Noël Regney wrote the lyrics for which 1962 Christmas carol?

Noël Regney wrote the lyrics for the 1962 Christmas carol “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

Regney and his wife, composer Gloria Shayne, wrote the song in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney supplied the lyrics, while Shayne composed the music. Their song’s plea for peace reflected the anxiety of a world facing the possibility of nuclear war, even though its imagery draws on the Nativity story.

The lyrics move through a chain of messages: the night wind speaks to a little lamb, the lamb speaks to a shepherd boy, and the shepherd tells a mighty king about a child. The child is never explicitly named as Jesus, but the star, shepherd, king, and gifts of silver and gold evoke familiar biblical Christmas imagery.

The Harry Simeone Chorale made the first recording, released in 1962. Bing Crosby’s 1963 recording helped turn it into a widely recognized holiday standard. A frequent mix-up is assuming Regney also wrote the music; the songwriting credit is divided between Regney as lyricist and Shayne as composer.