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Silver Bells


Words & Music:
R. Evans/ J. LivingstonSilver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
Strings of streetlights, even stoplights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle you'll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day Recorded:
1971/05/15, first released on
Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of ChristmasReactions
It brings out the Christmas spirit I think, even on a slightly warm day in May. Nice & gentle. Easy to the ear, especially when Elvis sings it.
I would have loved to hear Elvis in the 1970s, accompanied by only an acoustic guitar! This song could have been great if done simply and quietly. As it is, def not a fav---though preferable to Winter Wonderland
Not sure why Elvis has recorded songs from Bing Crosby but it happened nevertheless with passable results like Silver Bells. The weakest song from another wise great album and probably should be just regarded as such, an album filler.
This Christmas standard closes out the WWOC LP. It is pleasant; but easily the weakest song on side B of the LP (of course the other four tracks are among Elvis' finest works). I have been guilty of hitting the eject button on my turntable after "Merry Christmas Baby" to keep from hearing this song again. Still, when I do play it, I find myself singing along and enjoying it...3 stars.
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