Soliloquy (suh-lil-uh-kwee)
• Noun. A dramatic monologue that represents a series of unspoken reflections (Merriam Webster)
• A literary device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts without addressing any of the other characters (Wikipedia)

I know it’s mighty late to comment on this, but I’m kind of in love with this song right now. 🙂 Just recently, I relistened to David’s performance of “A Merry Christmas to Me” with the orchestra in Ann Arbor on November 27, 2009.

I couldn’t help but think there was something different here.

Sure, it was new to hear David sing with a full orchestra. Having an orchestral backing punctuated by French horn, strings, and flutes was something sublime indeed. Its sound had an obvious popular appeal—one could easily imagine hearing this in a big Disney production, for instance.

And then there was the song itself: with no visuals to distract me, I had a distinct picture in my mind of David in a Broadway musical, in a break from the main story, standing under a spotlight, center stage. Although the lyrics speak of a happy Christmas, there is a note of melancholy. The lyrics—not an expression of hope to someone else, as in “Imagine” or “Angels”—in this case were of someone singing to himself, finding joy in Christmas when Christmas time can too often be sad. The song is intimate, inviting us to feel what he feels, to share his joy and pain—it has highs and lows, it swells.

This “dramatic” side of David, in the sense that I am trying to express it, is something that had not quite struck me as clearly as now. As for expressing the emotion of a character, David “has it.” No one can express emotion as frightfully purely as David can. On top of everything else he can do, David could soar in a musical that was properly suited for him.

I had trouble making out the lyrics, so I wondered where I could find the words to this Christmas classic. This song, with its classic jazz-pop stylings, sounds decades old. It reminded me of Christmas songs sung by Bing Crosby and Judy Garland. While listening to this song, joined as it was with David’s voice which is oh-so-suited to this kind of music, I even got the same chills and images of snow.

But, to my surprise, I did not find a single instance of this song on the internet—it is not a classic. Far from it—it has never seen the light of day with the general public. (Perhaps this was why security was so tight?)

This song needs to be released, by somebody. Why have we not heard it again? Will it be released, and if so, who will release it? Is it still waiting in the wings?

Here is the song again. According to one YouTube commenter, it was composed by Dan Rodowicz and Phillip Keveren. Many thanks to emilyluvsarchie for her considerable ninja skills:



Thanks to the diligence of a David fan, we were able to get the lyrics directly from the sheet music. The song becomes even more beautiful. Here are the confirmed lyrics:

A Merry Christmas to Me

Rooftops laced with white,
A starlit night,
Inside by the fire we’re warming:
This would surely be
A Merry Christmas to me.

Scenes of candy canes
And shiny trains,
The echo of children laughing:
This would surely be
A Merry Christmas to me.

For hardened hearts can love again,
And smiles that have faded shine bright;
Even earthbound dreams can fly again
On a magic Christmas night.

Ribbons tied with love,
A star above,
The twinkle of lights enchanting:
This would surely be
A Merry Christmas to me.

But what I long to see won’t be under my tree,
Though my wish is most sincere:
If the spirit of Christmas could fill every one of us
And light each day of the year,
This would surely be the most Merry Christmas to me.
This would surely be the most Merry Christmas to me.


Here is yet another recording of AMCTM. Many thanks to ZanessaEfgens for posting this: