# Was there ever a high-profile American version of "Stille Nacht" released with German lyrics? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 27, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774 "2023-11-27T15:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/1 "2023-11-27T15:25:55Z")
I must be having some kind of memory glitch. For years, I’ve thought that someone on the level of Nat “King” Cole or Johnny Mathis had released a German-language version of “Silent Night” (or “Stille Nacht” in the original German). Today, as I go digging through Cole’s and Mathis’ respective catalogs, I am apparently mistaken – so far as I can tell, neither artist ever released “Stille Nacht” in German. “Silent Night” in English, yes, both have renowned versions of _that_ one. Just not “Stille Nacht”. It might be that I am simply conflating memories of Cole’s famous version of “O Tannenbaum” (which he did sing in German) with “Stille Nacht” somehow. In any case, the question remains: Has there ever been a popular, commercially-successful release of “Stille Nacht”, with German lyrics, by a high-profile American artist? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/2 "2023-11-27T19:00:44Z")
Does David Hasselhoff count? > **[David Hasselhoff – Stille Nacht](https://genius.com/David-hasselhoff-stille-nacht-lyrics)** > > Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! / Alles schläft, einsam wacht / Nur das traute hoch-heilige Paar / Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar / Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh' / Schlaf in himmlischer ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/3 "2023-11-27T19:01:43Z")
@bordelond said “high profile artist”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/4 "2023-11-27T19:04:16Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > @bordelond said “high profile artist.” So of course the answer is “yes” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/5 "2023-11-27T19:08:09Z")
I actually remember enough German to sing that correctly. 😳 ---
**Author:** ![Hermione1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hermione1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione1)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/6 "2023-11-27T19:14:10Z")
Do [John Denver and the Muppets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4YdmYON-QI&ab_channel=JohnDenver) count? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/7 "2023-11-27T19:20:49Z")
Checking out Joel Whitman’s _Christmas in the Charts_, I’m gonna say “no”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/8 "2023-11-27T19:48:40Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > @bordelond said “high profile artist” . 😉 I have to defer to **EinsteinsHund** here 😁 I don’t think Hoff’s Christmas album was commercially successful in the U.S. and it doesn’t look like there were any single releases. Still, I like an earnest rendition of “Stille Nacht” – I’ll give his a listen just in case it’s not as bad as the scathing reviews collected on Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-ever-a-high-profile-american-version-of-stille-nacht-released-with-german-lyrics/993774/9 "2023-11-27T19:52:08Z")
> [@Hermione1](#): > > Do [John Denver and the Muppets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4YdmYON-QI&ab_channel=JohnDenver) count ? My memory was of that smooth post-WWII crooner style. Nevertheless, the pretty version you linked could definitely have been part of my false memory. I like that Denver recites the history of “Stille Nacht” for listeners. His interest in the song reminds one of Denver’s original surname - Deutschendorf. Perhaps it was a hymn held dear in his family.