In 2003, rising star – and David Foster, protégé – Josh Groban first recorded Rolf Løvland’s and Brendan Graham’s, You Raise Me Up, as the single from his second album, CLOSER.
Little did singer (or the songwriters) know, the trajectory to which the Irish/Norwegian composed song, would propel him. You Raise Me Up made the young American an international star, giving him 6 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, a Grammy nomination and garnering 6 x Platinum US sales for CLOSER.
The song would also lead Groban to perform it at the interval of Superbowl 2004, and live at Oprah’s 50th Birthday celebration, etc. The song became for the singer, as producer Foster described it ‘a career song’. Now twenty years later it is still the singer’s signature song.
Now, Warner Records has released CLOSER – a special 20th Anniversary Edition of the original hit album for Josh Groban. It features some new editions of the originally recorded songs. However, one of the key features of the album re-release is that it includes two versions of You Raise Me Up – the original hit single version with one verse and an extended 2-verse, version of the song and previously unreleased by Groban.
‘It was a great surprise’ lyricist Graham says ‘and unusual to have two versions of one’s song on the same album by the same artiste…but a compliment to the song’s endurability…as brought by Josh to such a wide audience’.
The songwriter explains: ‘The song, as written always had two verses. In turn that seemed to have given it ‘two lives’ – the mainly ‘pop’ recordings with just one verse and multiple choruses, and then the versions, choral …and otherwise that maintained the second verse’.
‘Rolf and I are truly delighted with this latest ‘’life of the song’’ from Josh’.
National Concert Hall presents You Raise Me Up – The Songs and Stories of Brendan Graham with the National Symphony Orchestra
You Raise Me Up – The Songs and Stories of Brendan Graham, with The National Symphony Orchestra (Conductor, David Brophy) Cathy Jordan, Seán Keane, Camille O’Sullivan, Eimear Quinn, Paul Harrington & Charlie McGettigan, Anthony Kearns, Róisín O’Reilly, Feargal Murray, Neil Martin, Denis Carey, members of the Dublin Gospel Choir.
Date: National Concert Hall Sat 20th/Sun 21st Jan 2024
