I love gospel music, which in every instance I think is best heard live. Gospel music is the music of praise, of solicitation, of lamentation, of supplication and of celebration . It is meant to be sung, not merely listened to, and it is meant to be sung with others. It is a testament to the ties that bind communities of belief together. It is the music of their “good news,” and it is the most beautiful way they share that news and affirm that community, So the challenge today was not what kind of song to pick, but rather only which gospel song to pick.
My choice today is a song of celebration. A celebration of emancipation. There are many excellent recordings of it, but none match the power of the hearing it live. Here it is, “Oh Happy Day”:
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