Joy is the Oh
Happy Day Gospel Hymn
Sing
Oh Happy Day
-
It's not often that a hymn
makes it into the pop charts, at least a gospel
song adapted from a hymn. The Edwin Hawkins Singers
had an international hit with their version of Oh
Happy Day in 1968. It reached number two in the UK
and number four in the US.
The song started life as a
hymn with words written by an English clergyman,
inspired by the book of Acts in the bible. It was a
popular part of church services in the 19th century
in Britain and America.
During the 20th century, the
old hymn was given a quicker tempo and Hawkins
later adapted it to his group's soulful, gospel
style. His arrangement repeated the hook and
removed all of the verses.
The result was a catchy, feel
good celebration of life and Oh Happy Day became a
gospel standard, the first of its kind to find its
way into mainstream pop. Just take a look at the
lyrics by Hawkins and Edwin ..
Oh Happy Day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
Oh happy happy day; Oh happy
day
When Jesus washed Oh when he
washed
When Jesus washed He washed
my sins away!
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
When Jesus washed Oh when he
washed
When Jesus washed He washed
my sins away!
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
He taught me how He taught
me
Taught me how to watch He
taught me how to watch
and fight and pray fight and
pray
yes, fight and
pray
And he'll rejoice and He'll,
and He'll
rejoice in things we say and
He'll rejoice in
things we say, things we
say
yes, things we say
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
When Jesus washed Oh when he
washed
He washed my sins away He
taught me how
to watch, fight and pray
fight and pray
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
When Jesus washed Oh when he
washed
He washed my sins away
We'll live rejoicing
ev´ry day, ev´ry day
Oh happy day, Oh happy
day
When Jesus washed Oh when he
washed
He washed my sins
away
About The Edwin Hawkins
Singers
The Edwin Hawkins Singers had
been created as a youth choir for members aged 17
to 25. After Hawkins confounded the group, they
made an album called Let Us Go Into the House of
the Lord, which they produced and marketed
themselves on a shoestring.
The recording would have
fallen into obscurity if not for one of its songs,
Oh Happy Day, with lead vocals by Dorothy Morrison.
A DJ heard the song and it began to be played on
local radio stations. The song was released as a
commercial single and it took off like a
rocket.
The gospel song, which had
been recorded in a church in Oakland, California,
went on to win a Grammy Award in 1970 for Hawkins
and his singers for Best Soul Gospel Performance.
The group was feted wherever
they went and the record was an influence on future
soul and gospel artists. The old time gospel hymn
seemed to have a life of its own and numerous cover
versions have been released. The song still gets
airplay today and the opening bars are immediately
recognizable.
The group was not totally
unused to the limelight before the success of the
record. They had previously provided backing vocals
to singer songwriter Melanie on her song, Lay Down
(Candles In the Rain.)
The unexpected achievement of
Oh Happy Day was one of those examples of
serendipity that happens from time to time and it
got everyone tapping their feet and clapping in
time. The original melody was composed in 1704, so
you could say it was a slow burner. Either way, now
I've got the spiritual tune stuck in my
head!
Gospel song Oh Happy Day
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