Mahalia Jackson, “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” | Music Lifts 🎶 🏋

In the 46^th edition of Lit Music That Lifts, we’re uplifted by Mahalia Jackson performing, “Somebody Bigger Than You and I.”

Welcome to Music Lifts 🎶 🏋, a column that seeks to highlight songs that encourage, inspire, and uplift the spirit; songs that exude fortitude, positivity, and resolve, even in the face of adversity.  Featured songs aren’t genre-specific; songs may or may not be faith-based. The goal is for these songs to make you feel better – be LIFTED to new heights! So, for the 46^th edition of Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 (2022), we highlight 🎵 “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” as performed by 🎙 Mahalia Jackson.

“Who made the mountains? Who made the trees? / Who made the rivers flow to the see?” legendary gospel singer 🎙 Mahalia Jackson sings on the moving faith-based ballad, 🎵 “Somebody Bigger Than You and I”.  “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” appears on Jackson’s 1960 album, 💿 I Believe. Penned by 🎼 ✍ Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, and Sonny Burke, Jackson authentically brings the writers’ poetic lyrics to life. She continues singing in the first verse, “Who hung the moon in a starry sky? / Somebody bigger than you and I.”

Of course, that somebody bigger than you and I refers to God.  The second verse, Jackson continues to ask questions about all of the miraculous things God does without specifically naming Him.  By the bridge, He is the pronoun, making it clear (if there was ever any doubt), this uplifting record pays ode to God. “He lights the way when the road is long / And He’ll keep you company,” Jackson sings, adding, “He walks beside you just like He walks with me.” Accompanied by orchestra and choir, alongside Jackson’s once-in-a-lifetime, anointed pipes, “Somebody Bigger Than You and I” is truly special.  Notably, other late, great icons, 🎙 Elvis Presley and 🎙 Whitney Houston, recorded covers on How Great Thou Art (1967) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996) respectively.

🎙 Mahalia Jackson • 💿 I Believe • 🏷 Columbia • 📅 1960

Mahalia Jackson, “Somebody Bigger Than You and I”: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 46 (2022) [📷: Arek Socha, Benjamin Balazs, Brent Faulkner, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Columbia, Ketut Subiyanto, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay]