In October of 1962, the world was at the brink of destruction. For 13 terrifying days, October 16th to 28th, the Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest we have ever come to total nuclear annihilation. The Soviet Union, under the leadership of Nakita Khrushchev, had moved nuclear missiles to Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. While the whole world was holding its proverbial breath, a record producer asked the husband-and-wife songwriting team Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne to write a Christmas song. They were asked to write a Christmas song during the Cuban Missile Crisis! The fate of the world rested on the abilities of Nakita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy to come to some sort of peaceful agreement which seemed unlikely. Noel and Gloria were just as anxious as the rest of the world and struggled to write about festively wrapped packages under the Christmas tree, joyful sleigh rides through the freshly fallen snow, or about Santa Claus flying around the world with his eight, maybe nine, reindeer. Nuclear war could begin at any moment. They wondered if anyone would be alive to hear the song.
Noel was no stranger to war. Noel was born Léon Schlienger in France in 1922. At some point during or immediately following World War II, Léon Schlienger reversed the letters of his first name, then dropped the first four letters of his last name and rearranged them to become Noel Regney. In the early summer of 1940, when France fell to Hitler’s invading force, Noel was drafted into the German army. He spoke German as fluently as French, which the Germans saw as an asset. Noel was no fan of Nazis. He joined the French Resistance and became a double agent. He once led a group of German soldiers into an ambush. During the shooting affray, Noel was shot in the arm either by a French Resistance fighter or a German soldier. He continued to work as a double agent for a short time but eventually deserted the German army altogether. On May 7, 1945, the German Third Reich surrendered unconditionally, but the war continued with Japan. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb above the Japanese city of Hiroshima. When Japan refused to surrender, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb above Nagasaki three days later. Finally, the Japanese surrendered, and World War II came to an end. Noel learned of the destructive power of the atomic bombs in newspapers. In 1952, Noel moved to Manhattan where he fell in love with Gloria, a pianist and composer.
Noel and Gloria’s task was a daunting one. The record producer thought a holiday song would ease people’s anxiety. Noel had not wanted to write a Christmas song because of the over commercialization of the holiday, but he agreed with the producer. During a somber walk back to his home in Manhattan, Noel noted a sense of despair in the air. No one smiled. He kept walking until he saw two mothers with their babies in strollers. Noel remembered that “The little angels were looking at each other and smiling. All of a sudden, my mood was extraordinary.”
Normally, Noel composed the music and Gloria wrote the lyrics, but Noel was inspired by the two little angels. His pace quickened. As soon as Noel arrived at his home, he began writing. Gloria read the lyrics and, as if by divine intervention, a melody began playing in her head. They had their song on paper, but they were unable to sing it. Gloria said, “Noel wrote a beautiful song, and I wrote the music. We couldn’t sing it, though; it broke us up. We cried. Our little song broke us up. You must realize there was a threat of nuclear war at that time.”
In the song, Noel wrote that the child, Jesus, would bring goodness and light. The star with a tail as big as a kite was not meant as a reference to the Christmas star but a nuclear bomb enroute to its target. The tail referred to the exhaust from the rocket. The most obvious connection to the Cuban Missile Crisis was their plea for peace, “Pray for peace, people everywhere.” Thankfully, Soviet Premier Nakitia Khrushchev and U.S. President John F. Kennedy came to an agreement and averted nuclear war. When we hear Noel and Gloria’s song today, the Cuban Missile Crisis does not immediately come to mind. Now you know that the threat of total nuclear annihilation led to the holiday classic “Do You Hear What I hear?” We should all strive for peace on Earth and goodwill to all. Merry Christmas!
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