December 12, 2023 • 6 mins
On this episode of Christmas Merry and Bright, Raymond Arroyo, an award-winning broadcaster, New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed vocalist, unveils the hidden backstory of "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" and speaks with the artist, Amy Grant, herself.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Raymond Arroyo. Welcome back to Christmas. Mary and Bright
played backstories throughout the show. We're revealing the origins, the
backstories of some of the most beloved Christmas songs of
all time. And Baby, Baby, do I have an origin
story for you. I'm delighted to be joined by six
time Grammy Award winner six number one hits, Top ten
(00:22):
forty Pop singles or ten top forty singles. The Great
Amy Grant joins me. Amy, delighted and honored to have
you here. I wanted you here because we're featuring those
I consider iconic voices of Christmas, and you more than qualify.
Your Breath of Heaven has become a Christmas classic. Chris
Eaton wrote it, and then you rewrote it. Tell me
(00:44):
what you thought when you first heard that song.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, I thought that chorus was the most captivating chorus
I had ever heard. And I did not change his chorus,
and I just I don't remember his original lyrics, but
they I don't remember them. It was not a story.
It was not a story song. And I knew I
(01:10):
was working on a Christmas record and that was not
a Christmas song. And I said, would you please please
let me rewrite this song because it has three verses,
and I said, I would love to write this from
the perspective of Mary. And it's kind of crazy because
I was pregnant.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
At the time with your third child. Yeah, this is
in nineteen ninety two, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And he said, okay. And it's funny because he said,
all right, I'll let you rewrite it, but I prefer
the way I wrote it. And I said, but just
thank you for letting me record it a different way. Well,
it's interesting, yeah, because that has been recorded by so
(01:56):
many people.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Well, because I think, you know, when I learned that
you were pregnant with your third child at the time,
you really do bring a mother's heart to it. And
you know, over time, even the historic figures like the
Virgin Mary, you forget, you lose touch with the humanity.
And I think you restored her humanity in many ways
through the song, because it's so I mean, by putting
(02:21):
it in that first person, we all, you know, and
certainly every woman feels you're a part of her and
her journey. Why do you think it has such staying power?
Breath of Heaven?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I think it has staying power because the chorus is
in I mean, because the song is written in first
person and clearly the storytelling. If you know that it's Mary,
it's I mean, it's obvious. But that verse is applicable.
I mean, excuse me, the chorus is applicable to all
(02:54):
of us.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And through the years, I've just had so many people
come to me and tell me stories. I have a
dear friend, still a dear friend, and she had four
young children. Her family was on the cover of People magazine.
That's how I first discovered them. My Consinde Parsigian, and
my dad was the famous coach Air Parsigiana, Remember Notre Dame,
(03:19):
the movie Rude. Yeah, and so so Era's grandchildren. Three
of the four grandchildren and that family had a degenerative
neurological condition, and so they developed normally for the first
few years of their life, even up to five years,
and then had a slow decline. And three of those
(03:41):
four children passed away in a ten year arc. And
I got to know that family and helped with fundraising
and Mike and sided with the second two to pass
where the two their two daughters and I would be
on the front row. Oh hard way to sing that song.
(04:06):
I get a lump in my throa just thinking about it.
But it was like, you know, the the last Tada,
she was sixteen years old, she had had this neurological condition.
You know, she's wonderful and from the top she was
you know, first graders. It exhibited itself and oh golly.
(04:29):
So I just think that song to me, is helps
all of us hang on. Yeah, it helps us hang on.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Well, I love the you know that every verse I
love but that you know I've traveled many moonless nights,
cold and weary with a babe inside. I mean, they're
so tender and evocative. Now, Amy, you sang that at
Notre Dame's commencement recently. The commencement ceremony, so beautiful. I
(04:57):
watched it. I was I had friends who were there,
they're chill when we're graduating. My son's a domer, and
I was just it brought tears to my eyes when
you perform that surprisingly there.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh my goodness. Well, Notre Dame honors me with an
honorary doctorate, and so I was just so glad to
be asked if I would close the graduation ceremony with
that performance.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Well, it was beautiful. No, and that song is just
so I mean I get chills when I hear it.
And you know, what is it like being part of
people's Christmas every year? I mean the fact that you
are there around the tree with them when they come
together sometimes only once a year. What is that like
for you as an artist?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Well, I know that family gatherings, especially at Christmas, they
are they just cover a multitude emotions. Life has so
many chapters and to men, music brings us together. Music
is a great way to trigger the best of memories.
(06:06):
And you know, somebody will say, well, it's just not
Christmas till we turn on your record, and I'll think, well,
we're all still here.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, thank goodness.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Just put the smile on my face.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
That's right. Well, Amy Grant, I hope everybody goes. Your tour.
Information is at Amygrant dot com. Amy Grant, what a
joy to be with you. Merry Christmas and see you
at the Rhymen
I'm Raymond Arroyo. Welcome back to Christmas. Mary and Bright
played backstories throughout the show. We're revealing the origins, the
backstories of some of the most beloved Christmas songs of
all time. And Baby, Baby, do I have an origin
story for you. I'm delighted to be joined by six
time Grammy Award winner six number one hits, Top ten
(00:22):
forty Pop singles or ten top forty singles. The Great
Amy Grant joins me. Amy, delighted and honored to have
you here. I wanted you here because we're featuring those
I consider iconic voices of Christmas, and you more than qualify.
Your Breath of Heaven has become a Christmas classic. Chris
Eaton wrote it, and then you rewrote it. Tell me
(00:44):
what you thought when you first heard that song.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Well, I thought that chorus was the most captivating chorus
I had ever heard. And I did not change his chorus,
and I just I don't remember his original lyrics, but
they I don't remember them. It was not a story.
It was not a story song. And I knew I
(01:10):
was working on a Christmas record and that was not
a Christmas song. And I said, would you please please
let me rewrite this song because it has three verses,
and I said, I would love to write this from
the perspective of Mary. And it's kind of crazy because
I was pregnant.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
At the time with your third child. Yeah, this is
in nineteen ninety two, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
And he said, okay. And it's funny because he said,
all right, I'll let you rewrite it, but I prefer
the way I wrote it. And I said, but just
thank you for letting me record it a different way. Well,
it's interesting, yeah, because that has been recorded by so
(01:56):
many people.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Well, because I think, you know, when I learned that
you were pregnant with your third child at the time,
you really do bring a mother's heart to it. And
you know, over time, even the historic figures like the
Virgin Mary, you forget, you lose touch with the humanity.
And I think you restored her humanity in many ways
through the song, because it's so I mean, by putting
(02:21):
it in that first person, we all, you know, and
certainly every woman feels you're a part of her and
her journey. Why do you think it has such staying power?
Breath of Heaven?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I think it has staying power because the chorus is
in I mean, because the song is written in first
person and clearly the storytelling. If you know that it's Mary,
it's I mean, it's obvious. But that verse is applicable.
I mean, excuse me, the chorus is applicable to all
(02:54):
of us.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And through the years, I've just had so many people
come to me and tell me stories. I have a
dear friend, still a dear friend, and she had four
young children. Her family was on the cover of People magazine.
That's how I first discovered them. My Consinde Parsigian, and
my dad was the famous coach Air Parsigiana, Remember Notre Dame,
(03:19):
the movie Rude. Yeah, and so so Era's grandchildren. Three
of the four grandchildren and that family had a degenerative
neurological condition, and so they developed normally for the first
few years of their life, even up to five years,
and then had a slow decline. And three of those
(03:41):
four children passed away in a ten year arc. And
I got to know that family and helped with fundraising
and Mike and sided with the second two to pass
where the two their two daughters and I would be
on the front row. Oh hard way to sing that song.
(04:06):
I get a lump in my throa just thinking about it.
But it was like, you know, the the last Tada,
she was sixteen years old, she had had this neurological condition.
You know, she's wonderful and from the top she was
you know, first graders. It exhibited itself and oh golly.
(04:29):
So I just think that song to me, is helps
all of us hang on. Yeah, it helps us hang on.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Well, I love the you know that every verse I
love but that you know I've traveled many moonless nights,
cold and weary with a babe inside. I mean, they're
so tender and evocative. Now, Amy, you sang that at
Notre Dame's commencement recently. The commencement ceremony, so beautiful. I
(04:57):
watched it. I was I had friends who were there,
they're chill when we're graduating. My son's a domer, and
I was just it brought tears to my eyes when
you perform that surprisingly there.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Oh my goodness. Well, Notre Dame honors me with an
honorary doctorate, and so I was just so glad to
be asked if I would close the graduation ceremony with
that performance.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Well, it was beautiful. No, and that song is just
so I mean I get chills when I hear it.
And you know, what is it like being part of
people's Christmas every year? I mean the fact that you
are there around the tree with them when they come
together sometimes only once a year. What is that like
for you as an artist?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Well, I know that family gatherings, especially at Christmas, they
are they just cover a multitude emotions. Life has so
many chapters and to men, music brings us together. Music
is a great way to trigger the best of memories.
(06:06):
And you know, somebody will say, well, it's just not
Christmas till we turn on your record, and I'll think, well,
we're all still here.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, thank goodness.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Just put the smile on my face.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
That's right. Well, Amy Grant, I hope everybody goes. Your tour.
Information is at Amygrant dot com. Amy Grant, what a
joy to be with you. Merry Christmas and see you
at the Rhymen
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