"Easter Song" is a song written by Annie Herring of the

Jesus music Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement ...

group the 2nd Chapter of Acts that tells of Jesus Christ's resurrection and the elation Christians feel about this resurrection on

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. It was first recorded in 1974 and released on the band's debut album, ''

With Footnotes ''With Footnotes'' is the debut album by the Christian group 2nd Chapter of Acts, released in 1974. It contains one of the group's most well-known songs, " Easter Song", which was named by ''CCM Magazine'' in 1998 as the No. 4 Christian song of ...

''. It continues to be performed, appearing in church hymnals and Easter songbooks as well as on ''Wow Gold CD''. It has been covered by several other artists, including

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and

Keith Green Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American pianist, singer, songwriter, and musician. Originally from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, Green is known as a pioneer in the Christian contemporary genre. His most ...

. According to Tori Taff of

CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is an online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music and media, published by Logan and Amanda Sekulow. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has been owned by Salem since 1999. O ...

, "The opening notes to 'Easter Song' just may be the single most recognizable intro in contemporary Christian music". The song even achieved moderate success as a crossover on mainstream radio stations. In 1998 CCM Magazine named "Easter Song" as the No. 4 Christian song of all time.

Background

Annie Herring began writing songs soon after her marriage in 1969, at first sharing them only with her husband and siblings, then with others who wanted to hear them. When she wrote "Easter Song", Herring believed that the song should be sung by a choir, not by herself and her two siblings, who comprised 2nd Chapter of Acts. One day Herring sang it for a friend, Jimmy Owens, thinking he might be able to use it in one of the musicals he was writing. Owens knew that the song was for 2nd Chapter of Acts to sing, and convinced Herring that the group should record it. Unfortunately, 2nd Chapter of Acts' band didn't share Jimmy's vision, and the drummer complained that he didn't hear any drums in that song at all. Buck Herring, Herring's husband, wouldn't take "no drums" for an answer, and told the drummer firmly to just play something, anything. The drummer put a different beat to the song, taking it once and for all out of the realm of a choral piece, and into the lilting rhythm. Then another friend,

Michael Omartian Michael S. Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. H ...

, added the energetic keyboards that has given the intro the title of "the single most recognizable intro in contemporary Christian music".

Cover versions

: ''The Acapella Project'' (1988) *

: '' For Him Who Has Ears to Hear'' (1978), ''The Ministry Years Volume One'' (1987), ''The Live Experience'' (2008), ''The Greatest Hits'' (2008) * Hella Heizmann: ''Ich Bin Dir Nah'' (2010) *

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: ''A Very Veggie Easter'' (2006)

References

{{authority control Contemporary Christian songs 1974 songs