The wind blows hard against this mountainside
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches in to where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road
My heart is old it holds my memories
My body burns a gemlike flame
Somewhere between the soul & soft machine
Is where I find myself again
Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light
When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be
Do you remember this song? “Kyrie” was a huge hit by the group known as Mr. Mister. A product of the L.A. session-musician community, Mr. Mister enjoyed a brief but huge burst of popularity during the mid-’80s, crafting radio-ready pop/rock. While they disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived on the scene, their two number one hits, “Broken Wings” and “Kyrie,” remain enduring classics of ’80s mainstream pop.
“Kyrie Eleison” is Greek for “Lord, have mercy.” It is used as a prayer in both Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox services.
The song “Kyrie” is credited to lead singer Richard Page, keyboardist Steve George and lyricist John Lang. There was a rumor that Page wrote the song after being attacked. But that rumor was found to be false when John Lang told the Chicago Sun-Times in July of 2004:
“Richard Page did write the music and melody, but I am the one who wrote the lyrics. I got the inspiration from singing it as a kid in an Episcopal church in Phoenix. Also, ‘Kyrie’ had nothing to do with Richard being assaulted, mainly because it wasn’t Richard who was assaulted – it was me! But that happened 3 years before writing ‘Kyrie,’ and had nothing to do with that song.”
When Kyrie became a hit, very few people listening to Top 40 radio had any idea that they were singing “Lord Have Mercy, Down the Road that I must travel!” The religious significance was mostly lost.
This was Mr. Mister’s second #1 hit in the US. The first was “Broken Wings.”
February 24th, 2004 was the first concert for Clay Aiken’s Independent Tour. Held at the Charlotte Coliseum, Clay performed the second half of the concert that he shared with Kelly Clarkson.
Clay’s entrance that night to “Kyrie” was electrifying. The entire audience in Charlotte tried to figure out where Clay was and where the singing was coming from.
Hearing Clay sing “Kyrie” on his Independent Tour was something I will never forget.
The following video is wonderful. It is from Aflack and is a part of her Road To Independence series. Besides having great footage of Clay singing, she added some great humor to the video.
Now, how can we convince Clay to perform this great song again?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qddTvPE8UXQ