It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Music by:	Richard Storrs Willis
Lyrics by:	Edmund Sears
Date:	1849

"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" is a Christmas song.

Lyrics

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From angels bending near the Earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the Earth good will to men
From heavens all gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing

Still through the cloven skies they came
With peaceful wings of furled
And still their heavenly music floats
O'er all the weary world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on hovering wing
And ever over its Babel sounds
The blessed angels sing

For lo the days are hastening on
By prophets seen of old
When with the ever circling years
Shall come the time foretold
When the new Heaven and Earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their King
And the whole of world send back the song
Which now the angels sing

Appearances in Christmas media

Albums

• Frank Sinatra - The Sinatra Christmas Album (1957)
• Merry Christmas (1965)
• The Flintstones: Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Singing Songs of Christmas (1965)
• Ray Conniff and His Singers - Here We Come A-Caroling (1965)
• The Carpenters - An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984)
• The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas (1986) - Robert Page
• Riders In The Sky - Merry Christmas From Harmony Ranch (1992)
• Cedarmont Kids: Christmas Carols (1997)
• Disney's Christmas Collection II (1997)
• 25 Christmas Favorites: Kids Love to Sing (1997)
• Arthur's Perfect Christmas (2000)
• Baby Einstein: Holiday Melodies
• Jingle Bell Fun (2012) - Randy Crenshaw

Productions

• The Last Christmas Party (2008)
• 12 Dates of Christmas (2011)
• The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012)
• Santa's Summer House (2013)
• Den tid på året (2018) - Sinatra
• Christmas Wonderland (2018)
• The Christmas Bow (2020)

Peter Allen

• Eve's Christmas (2004)
• Angels in the Snow (2015)

Kevin MacLeod [instrumental]

• All Through the House (2015)
• Snowball's Christmas Tails By The Fire (2016)

Others

• The Epic of Detective Mandy: "Book One - Satan Claus" (1989) - Burl Ives
• Cedarmont Kids: Christmas Carols (1997)
• 25 Christmas Favorites: Kids Love to Sing (1997)
• Christmas in the Clouds (2001) - Bob Bayless
• Bad Santa (2003) - Symphonette Society
• The Ice Harvest (2005) - Randy Sandke
• Midnight Clear (2006) - Jars of Clay
• Silent Night (2012) - The Brothers Figaro Orchestra
• Christmas Angel (2012) - Della Reese ("Elsie Waybright")
• Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019) - Gabriella Sands (vocals/synth guitar) | Ann Gulian (piano/synth strings)
• The Least of These: A Christmas Story (2018) - Mark Nicolosi / Aaron Minick

Uncredited

• 'The Night Before Christmas (1941) - The Debutantes and The King's Men [with special lyrics]
• Star in the Night (1945)
• The Frank Sinatra Show: "Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank" (1957) - Sinatra and Bing Crosby
• The Twilight Zone: "The Changing of the Guard" (1962)
• Period of Adjustment (1962)
• All in the Family: "Christmas Day at the Bunkers" (1971)
• The Bob Newhart Show: "His Busiest Season" (1972)
• All in the Family: "Edith's Crisis of Faith, Part 1" (1977)
• Wonder Woman: "The Deadly Toys" (1977)
• "Fright Before Christmas" (1979)
• Matlock: "The Gift" (1987)
• Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)
• In the Heat of the Night: "My Name Is Hank" (1989)
• Animaniacs: "'Twas the Day Before Christmas"/"Jingle Boo"/"The Great Wakkorotti: The Holiday Concert" (1993)
• Taz-Mania: "No Time for Christmas" (1993)
• A Riders in the Sky Christmas (1993) - Riders, Reba McEntire and The Nashville Children's Choir
• The Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special (1995)
• The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
• Chuck E.'s Magical Holiday Celebration (1996)
• Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
• King of the Hill: "'Twas the Nut Before Christmas" (2000)
• JAG: "Answered Prayers" (2001)
• Grey's Anatomy: "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" (2005)
• Chuck: "Chuck vs. The Crown Vic" (2007)
• Just in Time for Christmas (2015)
• A Puppy for Christmas (2016)
• A Gift to Remember (2017) [instrumental]
• A Royal Christmas Ball (2017) [instrumental]
• Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018)
• Mingle All the Way (2018)
• Christmas at the Plaza (2019)
• Looney Tunes Cartoons: "Bugs Bunny's 24-Carrot Holiday Special" (2020)
• Cross Country Christmas (2020) [instrumental]
• Civil Christmas(2024)

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