare play after New Year’s Day. “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland” are on the good end of this spectrum, and you also get stuff like “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Yoko Ono’s “Listen, the Snow is Falling” is in the third category. While I can’t say I’m a fan of much of Yoko’s work, I do love this song. And I found it by playing a b-side, something I didn't usually do.


"Listen" was released on Dec. 1, 1971 as the flip side of the classic “Happy X-Mas (War is Over)” -- on green vinyl! I'm not sure what possessed me to play it. I might have just been curious what Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band sounded like. 

Yoko often makes abstract music the way some artists make abstract paintings. Sometimes the paintings connect with a viewer, sometimes you kind of shake your head and move to the next one. "Revolution 9" on the White Album is an example of abstract music. I've played it a couple times, because everyone should. Then I moved to the next song.

I didn't know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised. "Listen" is a great song.

I’m not aware snow makes a sound when its falling. We would have heard it for sure this weekend when we woke up to about four inches. And there’s not a ton of depth in the lyrics, though Yoko gets points for mentioning New York landmarks.

"Listen, the snow is falling o'er town
Listen, the snow is falling ev'rywhere
Between Empire State Building
And between Trafalgar Square
Listen, the snow is falling o'er town"

It’s more of a mood thing. The music is light and moves slowly, with distant bells and horns that could be a Salvation Army band and kettle a block away. That might give it more of a Christmas feel. Phil Spector produced and show much restraint. It ends with wind and sounds of someone walking through the slush.

For a long time, I was pretty sure I was the only one who liked the song. But I’ve started to see cover versions popping up. Galaxie 500’s might be the best known. It has an extended instrumental part and is about 8 minutes long.

Given the general lack of appreciation for Yoko’s music in general, it’s a surprise that her version remains the best of the bunch after 48 years.

3 comments:

Brett Alan said...

It's a lovely song. Harry Nilsson recorded a version, which was finally finished for a new album this year called Losst And Founnd. https://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/harry-nilsson-lost-album-losst-and-founnd-preview-listen/

Mets Guy said...

Glad you like it, too! I'll check out the Nilsson version. I had no idea he covered that!

Jamie Meyers said...

Yoko Ono and "lovely" aren't often used in the same sentence, but I agree, it's a nice song. Thanks for posting!