As I sit down in front of my computer to write this, it is Christmas Day, 2016. Of course, I felt compelled to write about something Christmas-y, but there actually isn’t that much holiday music in U2’s catalog. I’ve already written about the two Christmas songs that U2 has recorded as a band, and last week I wrote about the other big yule-tide single that relates to the band. I was honestly having some trouble trying to think up something to write about – you almost got an article on Bono’s reading of “Driving to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve”, but so much has been said about that piece already I’m not sure what I’d have to say about it that would be original. Then I remembered this little chestnut, from Christian singer Michael W. Smith’s 2014 Christmas album The Spirit of Christmas.

For those of you who might not be familiar with the piece, “The Darkest Midnight” is a traditional Irish Christmas song, which of course makes it perfect for Bono. Usually, the song is performed by a choir, and there is a popular arrangement by Stephen Main that has these choirs backed solely by a tinkling piano. These performances are lovely and very worshipful, so if that kind of music is your bag, you might want to take the time to seek out some of the YouTube videos of Main’s arrangement. Michael W. Smith’s arrangement, however, is steeped in traditional Irish sounds, and with Bono gently whispering the lyrics to the song it makes for a transcendent listening experience, much more magical to my ears than hearing a choir sing. Bono and Smith’s version makes it personal, and brings to mind the fact that two thousand years ago a baby was born who supposedly chose to give up his divinity, and who would go on to give his life for all of us. Even to non-believers, it’s a stirring story, and one that this song brings to life.

Bono only recites the first and last verses of what is, in it’s complete iteration, a fairly lengthy piece, and he makes some mild changes to what he does recite. In the original text, the fourth line of the last verse reads “and every devil must adore”, but Bono instead gives us something more universal, changing it to “and everyone must adore”. He also changes the request for God to defend “church and clergymen” in the original to a more secular “friends and family”. As usual when Bono is reciting a poem or some other spoken-word composition, his performance here is absolutely spot-on. Solemn but tender, the humanity that he brings to the hymn makes it relatable for the common man but still extraordinary.

I’m not sure if Michael W. Smith has ever performed this song live, but I can definitively state that neither Bono nor any other member of U2 has ever taken part in a live rendition of this song. That’s OK. U2 isn’t really a Christmas band – their music is more for every day living. Still, though, when any member of the band decides to turn his attention to something for the holidays, they do it up right.