7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
1966 · Columbia CS 9363 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Simon & Garfunkel
- Title
- 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
- Release
- Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Columbia # CS 9363
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- Paul Simon
- Genre
- Singer Songwriter · Singer Songwriter
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation
The song "7 O'Clock News / Silent Night" is the well known Christmas hymn with a monologue of the news bulletin from 3 August 1966 played in the background. It included several references to Vietnam, in particular a speech by Richard Nixon. Officially out of politics since losing the 1960 presidential election, in 1966 Nixon re-emerged from the political wilderness, in an attempt to run for the presidency in 1968. He attacked the anti-war movement, as being unpatriotic and the "greatest single weapon working against the U.S." He also expressed fear that the war could go on for a significant period of time. Released as a single in Europe, in the US it featured on the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Columbia Records # CS 9363).The Hopeful - 7 O'Clock News (Silent Night) (Mercury Records # 72637). The Shurfine Singers – Silent Night & the 11 O'Clock News (Josie Records # 969)
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Formed 1956, Forest Hills, New York, USA
Themes
Anti-War · Anti-Protest · Christmas · MLK · Civil Rights · Demonstration · Nixon
In collections
Christmas Songs · Civil Rights Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs