When a Child Is Born

"When a Child is Born" is a popular Christmas song. The original melody was "Soleado", a tune from 1972 by Ciro Dammicco (alias Zacar), composer for Italy's Daniel Santecruz Ensemble. The English language lyrics were written a few years later by Fred Jay. They do not make specific mention of Christmas but the importance they attach to looking forward to the birth of one particular child somewhere, anywhere, suggests a reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, and the citing of "a tiny star" that "lights up way up high" may allude to the Star of Bethlehem. Fred Jay's lyrics have been sung by many artists, most successfully by Johnny Mathis in 1976.

Soleado is used in the 1975 Argentinean film Nazareno Cruz y el lobo (The Love of the Wolf), and it is credited as Theme From the Motion Picture 'The Love of the Wolf' on Mathis's album "Johnny Mathis Sings the Movie Greats" (CBS). Artists who have performed the song include:

• Boney M. in their 1981 Christmas Album
• Kenny Rogers
• Bing Crosby
• The Moody Blues in their 2003 album December
• Cissy Houston
• Willie Nelson
• Tarja Turunen
• Sarah Brightman in her 2008 holiday CD "A Winter Symphony".
• ACM Gospel Choir in their 2008 Mail on Sunday giveaway CD "Christmas with the Choir".
• ..many others

Many international artists have also performed the song in English:

• Michael Holm (Germany) (also see below). The original 1974-75 US chart single.
• Tarja Turunen (Finland)
• Lee Towers (Netherlands)
• Charles Aznavour (France)
• Andrea Bocelli (Italy)
• Plácido Domingo (Spain)
• Sissel Kyrkjebø (Norway)
• Demis Roussos (Egypt/Greece/Europe)
• Il Divo (British based group comprising members from France, Spain, Switzerland and the United States)
• Boney M (German based group comprising members from Aruba, Jamaica, and Montserrat)
• Australian singer Alfio recorded a version of this song in 2006 for his debut album Tranquillita: The Christmas Edition
• Chinese singer Albert Au also recorded the song in English
• Filipino singer José Mari Chan covered the song on his holiday album, Christmas in Our Hearts.
• Frank Patterson (Irish)
• Connie Talbot, a contestant from Britain's Got Talent included it in two albums, (Connie Talbot's Christmas Album in 2008 and Connie Talbot's Holiday Magic in 2009.
• Joe McElderry for his third studio album, Classic Christmas.

Johnny Mathis version

The most successful version of the song is probably the Jack Gold produced version for Johnny Mathis. Entitled "When A Child Is Born (Soleado)" with B-side as "Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)", it became Johnny Mathis' sole number one single in the UK, spending three weeks at the top of the chart in December 1976 and selling 850,000 copies.

Language Versions

• In 1972, the melody was sung with Spanish lyrics by Manolo Otero and entitled "Todo el tiempo del mundo" (translation: I've All the Time for Waiting)
• The same melody was used with German lyrics by Michael Holm in "Tränen lügen nicht" (translation: Tears Don't Lie).
  • The Michael Holm version of "Tears Don't Lie", performed in English, was a minor hit in the US, reaching #53 on Billboard's Hot 100, #7 on Billboard's Easy Listening Top 50.
• In 1975 the melody was used with French language lyrics, written by Henri Dijan and sung by Mireille Mathieu "On ne vit pas sans se dire adieu" (translation: "You can not live without saying goodbye")
• It was sung with Hungarian lyrics by Zsuzsa Cserháti "Édes kisfiam" ("My sweet son"). In 1975 Iván Bradányi wrote the lyrics of this song for Cserháti after her son was born.
• Turkish star Ajda Pekkan sang it with Turkish language lyrics

Samplings

The hummed beginning of Jonny Mathis's recording was used as the basis for a dance record by the German producer Mark'Oh, entitled "Tears Don't Lie", a hit throughout much of Europe in 1995. As it was unconnected to Christmas and not released at that time of year, anyone who knows the melody principally from this track may not necessarily associate it with Christmas.