Elvis might be looking down on us with a bit of surprise if he heard about all the “new” Christmas songs he’s released in the last few years! But seeing as how they’re all pretty magical, so we hope he’d be pleased.
A big fan of holiday music, he covered all the classics. And in 2008, an entire album – Christmas Duets – was released by RCA Records, his archival recordings were “resurrected” and mixed with those of modern country and gospel singers.
Susan Boyle got permission to use a recording of The King’s as well.
The duet
The song Boyle chose to “sing with” Elvis was “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Proceeds from the recording went to the charity Save The Children UK as well as the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation in the U.S. after it was released.
That year, Boyle told The Independent:
“Duetting with Elvis was beyond my wildest dreams. And now that this is able to raise money and help children is simply fantastic.”
Boyle said her father also loved Elvis’ music, which she heard often as a child. For the duet, they used a 1971 recording of the song.
Both Boyle and Elvis have been big fans of covering Christmas carols. In fact, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” first appeared as a solo on her second album, The Gift in 2010, while the duet with Elvis appears on her second Christmas album Home for the Holidays.
The video
Boyle, who is an ambassador for the charity Save The Children UK, filmed the video for the track at a Glasgow elementary school.
“I’ve had the privilege of spending time with families from a Fast programme – Families And Schools Together – that is run at a school in Glasgow. To see the money raised in action and the difference it makes to these families is wonderful. It really does help people.”
For a few days, the children got the chance of a lifetime to help out with the beautiful video.
“The children from the Fast programme also joined me for the music video. We had a lovely two days and the children were fabulous. They were all stars.”
Setting the scene
The video begins not with either of the singing stars, but with two little boys dressed as magi for a school Christmas pageant – one of them on a skateboard. A simple scene that makes us curious to see more.
It’s almost as if Boyle’s voice is calling the children, all dressed in a costume – not to Bethlehem, but to the stage.
From stars to angels, the children gather in a practice room for the big show – and even though you can only hear Boyle’s voice, you can almost feel the excitement of the pre-show jitters.
Then, something quite curious appears in the crowd. Forcing us to look a bit closer we see…a little Elvis?
It’s been a while since we read any biblical Christmas stories, but we’re pretty sure he wasn’t there.
As the kids flutter to the stage, little Elvis pulls up the rear.
And now we HAVE to see what this is going to be all about.
Let’s just say this kiddo is a stand-in for the king himself. Not one of the three kings, but the vocals Elvis’ estate lent to the duet.
There’s no cheesy lip-synching though.
We do, however, catch sight of another star at the pageant – Boyle herself!
And she’s looking quite glamorous as she sings out to the audience.
Then it becomes clear – this isn’t your average Christmas pageant. We even spot a snowman!
Getting a peek at the children and audience (made up of a choir) as they sing along is truly magical.
Be sure to scroll down below to see for yourself how it all comes together!
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