Released 1984 Recorded 1978 Label A&M
1940 | Format 7" single Genre Pop | |
B-side "Do You Hear What I Hear?" | ||
"Little Altar Boy" is a song by the popular group The Carpenters. Its B-side was "Do You Hear What I Hear", a song released on the An Old-Fashioned Christmas album in 1984. This single was a promotional single for the album and did not receive any chart status. There was no music video shot for this song.
The song is about a man, who has done wrong, and goes to church for the purpose of asking the alter boy, to pray for him for his past sins and to ask for forgiveness by wanting to become holy as him.
History
"Little Altar Boy" was written in 1961, and first recorded that year by vocalist Vic Dana for his album This Is Vic Dana. Released as a single, it reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In an introspective moment, Dana performs this quiet song in the 1962 musical-comedy film Don't Knock the Twist.
The song was also recorded by Andy Williams on his 1965 album Merry Christmas and by Glen Campbell on his 1968 album That Christmas Feeling.