Several months ago, I watched Rick Beato’s breakdown of The Beatles, She’s Leaving Home, and as always enjoyed the specific points that made him love the song, whether it was the chord progressions or the use of notes not in the chord (passing notes). Then tonight I happened to run across Virgin Rock’s reaction to the same song. While praising Rick’s video and his thoughts on the composition, she stressed different reasons that made the song memorable for her.

Today, I heard an enthralling version of a song I used to listen to long ago – After the Long is Gone by Earth, Wind and Fire, who I had the pleasure of seeing back in my college days at Eastern Michigan University. Leonid and Friends’ rendition was so good that I had to listen several times. You did it justice, my friends.

Did you know that this is one of the oldest Christmas songs and was officially written down in 1534? Coventry Carol was written for the nativity scene, which began with the Annunciation and ended with the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. Certainly, the darkest of the carols, the words reflect mothers soothing their soon-to-be slaughtered babies. The lament was part of a medieval play, performed annually until 1579, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I who outlawed Catholicism in favor of the new Church of England. The song was brought back to life during WWII after the Coventry blitz in November 1940, after 43,000 homes were destroyed, more than 550 people killed, along with the destruction of a medieval cathedral. The December BBC radio broadcast from the ruins, ended with the Coventry Carol.

I’ve watched several of his videos in the past year, then stumbled upon this one while skimming through YouTube, this morning. Of course, when I saw the subject matter, I had to check it out. Was happy to see that this simple tune wound its way through his heart, as it did mine.