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Richard Allinson sits in

Richard Allinson sits in for Chris Evans with a fully interactive show for all the family, featuring music, special guests and listeners on the phone.

2 hours, 59 minutes

Last on

Christmas Eve 2014 06:30
大象传媒 Radio 2

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Music Played

  • Louis Armstrong

    Zat You Santa Claus

    • Hipster's Holiday (Various Artists).
    • Rhino.

  • Gene Autry

    Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

    • Now That's What I Call Christmas (V).
    • Umg Recordings.

  • Peter Auty

    Walking In The Air

    • The Snowman.
    • CBS.

  • Chuck Berry

    Run Rudolph Run

    • Chuck Berry - The Chess Years (Cd 2).
    • Chess.

  • Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans

    Here Comes Santa Claus

    • A Christmas Gift For You (Phil Spect.
    • Phil Spector Int.

  • Michael Bubl茅

    Holly Jolly Christmas

    • Christmas: Deluxe Special Edition.
    • Reprise.

  • Mariah Carey

    All I Want For Christmas Is You

    • Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas.
    • Columbia.

  • Alma Cogan

    Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo

    • Christmas Memories Are Made Of This.
    • Virgin.

  • Coldplay

    Christmas Lights (Radio 2 In Concert, 08 Dec 2014)

  • Nat King Cole

    Buon Natale (Means Merry Christmas To You)

    • Christmas With Nat & Dean.
    • EMI.
    • 4.

  • Perry Como, The Fontane Sisters & Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra

    It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

    • Greatest Christmas Songs.
    • RCA.

  • Bing Crosby

    White Christmas

    • That's Christmas (Various Artists).
    • EMI.

  • Jamie Cullum

    Don't You Know

    • (CD Single).
    • Island.

  • Dido

    Christmas Day

    • A Very Special Christmas 5 (Various).
    • A&M.

  • Bob Dylan

    Must Be Santa

    • Christmas In The Heart.
    • Columbia.
    • 1.

  • Ben Haenow

    Something I Need

    • (CD Single).
    • Syco.

  • The Jacksons

    I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

    • 20 Motown Christmas Classics (Variou.
    • Hitsville.

  • Elton John

    Step Into Christmas

    • Caribou.
    • Mercury.

  • Eartha Kitt

    Santa Baby

    • The Best Christmas Album In The World.
    • Virgin.

  • Brenda Lee

    Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

    • Brenda Lee - The EP Collection.
    • See For Miles.

  • Peggy Lee

    I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells)

    • The Christmas Album.
    • Music For Pleasure.
    • 10.

  • Leona Lewis

    One More Sleep

    • (CD Single).
    • Syco Music.

  • Dean Martin

    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

    • Christmas With The Rat Pack (Various).
    • Capitol.
    • 4.

  • Curtis Mayfield

    Superfly

    • Night Moves (Various Artists).
    • Double Gold.

  • Olly Murs

    Up (feat. Demi Lovato)

    • Never Been Better.
    • Epic.
    • 004.

  • Tom Odell

    Merry Christmas Everyone (Radio 2 Dec, 19th Dec 2014)

  • The Pogues

    Fairytale Of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl)

    • (CD Single).
    • Rhino.

  • Gregory Porter & Julie London

    Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)

    • (CD Single).
    • Capitol.
    • 1.

  • Prince & The Revolution

    Kiss

    • 4Ever.
    • Warner Bros.

  • Queen

    Let Me In Your Heart Again

    • Queen Forever.
    • EMI.
    • 001.

  • The Ronettes

    Sleigh Ride

    • A Christmas Gift For You (Phil Spect.
    • Phil Spector Int.

  • Mark Ronson

    Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 001.

  • Frank Sinatra

    Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

    • Have Yourself A Merry Little Christma.
    • CBS.

  • Was (Not Was)

    Walk The Dinosaur

    • (Single).
    • Fontana.

  • Kim Wilde

    Hey Mister Snowman

    • Wilde Winter Snowman.
    • Wildeflower Records.
    • 001.

  • Stevie Wonder

    What Christmas Means To Me

    • 20 Motown Christmas Classics (Variou.
    • Hitsville.

From Paul Kerensa

From Paul Kerensa

So here it is 鈥� one more sleep till Christmas, Santa Claus is coming to town, and Rudolph鈥檚 nipping at your toes. Christmas songs go full throttle today, even if some sound better than others on Christmas Eve. 鈥業t鈥檚 Beginning To look a Lot A Like Christmas鈥� doesn鈥檛 work today, unless you鈥檝e not stepped outside since October. The Pogues sound great though: 鈥淚t is Christmas Eve, babe...鈥�, and Chris Rea is finally driving homing for Christmas.

Tonight is the time for Silent Night, a song that a century ago was lifted above the trenches of the Great War, in German, French and English, uniting enemies for a moment of solidarity. 鈥楽ilent Night鈥� itself debuted exactly 96 years earlier, Christmas Eve 1818, in a small Austrian village church. The organ had broken and they needed a new carol for guitar and a few voices. The modest origins of Silent Night seem to relate more to the original Christmas: a humble, no-fuss entrance to the world; a small moment that would one day impact the whole world.

In amongst the noise of Christmas, it鈥檚 easy to forget its origin in a simple birth. Last week a teacher friend was teaching her class some Christmas carols, and one child refused to join in, because he was 鈥渘ot allowed to say swear-words鈥�. The teacher looked at the carol lyrics and couldn鈥檛 see any swear-words, so the schoolboy pointed to the name: 鈥楯esus Christ鈥�. Even centuries on, we think we know the story, but some have only ever heard that name in anger and frustration.

My hope is that we remember that Christmas without 鈥楥hrist鈥� is just 鈥�-mess鈥�. I hope today鈥檚 Christmas Eve soundtrack can be of anticipation, driving home for Christmas before the Silent Night, and tomorrow鈥檚 can be of Joy To The World and reaching out across it, mirroring that Christmas truce of a century ago.

And the day after that, Christmas songs all played, there鈥檚 a blank playlist and an empty diary: a new start. Till then may your Christmas, Silent or far from it, give you time to pause for thought.

Broadcast

  • Christmas Eve 2014 06:30
    大象传媒 Radio 2

Farewell Chris Evans: The best bits from his last shows at Radio 2

After eight years of hosting the Breakfast Show, Chris Evans leaves Radio 2.

500 Words

大象传媒 Radio 2's story-writing competition for kids.