too bad the title is listed as "holly holly", because the actual title "holly holy" is such a giant clue to the meaning. look what happens when you change just one letter.
neil diamond is from a jewish family. i don't know whether he's observant. probably not, considering that he's recorded christmas songs.
his choice of words is explicitly Biblical: "song of songs" being the most obvious example. in the version with which I'm familiar, Neil sings "let it be full with tomorrow," an archaism reminiscent of Old Testament language (and the King James version)
some would consider the song blasphemous, because it equates earthly love with the power of God, or of Christ. these are miracles: the sun rising at night, on command; to heal someone who can't walk (and--by giving him the ability to fly--perhaps overachieving?)
potentially disturbing, also, is how the religious/spiritual themes are combined with primal sexuality. follow the changes in tempo and emotional intensity; they align precisely with the body's response to arousal, climax and release. (it's not as if this is some sort of innovation. it's the crux of the unspoken objection to rock-and-roll from its very beginning.)
maybe you won't go quite so far as that. but we'd likely agree the song has the feel of a ritual.
too bad the title is listed as "holly holly", because the actual title "holly holy" is such a giant clue to the meaning. look what happens when you change just one letter.
neil diamond is from a jewish family. i don't know whether he's observant. probably not, considering that he's recorded christmas songs.
his choice of words is explicitly Biblical: "song of songs" being the most obvious example. in the version with which I'm familiar, Neil sings "let it be full with tomorrow," an archaism reminiscent of Old Testament language (and the King James version)
some would consider the song blasphemous, because it equates earthly love with the power of God, or of Christ. these are miracles: the sun rising at night, on command; to heal someone who can't walk (and--by giving him the ability to fly--perhaps overachieving?)
potentially disturbing, also, is how the religious/spiritual themes are combined with primal sexuality. follow the changes in tempo and emotional intensity; they align precisely with the body's response to arousal, climax and release. (it's not as if this is some sort of innovation. it's the crux of the unspoken objection to rock-and-roll from its very beginning.)
maybe you won't go quite so far as that. but we'd likely agree the song has the feel of a ritual.