“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” Psalm 33:5
By Shannon Pederson
Ray Stevens needed a very special song in 1970 for his television program. He went down into his basement for about three days. He had crumpled paper all over the place. Then, suddenly the idea for “Everything is Beautiful” came to him. He wrote it in about 45 minutes. It was a very special song indeed and it has become a song that many people sing along with when they hear it.
This is a rare type of song for Stevens. He is better known for comedy songs like “The Streak,” “Ahab, The Arab,” “Harry the Hairy Ape,” “Would Jesus Wear a Rolex” and “Mississippi Squirrel Revival.” Another fact about this song that is different than all his others is that his two daughters and the second-grade class from their school in Nashville, TN, are singing back-up. They are also singing the opening and closing of the song with the children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” The Oak Hill Elementary School second-graders and Steven’s two daughters appeared on his TV show for the debut performance of the song.
“Everything is Beautiful” won Stevens his first two Grammy Awards in 1971. The song has appeared on many of Stevens' albums and has become a pop standard. It is commonly used in religious performances too. It was the Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in the summer of 1970. The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary chart that year. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 12 song of 1970.
Because 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,” it was popular with all people and genres of music. The lyrics are just as timely now as they were in 1970.
Ray Stevens needed a very special song in 1970 for his television program. He went down into his basement for about three days. He had crumpled paper all over the place. Then, suddenly the idea for “Everything is Beautiful” came to him. He wrote it in about 45 minutes. It was a very special song indeed and it has become a song that many people sing along with when they hear it.
This is a rare type of song for Stevens. He is better known for comedy songs like “The Streak,” “Ahab, The Arab,” “Harry the Hairy Ape,” “Would Jesus Wear a Rolex” and “Mississippi Squirrel Revival.” Another fact about this song that is different than all his others is that his two daughters and the second-grade class from their school in Nashville, TN, are singing back-up. They are also singing the opening and closing of the song with the children’s hymn, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” The Oak Hill Elementary School second-graders and Steven’s two daughters appeared on his TV show for the debut performance of the song.
“Everything is Beautiful” won Stevens his first two Grammy Awards in 1971. The song has appeared on many of Stevens' albums and has become a pop standard. It is commonly used in religious performances too. It was the Number 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in the summer of 1970. The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary chart that year. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 12 song of 1970.
Because 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,” it was popular with all people and genres of music. The lyrics are just as timely now as they were in 1970.
Everything is beautiful in its own way
Like a starry summer night or a snow covered winter's day.
Everybody's beautiful in their own way
Under God's heaven, the world's gonna find a way.
There is none so blind as he who will not see.
We must not close our minds, we must let our thoughts be free.
For every hour that passes by, you know the world gets a little bit older.
It's time to realize that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder
Everything is beautiful in its own way
Like a starry summer night or a snow covered winter's day.
Ah, sing it children
Everybody's beautiful in their own way
Under God's heaven, the world's gonna find a way.
We shouldn't care about the length of his hair or the color of his skin.
Don't worry about what shows from without but the love that lives within.
We're gonna get it all together now and everything gonna work out fine.
Just take a little time to look on the good side my friend
And straighten it out in your mind.
Everything is beautiful in its own way
Like a starry summer night or a snow covered winter's day.
Everybody's beautiful in their own way
Under God's heaven, the world's gonna find a way.
“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” (Prelude and Postlude to “Jesus Loves the Little Children”)