Everything Is Beautiful
| "Everything is Beautiful" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Ray Stevens | ||||
| B-side | A Brighter Day | |||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Barnaby ZS7 2011 | |||
| Writer(s) | Ray Stevens | |||
| Ray Stevens singles chronology | ||||
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"Everything is Beautiful" is a song by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens' albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The children heard singing the chorus of the song, using the hymn, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", are from the Oak Hill Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee. This group includes Stevens' two daughters. The singer arranged and tape recorded the impromptu session himself for inclusion in the song.[1]
The song was responsible for two wins at the Grammy Awards of 1971: Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Ray Stevens and Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance for Jake Hess. Ray Stevens' recording was the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in the spring of 1970. The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary chart.[2] Many country stations played the song, peaking it at #39 on Billboard's chart.[3] The song includes anti-racist and pro-tolerance lyrics such as "We shouldn't care 'bout the length of his hair / Or the color of his skin".[4]
Chart performance [edit]
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 6 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 12 |
| Euro Hit 50 | 16 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 39 |
This song was a major departure for Stevens, as "Everything is Beautiful" is a more serious and spiritual tune, unlike some of his earlier ("Gitarzan" and "Ahab the Arab") and later ("The Streak") recordings which were more in the style of comedy/novelty songs.[1]
The Smashing Pumpkins also released a cover of the song in their Live Smashing Pumpkins album series.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Everything Is Beautiful by Ray Stevens Songfacts
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 231.
- ^ allmusic ((( Ray Stevens > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))) [dead link]
- ^ http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/everythi.htm
External links [edit]
| Preceded by "For the Love of Him" by Bobbi Martin |
Billboard Easy Listening Singles number-one single by Ray Stevens May 23, 1970 (three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Daughter of Darkness" by Tom Jones |
| Preceded by "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight" by The Guess Who |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 30, 1970 (two weeks) |
Succeeded by "The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue" by The Beatles |
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