The Kingsmen Bring the Powerful “It Made News In Heaven When I Got Saved”

Back from another visit to the endless well of their own classics, the Kingsmen are serving up a joyful announcement in a Horizon Records favorite from nearly a half century ago, "It Made News In Heaven When I Got Saved."  

"From the time I joined the Kingsmen seven years ago," recalls the group's Alan Kendall, who takes the lead on the Gordon Jenson-penned lesson on taking stock of what matters, "I was always sound checking my microphone to old Squire Parsons features, usually 'Lovely Name of Jesus' or 'It Made News in Heaven.' Squire made me want to be a Kingsmen baritone!"

The flavor of the legendary performance can be felt from the moment that David Johnson's pedal steel recaps the original's introduction, even as the beat gently bends in a more propulsive direction. Working with producer Jeff Collins, the Kingsmen offer an inspired blend of the earlier group's arrangement and more modern touches as Kendall delivers the song's simple yet elegant message:

It didn't make the papers 
In this world when I prayed through
It didn't seem to matter to all but just a few
But in the golden streets of glory 
Celebration banners waved
And it made news in heaven I got saved

"When a singer/songwriter like Squire sings with such fervor and heart," says Kendall, "the listener can't help but feel those lyrics. It made news in Heaven when I got saved...wow! What a message even for today! In a world that logs each member of humanity down as a mere number, and even worse, undermines everything about Jesus, it is comforting to know that I as a soul MATTER to the Master!"

"It Made News In Heaven When I Got Saved" is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.