Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach

Album: 100 Church Classics (1723)

License This Song

Songfacts®:

The cantata "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" for solo voices, chorus and orchestra was written in Weimar for performance on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Its tenth section, "Jesu bleibt meine Freunde." which we know as "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring," is one of Bach's best-loved works.
This piece is a perennial favourite at weddings when the bridal party enters.
Both this piece's original choral version and the famous piano transcription by the English pianist Dame Myra Hess (1890-1965) are equally well known. Hess's transcription was published in 1926 for piano solo and in 1934 for piano duet, but the transcription itself has since been arranged for various instruments and combinations.
The Beach Boys 1979 song "Lady Lynda," which was a #6 hit in the UK, is based on the melody of the song, but not the words. The British instrumental studio group Apollo 100 scored a 1972 #6 hit in the US with "Joy," a fast-paced instrumental version of this piece.

Comments: 2

Megan from Stevenson, AlAwww! That's sweet! This is true talent! So beautiful!
Reg from Kemptville, On, -I first heard this piece as "Joy" by Apollo 100. I liked it so much that ran down the street and bought the 45.
Years later I had it played at my wedding.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Handle With CareThe Traveling Wilburys

"Handle With Care" started as a George Harrison song with guest appearances by Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, but it went so well the five of them decided to form a group - The Traveling Wilburys - and record an entire album.

Psycho KillerTalking Heads

The French part in Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" explains that the killer is going after a girl, like Norman Bates in the movie Psycho.

Ur So GayKaty Perry

Katy Perry says her 2008 song "Ur So Gay" is about "guys who wear the guyliner, steal your jeans, and that whole almost hipster emo scene."

LightsEllie Goulding

Ellie Goulding's hit song "Lights" is about her fear of the dark, which forces the singer to sleep with the lights on.

Born on the BayouCreedence Clearwater Revival

John Fogerty was not born on the bayou - he's from Berkeley, California. He got the idea for the song when CCR was on tour in Louisiana.

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)Katy Perry

When "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" climbed to #1 on the Hot 100, Katy Perry became the first woman to send five songs from one album to the top of the charts. The four previous chart-toppers from her Teenage Dream set were "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework" and "E.T."