Up Above My Head
Encyclopedia
"Up Above My Head" is a Gospel
song, originally recorded in the 1940s by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
and Marie Knight
as a duo.
format, with Tharpe singing a short line followed by Knight's "response" of the same line. There are seven lines (save responses) in each verse--the first six in call and response, and the seventh sung in unison.
It was recorded as a duet by Frankie Laine
and Johnnie Ray
on October 17, 1956.
It was released as a duet by Long John Baldry
and Rod Stewart
(as Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Coochie Men) in June 1964. (B-side, UK United Artists UP 1056)
This song was also performed by Elvis Presley
in the 1968 TV special, Elvis
. It was inserted in the gospel medley with the songs: "Where Could I Go But To The Lord" and "Saved".
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
Up above my head (up above my head)
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
Up above my head (up above my head)
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
I really do believe, I really do believe there's a Heaven
somewhere."
Each additional verse is the same as the first, the word "music" replaced with another word (such as "singing," "shouting," et cetera). In the years following the song's introduction many have added more replacement words, which extend the song's length.
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
song, originally recorded in the 1940s by Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an Amercian pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment...
and Marie Knight
Marie Knight
Marie Knight was an American gospel and R&B singer.-Life and career:She was born Marie Roach in Sanford, Florida but grew up in Newark, New Jersey. Her father was a construction worker and the family were members of the Church of God in Christ. She first toured as a singer in 1939 with Frances...
as a duo.
Style
The song is formed in the traditional call and responseCall and response (music)
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first...
format, with Tharpe singing a short line followed by Knight's "response" of the same line. There are seven lines (save responses) in each verse--the first six in call and response, and the seventh sung in unison.
It was recorded as a duet by Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
and Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
on October 17, 1956.
It was released as a duet by Long John Baldry
Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...
and Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
(as Long John Baldry and the Hoochie Coochie Men) in June 1964. (B-side, UK United Artists UP 1056)
This song was also performed by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
in the 1968 TV special, Elvis
Elvis (NBC TV Special)
Elvis is the thirty-fourth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono, LPM 4088, in November 1968. Recording sessions took place in Burbank, California at Western Recorders on June 20, 21, 22, and 23, 1968, and at NBC Studios on June 27 and 29, 1968. It peaked at #8 on the...
. It was inserted in the gospel medley with the songs: "Where Could I Go But To The Lord" and "Saved".
Lyrics
"Up above my head (up above my head)I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
Up above my head (up above my head)
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
Up above my head (up above my head)
I hear music in the air (I hear music in the air)
I really do believe, I really do believe there's a Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
somewhere."
Each additional verse is the same as the first, the word "music" replaced with another word (such as "singing," "shouting," et cetera). In the years following the song's introduction many have added more replacement words, which extend the song's length.