Hear Carly Pearce’s Take on a Christmas Classic, ‘Mary, Did You Know?’ [Listen]
As Christmas nears, many country artists are bringing the spirit of the season to their music.
Carly Pearce was feeling especially festive in 2022: She hosted ABC's CMA Country Christmas special for the second year running, also taking time during the show to perform a jangly rendition of "Here Comes Santa Claus."
But it's not Pearce's first time lending her voice to a timeless Christmas classic. In 2021, she released her own rendition of "Mary, Did You Know?", which ponders the questions one would ask if given the chance to speak with Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Christians across the globe take time during the holidays to recognize the birth of Christ as the reason for the season.
Pearce's voice maintains its country roots in this one, but the song itself stays fairly traditional. There's also a build you can feel from the very start. She tops it off at the 3-minute mark by holding a long note on the lyrics "the great I Am" while a chorus of voices picks up behind her.
If she ever performs this live, we'd like to request to see a full choir on stage with her.
The song "Mary, Did You Know?" was written by songwriter Mark Lowry in 1984. According to PBS, he wrote it as part of a script for a Christmas play at church. It wasn't until 1991 that he teamed up with a Southern gospel songwriter named Buddy Greene and the song was brought to life. Greene was touring with a band at the time and crafted the accompanying music for the song as we know it today.
Although many artists have covered the song over the years, it was Michael English who first recorded it. Hear that version here.