Glory (Common and John Legend song)

"Glory"
Single by Common and John Legend
from the album Selma
Released	December 11, 2014
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2014
Genre	Hip hop soul
Length	4:32
Label	ARTium Def Jam Columbia
Writer(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)

"Glory" is a song performed by American rapper Common 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 as Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel in Selma.

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	Results
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	Best Original or Adapted Song	Won
	Critics' Choice Movie Awards	Best Song	Won
	Georgia Film Critics Association	Best Original Song[6]	Won
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Original Song	Won
	Houston Film Critics Society	Best Original Song[7]	Nominated
	Iowa Film Critics	Best Song[8]	Runner-up
2016	Grammy Awards	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 the 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. The promotion was run by Omaze, a private internet company that raises funds for charity through online auctions and merchandise sales.^[12]

Commercial performance

"Glory" officially debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 92. It became Common's fourth charted song on that chart of his own^[13] and has since peaked at number 49.^[14]

Track listing

Digital download^[15]

1. "Glory" – 4:32

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[16]	62
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17]	47
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[18]	74
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[19]	40
France (SNEP)[20]	65
Ireland (IRMA)[21]	39
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22]	25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23]	38
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24]	62
US Billboard Hot 100[25]	49
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26]	18
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[27]	11

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	December 11, 2014	Digital download	ARTium Def Jam Columbia	[15]
United Kingdom				[28]

References

1. "John Legend & Common – Glory". freeonsmash.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
2. McNary, Dave (23 February 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.com. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
4. Paramount Pictures (January 27, 2015). "Paramount Pictures: For Your Consideration 'Selma'". Paramountguilds.com. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
5. "'Selma' African American Film Critics Association". Deadline. December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
6. ""Boyhood," "Nightcrawler" Win Big as Georgia Film Critics Split the Board". Reel Georgia. January 9, 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. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
9. "Common, John Legend - Glory". YouTube. 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. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
12. "Common surprises youth choir with Glory performance". omaze.com. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
13. "Few No. 1 Billboard Hits Win Big at the Oscars". scottfeinberg.com. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
14. "Common Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
15. "iTunes - Music - Glory (From the Motion Picture "Selma") - Single". iTunes. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
16. Ryan, Gavin (March 7, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Ellie Goulding Remains At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Common & John Legend – Glory" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
18. "Ultratop.be – Common & John Legend – Glory" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
19. "Ultratop.be – Common & John Legend – Glory" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
20. "Lescharts.com – Common & John Legend – Glory" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
21. "Chart Track: Week 9, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
22. "Spanishcharts.com – Common & John Legend – Glory" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
23. "Swisscharts.com – Common & John Legend – Glory". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
24. "Archive Chart: 2015-03-01" UK Singles Chart.
25. "Common – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Common. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
26. "Common – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Common. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
27. "Common – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rap Songs for Common. Retrieved February 2, 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
• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics