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Age to Age

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Age to Age
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1, 1982[1]
Recorded1981–82
Studio
GenreContemporary Christian music
Length36:35
LabelMyrrh
ProducerBrown Bannister
Amy Grant chronology
In Concert Volume Two
(1981)
Age to Age
(1982)
Ageless Medley
(1983)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Cross Rhythms[3]

Age to Age is the fourth studio album by Christian music singer Amy Grant, released in 1982 on Myrrh Records.

Age to Age was Amy Grant's breakthrough album, finally earning her serious recognition within the burgeoning Contemporary Christian music community as it ushered her into stardom, and also contributed to the creation of the mold for the modern Contemporary Christian music star. The hit success of the album's first two singles, "Sing Your Praise to the Lord," featuring a piano intro based on J.S. Bach's "Fugue No. 2 in C Minor" from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1, and "El Shaddai," saw its sales take off, selling well over a million copies. It became the first Christian music album by a solo artist to be certified gold in 1983, and the first ever platinum Christian music album in 1985.

The album was listed at No. 92 in the 2001 book, CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music[4] and it was one of the fastest-selling specifically Christian albums ever released. It sold about 5,000 to 6,000 copies a week on average, which was unheard of for a Christian album at the time. Dan Harrell, one of Grant's managers, claimed that it was the fastest selling record in her record company's history. Indeed, it became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983), and the first Christian album to be certified platinum. It became so popular that it topped Billboard's Christian albums chart for 85 weeks, including the entire year of 1983, and was named Gospel Album of the 1980s by Billboard. The album title comes from a prominent lyric in one of the album's most prominent tracks, "El Shaddai".

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In a Little While"Amy Grant, Brown Bannister, Gary Chapman, Shane Keister4:20
2."I Have Decided"Michael Card3:13
3."I Love a Lonely Day"Chapman, Michael W. Smith4:03
4."Don't Run Away"Grant, Chapman3:33
5."Fat Baby"Steve Millikan, Rod Robison2:09
6."Sing Your Praise to the Lord"Rich Mullins3:12
7."El Shaddai"Card, John Thompson4:05
8."Raining on the Inside"Grant, Kathy Troccoli4:10
9."Got to Let It Go"Grant, Bannister, Chapman, Keister, Smith4:00
10."Arms of Love"Grant, Chapman, Smith3:10

Personnel

[edit]
  • Amy Grant – lead vocals
  • Michael W. Smith – keyboards
  • Shane Keister – keyboards
  • Jon Goin – guitars
  • Mike Brignardello – bass
  • Paul Leim – drums
  • Terry McMillan – percussion
  • Farrell Morris – percussion
  • Sheldon Kurland – strings
  • Gene Meros – saxophone
  • Denis Solee – saxophone
  • Bobby Taylor – woodwinds
  • Cindy Reynolds – harp
  • Lori Brooks – backing vocals
  • Jackie Cusic – backing vocals
  • Diana DeWitt – backing vocals
  • Phil Forrest – backing vocals
  • Gary Chapman – backing vocals
  • Pam Mark Hall – backing vocals
  • Dennis Henson – backing vocals
  • Alan Moore – backing vocals, arrangements, vocal arrangements (5, 9)
  • Gary Pigg – backing vocals
  • Kathy Troccoli – backing vocals

Production

Videos

[edit]

A live concert video cassette and LaserDisc was released by A&M Records which includes seven of this album's songs. A music video was produced for "Don't Run Away" featuring Michael W. Smith as the piano player.

Chart history

[edit]

Weekly charts

[edit]
Year Chart Position
1983 Top Contemporary Christian 1

Year-end charts

[edit]
Year Chart Position
1984 U.S. Billboard Inspirational Albums 1
1985 5
1986 5
1987 21

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[5] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[6] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

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GMA Dove Awards

Year Winner Category
1983 "El Shaddai" Song of the Year
Michael Card (for "El Shaddai") Songwriter of the Year
Age to Age Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1983 Age to Age Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Amy Grant Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r90624/review
  3. ^ "Amy Grant - Age To Age (re-issue) | CROSS RHYTHMS REVIEW". Crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  4. ^ Granger, Thom, ed. (2001). The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music. Harvest House. p. 228. ISBN 0-7369-0281-3.
  5. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Amy Grant – Age to Age". Music Canada. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "American album certifications – Amy Grant – Age to Age". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2019.