12 Days of Christmas: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” by Third Day

This version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” in blues rock style opens with a deep solo electric guitar riff. After twice through the riff, the guitar is joined by rock organ and drums on a syncopated beat.The vocal embellishments follow the seventh chord progression that is typical of a blues. A gospel choir joins in each refrain, beginning in the first refrain around 1:10. A single backup singer enhances the verses here and there, starting at the end of Verse 2. The lead guitar and organ have wonderful solo moments throughout. There’s a neat drama point around 2:41 featuring nearly a capella vocals, with some echo on the vocal processor and just a hint of tinkling on the organ, finishing off with a power moment when the bass guitar kicks a rich sustained note at 2:53. Then the rest of the band kicks back in for the last chorus and outro.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel:
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

O come o come thou wisdom from on high
Through of all things far and nigh
To us the path of knowledge to show
And cause us in her ways to go

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel
Shall come for thee, O Israel

Enjoy:

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.