The Impressions, “Amen” | Music Lifts

In the 45^th edition of Music Lifts, we’re uplifted by The Impressions performing the traditional spiritual, “Amen.”

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 45^th edition of Music Lifts (2022), we highlight “Amen” as performed by The Impressions.

“Amen, amen / Amen, amen, amen.” Sometimes, one word is all it takes to speak volumes.  On the traditional spiritual, “Amen”, AMEN is enough! Furthermore, the source material is incredibly easy for the iconic collective, The Impressions to work with.  The Impressions, which famously featured the late, great Curtis Mayfield, deliver a rousing rendition of this spiritual, which incorporates the birth of Jesus and the awesome works while he lived on Earth.

“See the little baby / Wrapped in a manager / On Christmas morning,” Mayfield sings in the first verse, continuing, “Singing in a temple / Talking with the elders / Tomorrow there’s wisdom.” Meanwhile, between the lines, the amens continue in all their resounding glory via horns, witnessing to the sheer awesomeness of J-E-S-U-S. “Amen” is popular on the two most important Christian holidays: Christmas, which celebrates the birth, and Easter, which celebrates the resurrection.  Notably, in many hymnals, the final verses focus on the Resurrection and enduring legacy (“Led before Pilate / Then they crucified Him / But He rose on Easter” and “Hallelujah! He [Jesus] died to save us / And He lives forever.”). All told, “Amen,” which, in the case of The Impressions, appears on their 1964 album, Keep On Pushing, is a surefire, faith-based, uplifting masterpiece!

The Impressions • Keep On Pushing • Geffen • 1969

The Impressions, “Amen”: Music Lifts No. 45 (2022) [: Arek Socha, Benjamin Balazs, Brent Faulkner, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Geffen, Ketut Subiyanto, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay]