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The Worship Initiative, Shane & Shane - Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful) (CCM)



The Worship Initiative, Shane & Shane - Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful)
On Friday, November 11th, The Worship Initiative, Shane & Shane shared new music with their version of the song 'Joy to the World (Joyful, Joyful)'.

'Joy to the World' has been a Christmas tradition since 1719. Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics, and it is still one of the most-published hymns in North America. The song, however, was never intended to be a Christmas carol, as its original version had no such link. It wasn't even meant to be a song!

According to church history, Isaac Watts was one of the most prolific and well-known hymn writers. However, his most famous work, 'Joy to the World,' was inspired by chance rather than desire. Watts published 'The Psalms of David' in 1719, a collection of poems in which each verse was based on a psalm. However, rather than translating the original texts of the 'Old Testament,' he made some minor changes. His poems made more explicit references to Jesus' works, implying a search for inspiration in the New Testament.

Except for the second part of 'Psalm 98,' the majority of the hymns in 'The Psalms of David' have now faded into obscurity. The poet, ironically, had no intention of writing a Christmas carol when he wrote the verse. However, Lowell Mason composed a riveting melody for this second part in 1836, and 'Joy to the World' began its ascent into the musical stratosphere.
 
'Joy to the World' has a somewhat mystical musical origin. Lowell Mason's version, which was the fourth revised interpretation of the carol, is still the most commonly used to this day. Lowell called it 'ANTIOCH,' and the tune is credited to George Frideric Handel. The choruses of Handel's oratorio 'Messiah' bore a passing resemblance to those of 'ANTIOCH.' This musical accompaniment's theme also bore an uncanny resemblance to the orchestral inception of 'Comfort ye,' a recitative.

We are happy to be able to share the lyrics with you.

The official audio can be heard below.

Lyrics:


https://genius.com/The-worship-initiative-and-shane-and-shane-joy-to-the-world-joyful-joyful-lyrics


You can listen to the track on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6HelJniw8oatMaTxjs2Aya

Here is a link to the video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snl_KafJI_o

Would you like to hear more CCM music? Then check out our Christian playlists on: https://www.christiandance.eu/playlists

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