O Holy Goat

@troyburns (1405)
New Zealand
December 14, 2015 3:56pm CST
My favorite Christmas song is "O Holy Night", that haunting, uplifting and altogether wonderful holiday classic. For years I've been searching out and downloading different versions of it; an endless endeavor, apparently, as almost anyone who can carry a tune has recorded it at one Christmas time or another. There's even a Jodi Arias version, wouldja believe. But this year, a quite different recording of "O Holy Night" is threatening to storm the Yuletide charts. Sung by goats, it comes from an album released by the Swedish branch of ActionAid, a charitable group working to alleviate global poverty. The album, appropriately titled "All I want For Christmas Is a Goat," is an innovative attempt to raise awareness of the great contribution goats can make to impoverished communities around the world. They're hardy critters, able to survive in environments too dry to support crops, and the milk and wool they provide can help sustain desperate families. Yep, goats are an under-appreciated and versatile resource. But can they sing? I'll let you decide.
'All I Want For Cristmas is a Goat' är årets viktigaste julalbum. Skivan som består av åtta julsånger är framtagen för att uppmärksamma det arbete som Action...
7 people like this
8 responses
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325248)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Dec 15
This is great! Just love the soprano!. The last two years of Mum's life we bought her a goat for Christmas - an Oxfam one - but she was very happy about it. Goats are lovely animals and great companions as pets.
2 people like this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Dec 15
@JudyEv - Aren't they quite destructive? I like goats though I'm not sure whether one would make a suitable pet for our family.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325248)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Dec 15
@troyburns I suppose they're destructive. It depends what you call destructive. If they're kept in a contained area they're fine but if they get out they eat gardens. I had a pet goat and she was great fun. Always playful, tagged along everywhere. She would bow and shake hands, pull a cart. But we lived on a farm so there was room for lots of things.
The Horse
@TheHorse (205131)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Dec 15
@troyburns They will eat lots of things, though I find they prefer leaves and flowers.
2 people like this
rebel_woman06
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
15 Dec 15
I wonder how they were able to sound like a goat ?
1 person likes this
rebel_woman06
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
15 Dec 15
@troyburns Certainly it's not Celine Dion .
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Dec 15
@SIMPLYD - Those are real goat calls, cleverly edited together. I quite like it, but it's not Celine Dion is it?
1 person likes this
Jabo
@jaboUK (64362)
• United Kingdom
16 Dec 15
Clever title Robin. Nope, the goats can't sing but they make a lovely noise
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
17 Dec 15
@jaboUK - Father, son and holy goat? "Lovely noise" is a great way to describe this.
1 person likes this
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12609)
• Ireland
14 Dec 15
@troyburns That's hilarious. Goats are my favourite farm animal. I dream of owning a goat farm to make cheese (and Christmas CDs). They are also very tasty.
1 person likes this
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12609)
• Ireland
15 Dec 15
@troyburns It's very nice curried.
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Dec 15
@xFiacre - Are you telling me you've eaten goat? I suppose that's not as strange as it sounds, considering some of the other beasts we eat. (Kangaroo and eel would probably be the most unusual meats I've tasted.)
Jillybean1222
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
14 Dec 15
I remember buying my friend a cd of all christmas songs by frogs. :-)
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
15 Dec 15
@jillybean1222 - Oh my. Is that something I should look out for? It does sound like fun though.
1 person likes this
Jillybean1222
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
15 Dec 15
@troyburns i'm not sure how much she actually listened to it. :-)
The Horse
@TheHorse (205131)
• Walnut Creek, California
16 Dec 15
I'm not sure that I can bear to listen to this version of one of my favorite carols, in spite of the fact that some of my best friends are...goats.
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
17 Dec 15
@TheHorse - Fair enough. I too have friends - and family members - who strain my affections when they sing.
AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
15 Dec 15
Alle ved, geder kan ikke synge. Oh wait, that's Danish. Not sure how to say that in Swedish but it doesn't matter, they all speak English and it seems that everyone except the Swedes knows that goats can't sing. Actually, the fact that someone has the time and resources to synthesize goat noises and make an entire album rather points out the differences in the lifestyles of those who have singing goats and those who don't. I am afraid I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas music. No goats, only Chipmunks.
1 person likes this
Robin Lamb
@troyburns (1405)
• New Zealand
17 Dec 15
@Rollo1 - Noooooo! Not chipmunks. Anything but chipmunks. Or Crazy Frog. I wonder how many CD purchases would equal the cost of a third world goat?
Namelesss
@Namelesss (3368)
• United States
17 Dec 15
Awesome, I just bookmarked that so I can listen later. Goats are fascinating creatures but I never one that could sing.