Good King Wenceslas

completely new words too.

One of which was the one that we now know as Good King Wenceslas, which began life as a springtime temple sadist fugitum.

And he invented this story about Good King Wenceslas.

There was a King Wenceslas, but that's about as much in common as with the real thing.

And it became one of the most popular carols of the century and was considerably disliked by many authorities who thought it was completely tolerable.

But it marked the beginning of an awareness that there were lots of carols, French and German in particular, that could be harmonized and added to the English repertoire.

Good King Wenceslas does, although it's about a bohemian king or duke as he then was, the result, once John Mason Neill's got his hands on it and Thomas Helmholtz set the harmony into the tune, it does become absolutely English.

And it's a process that only works one way.

Um-

There've been a couple times in auditions where they've been like, "Oh, can you sing? Can you just, like, sing for us?" And I've panicked and sang Good King Wenceslas.

[laughs]

[laughs] I don't know.

Yeah, but it's r- It, I was like, I've never been more in touch with my subconscious.

Mm.

As someone being like, "Okay, sing 16 bars," and I was like, "Absolutely." [singing] Good King Wenceslas looked out.

[laughs]

Everyone paused before the manger.

Then up the right-hand aisle moved the long procession, singing, "Good King Wenceslas." Through mysterious rooms behind the altar, the children followed choir and clergy, singing one old carol after another.

Down the left-hand aisle they came, until at last everyone had passed by the manger.

As Nicholas and Anne Caraway slipped back into their seats, the choir boys were singing, "O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.

So I just said fruit flies to you in passing 'cause there's a story in the news about why there are so many of them around today.

And I know that as, not for the first time, um, I'm like the page in Good King Wenceslas.

Do, do you remember that verse in Good King Wenceslas? They've got Christmas wrapping in Morrisons now, by the way, just to give you a quick heads up.

They've got the Christmas stuff for sale in Morrisons already, so I can talk about Good King Wenceslas.

Um, do you know I also went to Fortnum & Mason's yesterday as well, they have it for sale there.

I like to think that tells you who I am.

I was in Fortnum & Mason's at four o'clock, I was in Morrison's at six o'clock.

Um, but Good King Wenceslas.

Like, they took a really silly, like, throwaway Christmas song, and they knocked it out of the park in punk rock style, and it was so good.

There, I think, is only one song on this album that I don't really care for, and that's I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas with the Good King Wenceslas.

Oh.

I, I usually skip past that one.

Um-

Okay

... and I will occasionally, like, listen to most of Good King Wenceslas and then move on, but it's [laughs] it's super funny.

Um-