"Receive the Power" is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

song written by

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...

and Gary Pinto, and performed by Sebastian and Paulini. It was chosen in May 2007 as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day (WYD08) held in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

in 2008. "Receive the Power" was used extensively throughout the six days of World Youth Day in July 2008, and also in the television coverage which went around the world. Sebastian performed at the concert after the Opening Mass which officially welcomed the Pope to Australia. The Mass and concert at

Barangaroo Barangaroo ( – ) was an Aboriginal Australian woman best known for her interactions with the British colony of New South Wales during the first years of the European colonisation of Australia. A member of the Cammeraygal clan, she was the wi ...

, Sydney, had an estimated crowd of 150,000. Sebastian and Paulini also performed both the English and International versions at the Final Mass at

Randwick Racecourse Royal Randwick Racecourse is a racecourse for horse racing located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Randwick Racecourse is Crown Land leased to the Australian Turf Club and known to many Sydney r ...

on 20 July. An estimated 400,000 people attended the Mass. Sebastian and Paulini were invited to perform "Receive the Power" at the Pope's Farewell and thank the volunteers on 21 July.wyd2008. Pope Benedict XVI thanks volunteers and leaves Australia happy and blessed
. Retrieved 1 March 2009.

Versions

The song has been released in two versions, one in English and an international version with the chorus in English and verses in Italian, Spanish and French. The English version was interpreted by its composer,

, and also features the vocals of Paulini. The international version, with the chorus in English, also includes performances by Robert Galea (Maltese), German Silva (Spanish) and Amelia Farrugia (French).

About the lyrics

The lyrics are based on the theme of the WYD08, extracted from the book of the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

, : "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses".

Track listing

References

{{Guy Sebastian singles 2007 songs Guy Sebastian songs Paulini songs Gospel songs Songs written by Guy Sebastian Songs written by Gary Pinto