You Raise Me Up: quick facts
- Music: Rolf Løvland of the Norwegian-Irish duo Secret Garden, inspired by the Londonderry Air, the melody of “Danny Boy”.
- Words: Brendan Graham, the Irish songwriter and novelist who also wrote two of Ireland’s Eurovision winners.
- First recorded: by Secret Garden with Belfast singer Brian Kennedy, around 2001 to 2002.
- Famous versions: Josh Groban (2003), a big hit in the US, and Westlife (2005), a number one in Ireland and the UK. More than a hundred artists have recorded it.
It’s been sung at weddings, funerals, graduations and sporting finals all over the world. What a lot of people don’t realise is that “You Raise Me Up” has deep Irish roots: an Irish lyricist, an Irish first singer, and a melody inspired by the most famous Irish tune of all.
An Irish melody, reimagined
Rolf Løvland, the Norwegian composer behind Secret Garden (the duo that won Eurovision for Norway in 1995), wrote the music with the Londonderry Air in mind, the traditional Irish melody best known as “Danny Boy”. Listen closely and you can hear its family resemblance. Read more about Danny Boy and its story.
Irish words
For the lyrics, Løvland turned to Brendan Graham, the Irish novelist and songwriter. Graham already had a remarkable Eurovision record: he wrote “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”, Ireland’s winner in 1994, and “The Voice”, sung by Eimear Quinn, which won in 1996. His words for “You Raise Me Up”, about the people who lift us when we’re at our lowest, turned Løvland’s melody into a song people would carry with them for decades. See all of Ireland’s Eurovision winners.
The first recording, released by Secret Garden around 2001 and 2002, featured the Belfast singer Brian Kennedy on vocals. It was well received in Ireland and Norway, but it wasn’t yet a global hit.
Josh Groban and Westlife
That changed in 2003, when the American singer Josh Groban recorded it. His version became a huge hit in the US, and the song began to be sung everywhere, from church halls to TV talent shows.
Then in 2005 Westlife, the Sligo and Dublin boy band, released their version. It went to number one in both Ireland and the UK, and it’s the version many people in Ireland and Britain know best. The video above is Westlife’s.
You Raise Me Up FAQ
Who wrote You Raise Me Up?
The music is by Rolf Løvland of Secret Garden and the lyrics are by the Irish songwriter Brendan Graham.
Is You Raise Me Up based on Danny Boy?
Løvland was inspired by the Londonderry Air, the traditional melody of “Danny Boy”, but “You Raise Me Up” is a new song.
Who sang You Raise Me Up first?
Brian Kennedy, with Secret Garden.
Did Westlife’s You Raise Me Up go to number one?
Yes, in Ireland and the UK in 2005.
More Irish music
- The Script’s Hall of Fame
- Kodaline’s All I Want
- Danny Boy by Celtic Woman
- Ireland’s Eurovision winners
- Celtic Thunder’s Amazing Grace
- Enya’s Only Time
Featured image: still from Westlife’s official YouTube (Vevo) channel.
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