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What Are They Doing in Heaven?
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Wikipedia article
"'What Are They Doing in Heaven?'" is a Christian hymn written in 1901 by American Methodist minister Charles Albert Tindley. , it has become popular enough to have been included in 16 hymnals.
The song has sometimes been recorded under the titles "'What Are They Doing?'" and "'What Are They Doing in Heaven Today?'". The question mark is often omitted. The song may also be known by its first line, "I am thinking of friends whom I used to know".
The song consists of four verses and a refrain, each four lines long. In both the verses and the refrain, the first three lines rhyme, and the fourth is "What are they doing now?" or some small variant of that. The author reflects on friends who were burdened in life by care, or by disease, or by poverty; and wonders what they might now be doing in Heaven, without giving his answer.
The first known recording of the song is the 1928 one by Washington Phillips (18801954; vocals and zither), in gospel blues style. Phillips' recording was used in the soundtrack of the 2005 film 'Elizabethtown'. The song has since been recorded many times in a wide variety of styles, including gospel and bluegrass; sometimes attributed to Phillips or to "anonymous" or to "traditional".
Recordings
* 1928Washington Phillips, 78rpm single Columbia 14404-D
* 1934Mitchell's Christian Singers, 78rpm singles Perfect 326, Banner 33433, Conqueror 8431, and Melotone 13400
* 1938Golden Gate Quartet, 78rpm singles Bluebird 7994 and Montgomery 7866
* The Southernaires, radio broadcast
* 1946Pilgrim Travelers
* 1948The Lilly Brothers, 78rpm single Page 505
* 1948The Southern Harmonizers, 78 rpm single Specialty 301
* 1950The Mello-Tones, 78rpm single Columbia 39051
* 1950-53Silvertone Singers
* 1952The Dixie Hummingbirds, 45rpm single Peacock Records 5-1594
* 1957Harry and Jeanie West on the album 'Favorite Gospel Songs'
* 1960Sister Rosetta Tharpe on the album 'Gospels in Rhythm'
* 1962The Fairfield Four on the album 'The Bells Are Tolling'
* 1964The Staple Singers on the album 'This Little Light'
* 196692Marion Williams
* 1971The Downtown Sister New Heaven on the album 'Gospels And Spirituals'
* 1983Slim & the Supreme Angels on the album 'Glory to His Name'
* 1992Tom Hanway on the album 'Tom Hanway and Blue Horizon'
* 1994Martin Simpson on the album 'A Closer Walk with Thee'
* 1995The Pfister Sisters on the album 'The Pfister Sisters'
* 1996Michelle Lanchester, Bernice Johnson Reagon and Yasmeen on the album 'Wade in the Water: African American Sacred Music Traditions'
* 1996Little Jimmy Scott on the album 'Heaven'
* 2000Last Forever on the album 'Trainfare Home'
* 2000Margaret Allison and the Angelic Gospel Singers on the album 'Home in the Rock'
* 2002Jorma Kaukonen on the album 'Blue Country Heart'
* 2003Bill Gaither feat. Gloria Gaither and Babbie Mason on the album 'Heaven'
* 2003The Immortal Lee County Killers on the album 'Love Is a Charm of Powerful Trouble'
* 2003Mike "Sport" Murphy on the album 'Uncle'
* 2006Riley Baugus on the album 'Long Steel Rail'
* 2006Joanne Blum on the album 'Even More Love'
* 2006Cabin Fever NW on the album 'The Door Is Always Open'
* 2006Jessy Dixon on the album 'Get Away Jordan'
* 2006Vince Gill on the album 'Voice of the Spirit, Gospel of the South'
* 2006The Be Good Tanyas on the album 'Hello Love'
* 2006Boxcar Preachers on the album 'Auto-Body Experience'
* 2006Judy Cook on the album 'If You Sing Songs ...'
* 2006The Great Gospel Crew on the album 'The Greatest Gospel Music'
* 2007John Reischman and The Jaybirds on the album 'Stellar Jays'
* 2008Murry Hammond on the album 'I Don't Know Where I'm Going but I'm on My Way'
* 2009Jim Byrnes on the album 'My Walking Stick'
* 2009The Habit on the album 'The Habit'
* 2010Buddy Greene on the album 'A Few More Years'
* 2011The Bright Wings Chorus on the album '
* 2011Dead Rock West on the album 'Bright Morning Stars'
* 2013The Quiet American on the album 'Wild Bill Jones '
* 2013Marcy Marxer on the album 'Things Are Coming My Way'
* 2013Mogwai on the album 'Les Revenants'
* 2013Mavis Staples on the album 'One True Vine'
* 2013Colin Stetson feat. Justin Vernon on the album 'New History Warfare, Vol. 3: To See More Light'
* 2014Bla Fleck and Abigail Washburn on the album 'Bla Fleck and Abigail Washburn'
References
Category:American Christian hymns
Category:Blues songs
Category:Gospel songs
Category:Songs about death
Category:Hymns by Charles Albert Tindley
Category:1901 songs
Category:Washington Phillips songs
Category:Columbia Records singles
Category:Pace Jubilee Singers songs
Category:20th-century hymns
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