Today in Music (1911): “Joy to the World” charted for the first time

Joy to the World George Frideric Handel (music), Isaac Watts (words), Lowell Mason (arranged)

Writer(s): George Frideric Handel (m), Isaac Watts (w), Lowell Mason (arranged) (see lyrics here) First Published: 1719 First Charted: December 16, 1911 (Trinity Choir) Peak – all versions: 5 PM, 5 AC, 44 CW, 33 CN, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions – all versions): -- radio, 105.74 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Joy to the World” is the most-published Christian hymn in North America since the 20th century, appearing in more than 1300 hymnals. HY Isaac Watts, an English minister and hymn writer, penned the lyrics of “Joy to the World” as a Christian reinterpretation of Psalm 98. He published it in 1719 in his collection The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. WK It was not intended to be a Christmas carol, as the lyrics do not reference the birth of Jesus but Christ’s Second Coming. WK In 1848, it was set to a musical arrangement by American composer Lowell Mason and published in The National Psalmist. WK That tune – “Antioch” – is attributed to George Friedrich Händel. While some have suggested a connection between Händel’s Messiah and “Joy to the World,“ the resemblences between the two have been dismissed by scholars. WK The first version of the song to chart was by the Trinity Choir in 1911. It reached #5. Their only other chart entry was a #4 rendition of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” the next year. PM The group included Elise Stevenson as a member. She charted nineteen hits from 1907 to 1911, including the #1 songs “Because You’re You,” “Are You Sincere?,” “Good Evening, Caroline,” and “Shine on, Harvest Moon.” PM There have been other charted versions of the song by Mariah Carey (1994, #33 CN), Nick Jonas (2004, #14 AC), the B.E. Group (2005, #28 AC), Faith Hill (2008, #44 CW), Train (2012, #5 AC), and Pentatonix (2015, #9 AC). The 1970 recording of “Joy to the World” by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is featured in the DMDB book Dave’s Faves: The Grand Library. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for George Friedrich Händel HY Hymnary.org (12/1/2009). “The Top Twenty Most-Published Christian Hymns” PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 412-3 and 422. WK Wikipedia First posted 12/21/2023.