Sister Janet Mead, The Lord’s Prayer | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 11th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we highlight “The Lord’s Prayer” performed by Sister Janet Mead. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy ! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 11^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2025), we dive into “The Lord’s Prayer”, the one-hit wonder by Sister Janet Mead.

“Our Father / Who art in heaven / Hallowed be Thy name / Thy kingdom come / Thy will be done / On earth as it is in heaven.” Amen! Believe it (and you should ) or not, those Biblical words were part of a top 10 hit on the pop charts. Christian music rarely crosses over sizably, but Australian Catholic nun Sister Janet Mead (1937 – 2022) took her pop/rock rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 . Mead also earned a Grammy nomination at the 17^th Annual GRAMMY Awards for Best Inspirational Performance (Non-Classical). It should not be a shock that “The Lord’s Prayer” was Mead’s sole hit on the pop charts.  One hit is better than none!

“The Lord’s Prayer” makes petitioning to God sound fun.  It rocks ! This is a rousing Christian rock track.  It conveys the message of the scripture while also catching the ear.  Janet Mead delivers a well-rounded vocal performance. She never over- nor under-sings, blessing us with her beautiful tone and bringing the tuneful melodies and timeless scriptures to life.  The excerpted lyrics are the ‘chorus,’ recurring numerous times.  Other parts of one of the most famous scriptures serve as distinct sections.  “Gives us this day our daily bread / Forgive us our trespasses” (Matthew 6:11-12)  craft the verse.  The final part of The Lord’s Prayer, “Our Lord lead us not into temptation / But save us from evil / And the kingdom, the power / And the glory forever / Will be Yours” (Matthew 6:13), appears in the bridge.  No deep analysis is necessary.  Sister Janet Mead ministered to many through her once-in-a-lifetime take on “The Lord’s Prayer”.

Sister Janet Meade // A Time To Sing // Southern Cross Music Pty Limited // 2002

Sister Janet Mead, The Lord’s Prayer: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 11 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Southern Cross Music Pty Limited; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; AcatXIo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]