| "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" | |
| Music by | Charles C. Converse (1868) |
|---|---|
| Lyrics by | Joseph M. Scriven (1855) |
| Language | English |
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, and only received full credit for it in the 1880s.[1] The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868. William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn. The hymn also has many versions with different lyrics in multiple languages, such as the Japanese version "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (いつくしみ深き, lit. "Deep Affection"), or a version sung during World War I with the line "When this bloody war is over" in place of the original title.[2] The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal notes, "In spite of the fact that this hymn, with its tune, has been criticized as being too much on the order of the sentimental gospel type, its popularity remains strong, and the hymn retains a place in modern hymnals."[3]
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In Japan, the hymn's title was originally translated as "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (いつくしみ深き, lit. "Deep Affection"),[4] which is what it is best known by. In 1910, Daisui Sugitani re-wrote the lyrics in Japanese and changed the title to "Hoshi no Yo" (星の界, lit. "World of Stars"). Another version was written by Ryūkō Kawaji with the title "Hoshi no Sekai" (星の世界, lit. "World of Stars"). It is also known by the title "Tsumi Toga o ni Nō" (つみとがをにのう). The hymn is popular at wedding ceremonies in Japan.[2] The tune of the hymn was used as a basis for two songs from the Japanese visual novel Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume produced by Key.
In Indonesia, the hymn is known as "Yesus Kawan Sejati" and is sung in Indonesian or Batak (the indigenous language of North Sumatra) in Protestant churches (around 6% of the population). The majority of Indonesians are Muslim (around 86%) and consequently the hymn is not widely known. However, many years ago (prior to when Suharto seized power in 1967) the same music was adopted for a popular patriotic song entitled "Ibu Pertiwi".
In India, the hymn is a very important song and is sung as "Yeshu kaisa dost pyara". The song is common during solemn services (Passion week and burial).
Aretha Franklin recorded a live version the song for her album Amazing Grace (1972). The John Tesh Project covered the song from the album Pure Hymns.[5] Ronnie Milsap did a cover for his album Then Sings My Soul (2009). Alan Price used the tune for his song "Changes" in the 1973 film O Lucky Man!, which was reused in a Volkswagen commercial with Paula Hamilton in the 1980s.[6]