Josh Groban is more than just a singer to his fans. His emotional performance of “You Raise Me Up” in Hyde Park, London really took fans to another place. Fans said variously that they felt his words were about God, departed loved ones, or just giving them a feeling they couldn’t describe. Groban created a sublime moment in the bridge at 2:53, when he asked the crowd, “You ready to sing?” They sure were, and the whole crowd sang that famous hook as one, with the choir on stage adding even more weight to it.
It’s moments like these which make Groban’s concerts so special. He without a doubt has one of the most remarkable voices in the business, and best of all, he knows how to use it to hit you right in the chest. In addition to Groban’s heartfelt vocals, fans really responded to the lush orchestral arrangement provided by the BBC Concert Orchestra. The Music Man has got to hand it to the lead violinist who gave the song such a simple and powerful opening.
Groban sang “You Raise Me Up” at the BBC Radio 2’s Last Night of the Proms event, and the BBC’s upload of the performance has hit 8.7 million views. Many fans told personal stories about what the song meant to them below the video, while others praised the performance with comments such as “This will forever be one of the most beautiful songs in the world. His voice, the orchestra. It gives me goosebumps” and “This was so fantastic. His voice is stunning. So glad I was there to witness this lovely performance.”
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Groban is a regular at BBC Radio 2 at this point, and The Music Man is definitely here for it. The Californian hitmaker scored a 14 million view video with the BBC when he dropped in to Radio 2 to sing a live studio session on “The Impossible Dream.” One of the great things about Groban is how he can take classics and really give them his own distinctive flavour. His rendition of the Man of La Mancha musical hit at the BBC is no exception.
“You Raise Me Up” was written by Rolf Løvland and Brendan Graham, who handled the music and lyrics respectively. Løvland initially released the song as an instrumental piece in 2001, before Secret Garden released the first version with vocals in 2002. Groban subsequently dropped his version of “You Raise Me Up” on September 10, 2004, and scored a triple Platinum hit in the U.S. with it.