Welcome to this World

Posted on 12.17.06 in General and there are 6 comments.

Chris Rice’s song “Welcome To This World” is far and away my favorite Christmas song.

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But Long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

What’s yours?

The Comments:

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Have you heard Chris’s song Peace on Earth?  It was released on a free Eb+Flo Christmas Sampler two years ago, and then he included it last year on his Merry Chris Rice EP (available on iTunes).  I think it’s as good as Welcome to Our World.

Do you have a favorite recording of Welcome to Our World?

Stephen,
I haven’t heard Peace on Earth....as good as Welcome to Our World?

I’m off to iTunes to download it and see for myself.

Favorite recording of Welcome to Our World? I don’t think I was aware that there are different recordings of it. Could you point me to a couple?

Thanks!

I love a lot of Christmas songs.  For traditional songs I like “O Holy Night” and for modern I really really love “Labor of Love” by Andrew Peterson. 
I love “Welcome to Our World” as well.  I think by different recordings, Stephen might mean different artists who record it?

I’ve only heard an Amy Grant version and the Chris Rice version. As much as I like Amy Grant, I definitely prefer the original Chris Rice version.

Kat, here’s the timeline of Welcome to Our World, as I know it.  If I’m wrong on any of these, Shaun should be able to correct me.

Chris wrote the song in 1995 (the same year he wrote Kathy Trocolli’s #1 hit Go Light Your World).  In 1997, Michael W. Smith and Don Donahue started Rocketown Records, signing Chris as their first artist.  Reportedly, Michael W. heard Welcome to Our World and said someone that could write that kind of song was sure to write more great songs in the future.  Chris released his debut album, Deep Enough to Dream in September of ‘97, where the first recording of Welcome to Our World is found.  The next year, Michael W. covered it on his 2nd Christmas album, Christmastime (one of my favorite Christmas CD’s).  It featured MWS on piano and vocals and a gorgeous orchestration written by Ronn Huff (arguably the best arranger in Nashville at the time) that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.  Christmastime introduced Welcome to Our World to a larger audience, as did Amy Grant’s cover the next year.  An arrangement for church choir and orchestra was released by Word in ‘98, and it was the title of a Christmas musical released by Word in 2000, introducing it to people who don’t pay attention to CCM.

Chris has recorded at least one instrumental version of it since then, and a number of other artists have also covered it (including Wayne Kirkpatrick on Rocketown’s “Gloria” in 2004.)

Is that enough information?

BTW, Reunion Records packaged Michael W. Smith’s two Christmas CD’s together two years ago and you can find the box set for only $10 at some places (retail is $18).  If you don’t have both of these (Christmas and Christmastime) I highly recommend them.

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