I came across this Hawk Nelson version of Joy to the World. The preview sounded a little rowdy, so I bought it, thinking it would appeal to my motley crew. I played it for the first time while we were decorating the tree and it ... exceeded my expectations. It's sung a capella. About halfway through the song, a man yelling in the background becomes progressively louder until he literally screams the last verse, solo. We all had a good laugh the first time we listened, but after hearing it, say 10-15 times a day since, I began to wonder why I find the song endearing. Seriously, how do you scream "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her KING!!!" without being obnoxious and offensive Okay, it really is obnoxious, but, oddly, is not offensive. Then I realized why the song makes me smile. It's the musical embodiment of the love of a boy too young to try to be sophisticated but too old to kiss his mother without being manipulated. You know that age when a boy is just as goofy as he was at five but not quite as cute. When he's too big to jump on your back without injuring you but is even more compelled to do it.* Physically grating. Unseemly and inappropriate. Too much. But unfiltered and unbridled. Without pretense. Like King David dancing in his underwear. I love this song.
* Seriously, I think our money would be better spent if we passed on team sports and just hired someone to come over once a week and beat on the boys.
** Sometime around the 40th playing, the song further entrenched itself as the household h Christmas song of choice, when we deciphered someone yelling "Expecto patronum" in the background.
I love this, and love the **.
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