I have such deep affection for Amy Grant. I think Age to Age through House of Love is some of her best material. Buried in the middle of that, on the cusp of having a baby, she released Heart in Motion on March 5, 1991. It was released five years after her more somber, introspective, and moody Lead Me On, which spawned a bunch of hits and videos. Heart in Motion was later remastered, but not marketed to Christian retail outlets because of it's more secular content, but the original would still be available. No idea why. She does mention Jesus on the album!

I think I loved that Amy Grant just did what she wanted. She's also noted people like James Taylor and Carole King as big inspirations; anyone who's a storyteller. She loved that, and that mainstream sensibility was always in her music, more throughout the years.

Heart in Motion was a purposefully pop album addressing her new baby, her husband, sexual abuse, the trials of being a mother wife friend etc, and yes - her faith. It feels like her janet. moment. Pop perfection, lots of being in love with a man, a baby, and life. It has every early 90s pop music trapping without sounded dated. I still listen to this record regularly.

The album was certified 5X platinum, with all the covers below being singles. "Hope Set High" was marketed and successful on secular and Christian radio. The album was listed at No. 30 in the 2001 book, The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music and was certified 5x platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 5 million copies, making it the best-selling Christian music album ever released.

Good For Me (v) (No. 8 Hot 100, No. 4 AC)

Baby Baby (v) #1

Every Heartbeat (v) (No. 2 Hot 100, No. 2 AC)

That's What Love Is For (v) (No. 7 Hot 100, No. 1 AC)

Ask Me

Galileo

You're Not Alone

Hats

I Will Remember You (v) (No. 20 Hot 100, No. 2 AC)

How Can We See That Far

Hope Set High (#1 on Christian music)

Good For Me (Alternate Video that never aired)

"Good For Me"'s final video is very much a Janet "Escapade" vibe in parts.

"I Will Remember You" resurfaced 10 years later after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 when news outlets and family and friends started using the song for video collages of those who lost their lives.



Personal note: The song "Ask Me" is about a friend who Amy how she'd been abused for years by her family members. In the liner notes, there was a little blurb about each song. Under "Ask Me," the story and a phone number, 1.800.4.A.Child, was there. Just months after this album came out (literally June 1991) I found out my father had been molesting my stepbrother for ten years. I called that 800 number, and they pointed me to Child Protective Services. A week or so later, dad was arrested on the stepbrother's 16th birthday. Talk about a "present." He was six when my dad married his mom and for that whole ten years, we never knew a thing about it. I always credit Amy's album and song with stopping the abuse in the family.

[Edited 3/5/21 20:12pm]

She crossed over but didn't take the cross over.

I like the song and that's all I know her for. Never followed her.

RJOrion said:

person i was dating at the time used to clown me and give me the side eye for playing that "Heart In Motion" cassette in the car all the time... "Hats", "Baby Baby", "Good For Me"...that was my shit...it almost sounded like Minneapolis music...i love her voice...always been underrated

"Hats" has the same sort of message that "I'm Every Woman" does, as well as Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" in 1997, about a woman having to be so many things to so many people. I do agree about "Good For Me" having a slight Minneapolis nod. Not that it sounds like a song by The Time, but certain little elements remind one of that.

I've only ever heard "Baby Baby" which instantly takes me back to my youth. I have such a strong connection to songs released in 1991 when i was 9/10 years old for some reason.

I like her.

A forgotten artist, I enjoyed her videos/radio songs, really never dwelved deeper. She was a cutey too, a Christian artist perhaps? I am going to go listen to her more, if I remember to do so

runningbear said:

A forgotten artist, I enjoyed her videos/radio songs, really never dwelved deeper. She was a cutey too, a Christian artist perhaps? I am going to go listen to her more, if I remember to do so

LOL forgotten by whom, exactly?! And yes, she's a Christian artist. Did you just learn about her? Every album she's done mentions Jesus a few times.

TrivialPursuit said:

RJOrion said:

"...i will rememmmmmmmmmberrrr youuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." [Edited 3/7/21 15:48pm]

Will you rememmmmmmber mmmeeeeeeeeeee ............. Just had to

RJOrion said:

TrivialPursuit said:

"Hats" has the same sort of message that "I'm Every Woman" does, as well as Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" in 1997, about a woman having to be so many things to so many people. I do agree about "Good For Me" having a slight Minneapolis nod. Not that it sounds like a song by The Time, but certain little elements remind one of that.

its some of the synth lines and keyboard riffs, and how theyre placed throughout a few of the songs, sound Princesque...even the arrangement of the bridge at about 2:20-2:45 on "Hats" sounds like P couldve done that with Lisa Coleman...

Yep. Totally with ya on that.

TrivialPursuit said:

runningbear said:

A forgotten artist, I enjoyed her videos/radio songs, really never dwelved deeper. She was a cutey too, a Christian artist perhaps? I am going to go listen to her more, if I remember to do so

LOL forgotten by whom, exactly?! And yes, she's a Christian artist. Did you just learn about her? Every album she's done mentions Jesus a few times.

Admittedly forgotten by me! No, did not just learn about her, I vaguely recall a couple of her hits from perhaps the 90s, recalled she was religious. She may have been releasing records and having songs on either mainstream or Christian radio since, but being an atheist Canadian male I never heard them, or heard of her posing for Playboy, hosting American Idol, etc, guessed she kept a low profile, dunno.

Awwww such sweet memories, mainly of Baby Baby, but also others Remember her dancing with her baby at the Grammys? That was on days before my Class X exams, and I was forbidden to watch TV at the time, but I sneaked off or something, and went ahead and saw the Grammys anyway!
After the exams were over, I remember LOVING Good For Me, with the FUN video! - love it till today!

runningbear said:

Admittedly forgotten by me! No, did not just learn about her, I vaguely recall a couple of her hits from perhaps the 90s, recalled she was religious. She may have been releasing records and having songs on either mainstream or Christian radio since, but being an atheist Canadian male I never heard them, or heard of her posing for Playboy, hosting American Idol, etc, guessed she kept a low profile, dunno.

If you're an atheist, then you certainly don't know her. She didn't "keep a low profile," but she also didn't get marred in scandal and gossip, beyond getting divorced, then marrying country singer Vince Gill in 2000 or so. She has the record of the biggest selling album by a Christian artist in history. Even Arsenio Hall referred to her as "The Michael Jackson of Christian music." Her and Sandi Patty (another one you need not worry about because she's real Jesus-y) could not be rivaled in the 80s and 90s. You'd probably not be interested in her music anyway, really. You know, that whole God thing, et al.

I find it bizarre that singers of the Christian genre are ostrasized by the mainstream Christian community for performing songs about life subjects other than worshipping God and maintaining the perfect Christian existence. People do have to live in the real world and deal with it's problems even if they choose to become a Christian... There isn't any reason why religious and secular music need to be so separated. Life doesn't work that way and neither does music.

purplethunder3121 said:

I find it bizarre that singers of the Christian genre are ostrasized by the mainstream Christian community for performing songs about life subjects other than worshipping God and maintaining the perfect Christian existence. People do have to live in the real world and deal with it's problems even if they choose to become a Christian... There isn't any reason why religious and secular music need to be so separated. Life doesn't work that way and neither does music.

Man, you struck the hot iron there. The church I was raised in had a whole evening service of how Christian music sounded like secular music, and it diminished the message or whatever. My aunt (who wouldn't go near our church) said, "kids aren't going to sit around and listen to hymns all day." She nailed it.

Christians have this inherent fear of what they refuse to understand. They're obtuse and find comfort in it. As an example, Amy Grant's unguarded album really cross over to the pop charts with "Find A Way" (cowritten by Michael W. Smith). They hear a set of drums, or a guitar and clutch the pearls so tight they're strangling themselves. Yet if people listen to unguarded, the whole album is about fighting for one's faith. "Love of Another Kind" is purely based in scripture. "Everywhere I Go" is written by a noted female praise songwriter Mary Lee Kortes. "Sharayah," "I'll Be Waiting (The Prodigal)," "Who To Listen To," "Wise Up," "Stepping In Your Shoes," and "Fight" are all about her faith. "Sharayah" is talking to a friend of hers who wasn't quite in the place to accept God, but Amy was just being her friend as normal (as one should). The only song, out of nine, that wasn't about God or faith was "I Love You," which was a straight nod to her then-husband Gary Chapman.

So I don't know what Christians were going on about, but I was hardcore on the A.G. train and always have been.

And even "Find A Way," mentions in the bridge, "if our God his Son not sparing, came to rescue you, is there any circumstance that He can't see you through?"

Just a few of notes:
Larry Williams played keyboard and sax on unguarded. He also played the sax on "The Glamorous Life."

She had folks like Robbie Buchanan, Dan Huff, Paul Jackson, Jr., Lenny Castro (Toto), Bill Champlin (Chicago), Richard Page (Mr. Mister, who was also on "Stay For Awhile" from The Collection), on the album.

Katy Perry, known as Kathryn Hudson, sang on an Amy Grant album in later years before she went solo as a pop star.

She's always had tons of famous and really great musicians on her records. I'm surprised Christians didn't delve that deep to make create a paper tiger.

In the end, Geoff Moore & the Distance did a great cover of a Larry Norman song, "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music." Sums it up.

Good album

I often bust it out in spring/summer.

I still find it odd that here in the UK, "Baby Baby" hit top 5 and is still sometimes played on commercial radio.

Iam huge fans of Keith Thomas and Michael Omartian, but I did not know that way back when I bought it LOL, but they were great back then. Easy going and slick prouction, catchy tunes, great vocals...

I tend to stop at "Galilieo", which is my fav track. Omartian was so slick and the end key changes or whatever he does at the end are sublime (check the backing vocals).

Like Amy, Christian legend Michael W Smith crossed over (accidently I feel), with "place in the world".

He tried hard with his 1992 album "Change your world" to get some Amy Grant money. I know the Diane Warren co-write "I will be here for you" was a blatent hit, but not so much the album. Having said that, the opener "Picture Perfect" is as good as anything off Amy's album if anyone cares....

...even better was obscurity Kurt Howell's abum from 1992. Produced by Omartian, he uses 0 God references but its classic, sunny Christian music LOL. It tanked but is really worth a look. Like Amy's album, its pretty solid all the way through. Fans of "Heart in Motion", check youtube for songs, trust me Infact, I rate it higher than her album. Its sublime Christian AOR. "Dedicate everything to you" is Omartian doing 80's Jam/Lewis LOL. One of the last high tech albums before protools and the general decline of slick, LA pop music....

Go check "Dedicate everything to you" by Kurt Howell and check the middle 8/end chorus

[Edited 3/9/21 18:22pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

RJOrion said:

person i was dating at the time used to clown me and give me the side eye for playing that "Heart In Motion" cassette in the car all the time... "Hats", "Baby Baby", "Good For Me"...that was my shit...it almost sounded like Minneapolis music...i love her voice...always been underrated

"Hats" has the same sort of message that "I'm Every Woman" does, as well as Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" in 1997, about a woman having to be so many things to so many people. I do agree about "Good For Me" having a slight Minneapolis nod. Not that it sounds like a song by The Time, but certain little elements remind one of that.

"Good for me" is such a sweet album opener. The keys have a slight Oliver Lieber feel I think. He was Minniapolis so that sorta counts LOL

Got her Vinyl Christmas album last year and it was good. I had a couple of her CD's always liked her voice.

JoeBala said:

Got her Vinyl Christmas album last year and it was good. I had a couple of her CD's always liked her voice.

Which Christmas album? She has 3 or 4. Do you mean the first one? That's a great little record. "Love Has Come" is a quiet bop. I love the little medley of "Emmanuel" and "Little Town."

I like Amy Grant. Heart in Motion was a fun record, but House of Love was my jam.

Ottensen said:

I like Amy Grant. Heart in Motion was a fun record, but House of Love was my jam.

I've only more recently gotten into the House of Love album. I didn't care for (still don't too much) "Lucky One." It felt a bit too light and fluffy, even for Amy Grant. But, while I sit and sew at night for a couple of hours, I put on music. And I've been on a huge Amy Grant kick of late. House of Love was something I decided to dig into. It's a good little record. I remember "Big Yellow Taxi"'s video, and I love the title track. There's a Classic Philly Soul mix of it that is just great. Brings out the best elements.

There are 7 or 8 short videos on YouTube called Building The House of Love. Sort of a behind the scenes making-of thing. Producer Michael Omartian is working on a mix with her...Vince Gill on a mix, that is slightly faster (by a few BPM) and has a more edgy urban R&B vibe. Rumor was that Amy was going to include both versions (current album and Omartian's version) on the record, but never did.

That guy - he's a total Guido. He reminds me of Marty, Madonn's brother in Truth or Dare, when he's all Guido-ing out with "we can get past that star bullshit..." I'm glad his version didn't make it as the actual album cut. And to my knowledge, his version never came out officially.

The Classic Philly Soul mix did make it onto her Greatest Hits | 1986-2004 CD.

I need to dig into Behind The Eyes (the breakup album, of sorts). I saw the concert tour for it, but the album escaped my interest at the time. I even sold the CD and tourbook on eBay, which I now regret.

Hey! I love Lucky One!

TrivialPursuit said:

Bought "House of love" many years later. lightning did not strike twice for me, despite reuniting both Keith Thomas and Michael Omartian. Production feels like its been held back. Not enough punch. I guess by 1994 they were toning down the big keys and drum thwacks.

Plus the songs just sorta pass you by. Only "Say you'll be mine", with a magic key change early on, is on par with her previous and woulda slotted perfectly on there. "Love has a hold on me" rips off "save the best for last", which is not surprising given the producer conneection. Only "politics of kissing" is any good really and again thats marred with lastluster production.

As I mentioned, by 1994 this pop music was out. At least this got out LOL, but is still a rather lackluster affair considering the talent involved, though Thomas' and Omartians style of producing was on its way out...

[Edited 3/15/21 18:22pm]

Oh, that Omartian remix of "house of love" sounds kinda cool LOL. Thanks for the video TrivialPursuit