Glory (Common and John Legend song)

"Glory"
Single by Common and John Legend
from the album Selma soundtrack
Released	December 11, 2014 (2014-12-11)
Recorded	2014
Genre	Hip hop soul
Length	4:32
Label	ARTium Def Jam GOOD Columbia
Songwriter(s)	John Stephens Lonnie Lynn Che Smith
Producer(s)	John Legend[1]
John Legend singles chronology
"Don't Say Goodbye" (2014) "Glory" (2014) "Lay Me Down" (2015)
Common singles chronology
"Diamonds" (2014) "Glory" (2014) "Real People" (2016)

"Glory" is a song by American rapper Common (Lonnie Lynn, as awarded) and American singer John Legend. It was written by John Legend, Common, and Rhymefest.^[2][3][4] The song was released on December 11, 2014, by Columbia Records as the theme song from the 2014 film Selma, which portrays the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches. Common also co-starred in the film as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel.

Commercially, the song peaked at number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A music video for the song was directed by Paramount Pictures and was released on January 12, 2015. The song won the award for Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards (2015) and the 72nd Golden Globe Awards (2015), as well as the award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards (2016).

Awards

Year	Awards Ceremony	Award	Result
2014	African-American Film Critics Association	Best Music[5]	Won
	Denver Film Critics Society	Best Original Song	Nominated
2015	Academy Awards	Best Original Song	Won
	BET Awards	Best Collaboration	Won
		Video of the Year	Nominated
	Black Reel Awards	Outstanding Original Song	Won
	Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Song	Won
	Georgia Film Critics Association	Best Original Song[6]	Won
	Golden Globe Award	Best Original Song	Won
	Houston Film Critics Society	Best Original Song[7]	Nominated
	Iowa Film Critics	Best Song[8]	Runner-Up
2016	Grammy Award	Best Song Written for Visual Media	Won
		Best Rap Song	Nominated
		Best Rap/Sung Collaboration	Nominated

Music video

Common co-starred in the film Selma, and sang "Glory" as the end-credits rolled.

The music video was directed by Paramount Pictures.^[1] It was put on Common's official Vevo account on January 12, 2015.^[9] The video stars Legend and Common. The video, which includes footage from the film, begins with Legend playing the piano and then singing, with Common rapping in a different location.

Live performances

"Glory" was performed by Legend and Common on the American morning television show Good Morning America on January 5, 2015.^[10]

On February 8, 2015, the duo performed the song as culmination to the 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremonies held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Legend and Common performed "Glory" during the 87th Academy Awards show on February 22, 2015 using a stage-setting of Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song.^[11]

In October 2015, Common surprised a student choir in Compton, California with a live performance of "Glory" in support of My Brother's Keeper Challenge. The promotion was run by Omaze, a private internet company that raises funds for charity through online auctions and merchandise sales.^[12]

A year later on October 26, 2016, Common performed the song with Yolanda Adams at the White House on the South Lawn for BET Presents: Love and Happiness: An Obama Celebration.^[13]

It was performed by Legend and Common, backed by a choir, at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. They also played it during a Joe Biden rally at Pennsylvania, a day before the 2020 United States presidential election.

Commercial performance

"Glory" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 92. It became Common's fourth charted song of his own,^[14] and peaked at number 49.^[15]

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[16]	62
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17]	47
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18]	74
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[19]	40
France (SNEP)[20]	65
Ireland (IRMA)[21]	39
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22]	25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	38
UK Singles (OCC)[24]	62
US Billboard Hot 100[25]	49
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26]	18

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	December 11, 2014 (2014-12-11)	Digital download	ARTium Def Jam GOOD Columbia	[27]
United Kingdom				[28]

See also

• Civil rights movement in popular culture

References

1. "John Legend & Common – Glory". freeonsmash.com. January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
2. McNary, Dave (February 23, 2015). "'Selma' Wins Oscar for Best Original Song with 'Glory'".
3. The Deadline Team (January 27, 2015). "Common, John Legend To Perform 'Selma' Song "Glory" At Oscars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
4. Paramount Pictures (January 27, 2015). "Paramount Pictures: For Your Consideration 'Selma'". Paramountguilds.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
5. "'Selma' African American Film Critics Association". Deadline Hollywood. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
6. ""Boyhood," "Nightcrawler" Win Big as Georgia Film Critics Split the Board". Reel Georgia. January 9, 2015. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
7. "Houston Film Critics Announce Nominees". AwardsDaily. December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
8. "'Boyhood' is Iowa Critics' Best Picture of 2014". Hitfix. January 7, 2015. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
9. "Common, John Legend - Glory". YouTube. January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
10. "Common & John Legend - Glory (Live On 'Good Morning America')". illroots.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
11. "Common & John Legend To Perform "Glory" At The Oscars". hiphopdx.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
12. "Common surprises youth choir with Glory performance". omaze.com. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
13. Calvario, Liz (November 16, 2016). "'Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration': Watch Highlights From BET's Musical Tribute". Indiewire (published November 16, 2016).
14. "Few No. 1 Billboard Hits Win Big at the Oscars". scottfeinberg.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
15. "Common Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
16. Ryan, Gavin (March 7, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Ellie Goulding Remains At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
17. "Common & John Legend – Glory" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
18. "Common & John Legend – Glory" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
19. "Common & John Legend – Glory" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
20. "Common & John Legend – Glory" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
21. "Chart Track: Week 9, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
22. "Common & John Legend – Glory" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
23. "Common & John Legend – Glory". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
25. "Common Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
26. "Common Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
27. "iTunes - Music - Glory (From the Motion Picture "Selma") - Single". iTunes. December 11, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
28. "Glory (From the Motion Picture Selma)". Amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015.

External links

• Music video on YouTube
• 2015 Academy Awards performance on YouTube