Everything Is Beautiful
Encyclopedia
"Everything is Beautiful" is a song by Ray Stevens
. It has appeared on many of Stevens' albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The children heard singing the chorus of the song, using the hymn, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", are from the Oak Hill Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee
. This group includes Stevens' two daughters. The singer arranged and tape recorded the impromptu session himself for inclusion in the song.
The song was responsible for two wins at the Grammy Awards of 1971
: Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
for Ray Stevens
and Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance
for Jake Hess
. Ray Stevens' recording was the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100
for two weeks in the spring of 1970. The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary chart
. Many country stations played the song, peaking it at #39 on Billboard's chart. The song includes anti-racist and pro-tolerance lyrics such as "We shouldn't care 'bout the length of his hair / Or the color of his skin".
This song was a major departure for Stevens, as "Everything is Beautiful" is a more serious and spiritual tune, unlike some of his earlier ("Gitarzan
" and "Ahab the Arab
") and later ("The Streak") recordings which were more in the style of comedy/novelty songs.
The Smashing Pumpkins
also released a cover of the song in their Live Smashing Pumpkins
album series.
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
. It has appeared on many of Stevens' albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The children heard singing the chorus of the song, using the hymn, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", are from the Oak Hill Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. This group includes Stevens' two daughters. The singer arranged and tape recorded the impromptu session himself for inclusion in the song.
The song was responsible for two wins at the Grammy Awards of 1971
Grammy Awards of 1971
The 13th Grammy Awards were held on 16 March 1971, and was the first time the ceremonies were broadcast on television by ABC. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1970...
: Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
for Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
and Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance
Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance was awarded from 1962 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*From 1962 to 1963 the award was known as Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording...
for Jake Hess
Jake Hess
Jake Hess was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.-Life:Hess was born Manchild Hess December 24, 1927, in Limestone County, Alabama...
. Ray Stevens' recording was the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for two weeks in the spring of 1970. The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
. Many country stations played the song, peaking it at #39 on Billboard's chart. The song includes anti-racist and pro-tolerance lyrics such as "We shouldn't care 'bout the length of his hair / Or the color of his skin".
Chart performance
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 6 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 12 |
| Euro Hit 50 | 16 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| Belgian VRT Top 30 | 25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 39 |
This song was a major departure for Stevens, as "Everything is Beautiful" is a more serious and spiritual tune, unlike some of his earlier ("Gitarzan
Gitarzan
"Gitarzan" is a novelty song released by Ray Stevens in 1969, about a character who lives in a jungle and forms a musical band with his female partner, Jane, and their pet monkey. The song features Tarzan Yells, scat singing, and a funky Boogie Woogie, as well as a quote from the song "Swinging on...
" and "Ahab the Arab
Ahab The Arab
"Ahab the Arab" is a novelty song recorded by Ray Stevens in 1962. In the song, Arab is pronounced "Ay-rab" to rhyme with Ahab.- Lyrics :The song portrays a "sheik of the burning sands" named Ahab. He is highly decorated with jewelry, and every night he hops on Clyde, his camel, on his way to see...
") and later ("The Streak") recordings which were more in the style of comedy/novelty songs.
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
also released a cover of the song in their Live Smashing Pumpkins
Live Smashing Pumpkins
Live Smashing Pumpkins is a joint venture between the American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and the music distributor Nugs.net Enterprises to sell audio recordings "mastered directly from the soundboard" of The Smashing Pumpkins concerts from the band's 2008 20th anniversary tour of...
album series.