Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)

Infobox Single
Name = Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)


Artist = Amy Grant
from Album = Home For Christmas
Released = 1992
Format = 7" single, Cassette single, Promotional single, CD single
[Recorded =]
Genre = CCM, Adult Contemporary, Pop, Christmas music
Length = 5:29
Label = A&M Records. Word Records
Writer = Amy Grant, Chris Eaton
Producer = Brown Bannister
[Certification =]
Chart position =
NoReviews = yes
Last single = I Will Remember You
(1992)
This single = Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
(1992)
Next single = Grown-Up Christmas List
(1992)Infobox Book
name = Breath of Heaven


image_caption = Cover of Amy Grant's book, "Breath of Heaven".
author = Amy Grant
country = United States
language = English
genre = Inspirational
publisher = W Publishing Group
release_date = 8 October 2001

"Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" is a 1992 Christmas music single by Christian music/Pop music singer Amy Grant, co-written by Grant with Chris Eaton and covered by several artists. It was released as the first single from the "Home for Christmas" album.

Official versions

Audio versions

*Original album version (5:29)
*Accompaniment Track instrumental version (5:29)
*Remastered version (5:29)
*Remastered My Best Christmas version (5:29)

ingles

U.S. retail CD single
U.S. retail cassette single
U.S. 7" single
U.S. promotional CD single
U.S. retail Accompaniment Track CD single
"Breath of Heaven" book with exclusive CD single and album also on tape

Background

Having been Contemporary Christian Music's best-selling artist for years, Amy Grant broke into the mainstream in the mid-80s with a string of pop hits that ranged from moderate to massive success, including a #1 duet with Peter Cetera on "The Next Time I Fall". It was in 1991, though, that she took the pop music world by storm, when her Heart In Motion album spawned five major pop hits (including the #1 "Baby Baby"). In 1992, she followed that project with her second studio Christmas album, Home For Christmas. The album was a smash success, going multi-platinum and earning acclaim for its large symphonic arrangements. "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", a song which told the nativity story from Mary's perspective, was one of the album's biggest successes. Grant had been pregnant with her third child, Sarah Chapman, during the writing of the song and has said that she was inspired by her pregnancy to reflect on Mary's struggle.

Covers

The song has been covered by many artists, including:
Jessica Simpson
Donna Summer
Vince Gill
Point of Grace Chris Eaton
Sara Groves
Gretchen Harris
Jacque Harrenberg
Billy McLaughlin
Barbara Cook
Charles David Smart The Offering
Chuck Mandt
E.G. Daily
Kristine Seewagen
Jim Murphey
Boney James
Margaret Becker
Melissa Manchester
Grover Washington, Jr.
Peter Kalasin

Book

Grant authored and published a book titled "Breath of Heaven" in 2001, which featured the song's lyrics and matching illustrations. A CD single of the song is also included in the book. It is the second of three books by Amy Grant.

Trivia

*Vince Gill released his second Christmas album in 1998. It was titled after Grant's song, which Gill covered on the album. Grant and Gill were married two years later, in 2000.
*Mike Rich, who wrote the 2006 film, The Nativity Story, began each day of writing for the film by listening to Grant's "Breath of Heaven". [http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=22127] The song appears on the film's soundtrack.
*The song appears on many Christmas music compilation albums, including two of Amy Grant's: (a 2003 remastered re-release of Grant's Home For Christmas) and My Best Christmas (a 2005 remastered compilation of some of Grant's most popular Christmas songs).
*The song appears on Boney James' 1996 holiday album "Boney's Funky Christmas", where he performs it on a soprano saxophone.