Joy to the World (song)

Leo, Donny Osmond, and Suzy sing the song at the end of "A Johnny Bravo Christmas".
Music by:	Handel ("Antioch") Lowell Mason (arranger)
Lyrics by:	Isaac Watts
Date:	1719

Stu and Didi Pickles sing the song in "The Santa Experience".

"Joy to the World" is a popular Christmas song. The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. It was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection, The Psalms of David: Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and applied to the Christian state and worship. Watts wrote the lyrics as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a Christmas song celebrating his first coming as a baby born in a stable. Only the second half of Watts' lyrics are still used today. The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain ("And heaven and nature sing...") appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative "Comfort Ye" from Handel's Messiah, and the first four notes match the beginning of the choruses "Lift up your heads" and "Glory to God" from the same oratorio. However, Handel did not compose the entire tune. As of the late 20th century, the song is the most published Christmas hymn in North America.

Lyrics

Joy to the world the Lord has come
Let Earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
(2x) And Heaven and nature sing
[repeat the above line, but with additional "And Heaven" at the start and slight vocal pauses]

Joy to the world the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods rocks, hills, and plains
(2x) Repeat the sounding joy
["Repeat" the line above and in the style of the above verse]

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
(2x) And wonders of His love
[repeat the line above, styled as the above two verses]

Albums

• Cedarmont Kids: Christmas Carols (1997)
• Arthur's Perfect Christmas (2000)
• Rugrats: Holiday Classics (2004) - It's sung as a cover called "Toys for the Girls".
• The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree (2005)
• A Looney Tunes Sing-A-Long Christmas (2007)
• 25 Favorite Christmas Songs! (2009)
• A Very Veggie Christmas Collection (2020)
• Merry Christmas Collection (2021)

Productions

• Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
• A Very Merry Cricket (1973)
• A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987) - a soul/jazz hybrid rendition
• Disney's Very Merry Christmas Songs (1988) - Larry Groce and the Disneyland Sing-Along Chorus cover plays over clips of the Nutcracker Suite segment from Fantasia.
• Kids Sing Christmas (1988)
• Rugrats:
  • "The Santa Experience" (1992) - The Rugrats' parents all sing the song after putting them to bed.
  • "Babies in Toyland" (2002) - A group of carolers are shown singing the song when Angelica Pickles jumps in and sings it off-key, changing the words.
• Miracle on 34th Street (1994) - Aretha Franklin and Members of the FAME Freedom Choir
• 101 Dalmatians: "A Christmas Cruella" (1997)
• The Simpsons: "Grift of the Magi" (1999) - Bart and Lisa sing the first-and-part-of-the-second-third of the first verse to the Wiggum family as Homer steal their Funzo. The orchestra plays the instrumental of the first two lines as they run to the house next door.
• A Johnny Bravo Christmas (2001) - Leo, Donny Osmond, and Little Suzy sing it at the special's ending scene.
• The Star of Christmas (2002) - An instrumental of the song is play during the end of the Christmas pageant
• Happy Tree Friends: "Reindeer Kringle" (2002)
• Noel (2004) - Sidney James
• Christmas Child (2004) - In the medley with "Angels We Have Heard on High" by Steven Curtis Chapman and Forerunner
• The Family Stone (2005)
• The Very First Noel (2006) - Covered by The Brothers Cazimero with the backup choir and combined with elements of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
• Deck the Halls (2006) - Aretha Franklin's version performed in the closing credits.
• This Christmas (2007) - Two versions: "Kitchen Degree" and "Kool Aid"
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: "Low Tidings" (2008)
• A Christmas Carol (2009) - The first few notes of the song's melody are heard as it incorporated into the opening credits score.
• Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving (2009)
• The Dog Who Saved Christmas (2009) - Bernie Meisinger
• Happy Tree Friends: "Star Kringle" (2010)
• The Gift (Wander Over Yonder) (2014) - Heard instrumentally as Wander and Sylvia as they are delivering presents to every creature they helped.
• A Frozen Christmas (2016) - Covered by an unknown female singer with a backup children's choir. It is first of the two songs (along with a cover of "Silent Night") heard during the 16 minutes of Christmas display in a virtual snowglobe at the ending.
• A Pentatonix Christmas Special (2017)
• A Frozen Christmas 3 (2018)
• Pentatonix: A Not So Silent Night (2018)
• ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks: "A Very Merry Chipmunk" (2020)
• GizmoGO!: "Quantum Christmas" (2022) - Covered by Joseph Stallings III.
• Big City Greens: "Virtually Christmas" (2022) - A variation is sung by the Greens minus Cricket in the beginning.

External links

• Big Idea Wiki: Joy to the World