Friggin Heralds...

Pet Peeve: People who call the song "Hark The Herald"


You're clearly referring to the timeless holiday carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"


Yes...and this bugs me more than you might think.


Here we go.


So, since our society has become lazy, we prefer to shorten everything we can...especially when it comes to pronunciation. Names (William=Bill, Jennifer Lopez=J-Lo, Bradley Pitt and Jennifer Aniston=Bennifer), Cities (Soho, SoCal, Dowisetrepla), restaurants (KFC, Mickey D's, Double D's), pretty much everything. I'm guilty of it too...one particular person who plays a key role in my sitcom grew accustomed to calling me "Jer" and then one day she randomly called me "Jeremy" and I was confused. It's really all part and parcel with The Wussification Of America...which is fine, except when it goes too far.

All of the names and places mentioned above at least make sense when you use them. But calling this song by the abbreviated name "Hark The Herald" is meaningless. It's laziness for the sake of laziness, and demeans the meaning of the song. You're saying to the world, "I don't care what the song is about or what it's supposed to mean, I'm going to shorten it because I don't feel like saying the whole thing." Is anything worse?


Probably...


The answer is a resounding "NO!"

Let's examine. A "Herald" is much like a fanfare. "Hark!" is like saying "Hey...listen." In the song, you're not listening to a mere fanfare. You're listening to a choir of angels announcing the birth of Jesus. They're Herald Angels! So, listen up people...the Herald Angels are singing. Pay attention!