Songfacts®:

• "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (Latin: "Veni, veni, Emmanuel") is a Christian hymn for Advent that is also often published in books of Christmas carols. It is a joyous and hopeful carol that expresses anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ.
• The origins of the hymn can be traced to the Latin liturgy and the medieval monastic community. It is a metrical paraphrase of the O Antiphon, a series of plainchant antiphons (so-called because each one begins with an "O") attached to the Magnificat at Vespers over the final days before Christmas. The antiphon texts probably originated in Italy in or before the sixth century. Boethius (c. 480–524/525 AD) refers to the text in his Consolation of Philosophy.
• The haunting melody is believed to have originated from a French processional for Franciscan nuns and was first published in the 15th century.
• "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" gained widespread use with John Mason Neale's four-part harmonization and English translation. Neale was an English hymnologist, priest and scholar who translated a number of hymns from ancient and medieval sources. He published his translation in 1851 in his collection, Hymns Ancient and Modern. Neale's other works include his arrangement of the traditional Christmas carol "Good Christian Men, Rejoice" and his original Boxing Day carol "Good King Wenceslas."
• The hymn is based on the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, which foretells the birth of Immanuel, which means "God with us."
  
  "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)
  
  The hymn expresses the longing of the Israelites for the Messiah, who would bring salvation to Israel and the world.
• The lyrics are full of imagery and symbolism. "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" speaks of the Messiah as a "root of Jesse," a "Lord of Might," and a "King of Peace." It also speaks of the Messiah as one who will "ransom captive Israel," "free thine own from Satan's tyranny," and "bid Thou our sad divisions cease."
• "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" has been given contemporary makeovers by artists as wide-ranging as:
  
  American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens' for his 2006 album Songs for Christmas.
  
  Irish singer and composer Enya for her 2008 album And Winter Came... Her version is in Latin.
  
  American pop singer Kelly Clarkson for the deluxe version of her 2013 Christmas album Wrapped in Red.
  
  American punk rock band Bad Religion for their 2013 album Christmas Songs.
  
  Also, U2 based the musical arrangement for their 2009 track "White as Snow" on the carol.