Shout to the Lord: American Idol 10 April 2008 [HD]

As a follow-up to the previous post, on the next night the Idol contestants sang Shout to the Lord again – this time with the right words (you can watch it here).

All cynicism aside, I have to confess it gave me chills.

They released this same version on iTunes, and it was the number one downloaded tune last week.

So, how did this song come to be sung on the perennial number-one-rated show on television?

According to Christian Music Today.com, we have Sheila E. to thank. The 80’s singer/percussionist (who is also a Christian) introduced Idol producer Nigel Lithgoe to the song last summer when she was a celebrity judge on The Next Great American Band (put on by Idol producers and ultimately won by Christian trio The Clark Brothers). Lithgoe loved the song and waited for the right moment to use it.

Idol Gives Back was that moment.