The Christmas Spirit

by Johnny Cash

The Christmas Spirit cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: November 1963
  • Label: Columbia
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 38:18
  • Community rating: 2.63/5 from 2 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Departing from the joyous secularism common in holiday releases, this collection focuses heavily on somber reflection, spoken poetry, and deeply traditional hymns. The stark boom-chicka-boom rhythm sections frame a baritone delivery that treats the subject matter with profound, almost austere reverence. 'The Christmas Spirit' offers an intensely personal and religious meditation distinct from typical commercial seasonal fare.

Genres

Descriptors: Ballad, Christmas, christmas, christian, holiday

Tracklist

  1. The Christmas Spirit (5:01)
  2. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day (2:31)
  3. Blue Christmas (2:25)
  4. The Gifts They Gave (3:33)
  5. Here Was a Man (2:43)
  6. Christmas As I Knew It (3:40)
  7. Silent Night (3:29)
  8. The Little Drummer Boy (2:35)
  9. Ringing the Bells for Jim (2:48)
  10. We Are the Shepherds (3:13)
  11. Who Kept the Sheep (1:57)
  12. The Ballad of the Harp Weaver (4:19)

Credits

  • Johnny Cash - primary artist, written-by, arranged by, adapted by
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - written-by
  • John B. Calkin - written-by
  • Billy Hayes - written-by
  • Jay Johnson - written-by
  • Johnny Bond - written-by
  • Tex Ritter - written-by
  • Jan Howard - written-by

More from Johnny Cash: full discography