Another No. 1 For 'You Raise Me Up'

The extraordinary success of 'You Raise Me Up' – the song co-written by leading Irish songwriter Brendan Graham and Rolf Lovland of Secret Garden – took another impressive bounce this week, with the ascension of Robin Stjernberg's My Versions album to the top of the Swedish charts.

This is the second Swedish album containing a version of the song which has gone to No. 1 in the Scandinavian country within a couple of months. Larz Kristerz's Från älvdalen till Nashville hit the top spot recently and is still at No. 14 (down from No. 5) after nine weeks in the charts. In what is a notable difference to Ireland, which might be of interest to our radio regulators, eleven of Sweden's Top 22 albums feature local artists. In contrast there are only four Irish artists in the top 22 here, or five if you include Ed Sheeran.

Among the over 450 versions of 'You Raise Me Up' recorded to date, one of the outstanding ones is on the Voices For The Voiceless album by the Possible Dream Choir, from Swaziland –an ensemble comprised of a Doctor, HIV victims, orphans, amputees and an aggregation of young people from what is one of the poorest regions on earth.

"They asked permission to use 'You Raise Me Up' and also 'Always There' and we were the privileged ones to be able to say 'yes' to them," Brendan Graham told Hot Press. "Some of the tracks on the album are outstanding – so joyous that they will lighten any load you might be carrying."

While, alongside its unrivalled commercial success as a song, 'You Raise Me Up' has been included in many inspirational and charity albums and projects, it also has the unique distinction of being featured in three major TV advertising campaigns in Japan alone, for Sony, Yamaha and Twinings tea.

* Brendan Graham is among the speakers at The Music Show which takes place in the RDS, Dublin on February 25 and 26.