Joyful, joyful we adore thee
God of glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before thee
Opening to the sun above

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness
Drive the doubt away
Giver of immortal gladness
Fill us with the light of day

All thy works with joy surround thee
Earth and heaven reflect thy rays
Stars and angels sing around thee
Center of unbroken praise

Field and and forest, vale and mountain
Flowery meadow, flashing sea
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in thee

Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life

Amy Grant

By the time Amy Grant was nineteen, she was Contemporary Christian music’s most celebrated singer. Grant grew up in the Church of Christ where she sang for God two nights a week. As a teen, she decided to pursue a career in music, writing her first song while attending devotional meetings at her high school.

Grant recorded a demo while working as an intern at a recording studio and the owner was so impressed he signed her to his own label and released her first album Amy Grant in 1977. It spawned three top 10 songs on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart.

The following year, Grant began touring while balancing college studies. Her second album My Father’s Eyes was released in April 1979. At its record release party, she met future first husband gospel singer Gary Chapman. He’d written its title track, and it would become her first of many Christian Songs Chart-toppers. Her third album Never Alone came out in 1981 and features the #3 Christian Songs hit “Look What Has Happened To Me”.