Photo by Hassan Pasha
American worship leader and songwriter Katy Nichole is a newcomer who released her self-titled EP last year. She also recently released her debut album, Jesus Changed My Life, earlier this year.
She won a GMA Dove this year for New Artist of the Year.
Also, check out my reviews of God Is In This Story and In Jesus Name (God of Possible).
Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.
1. What message does the song communicate?
This song comes from Mary’s perspective sometime after Jesus was born. She reflects upon several things, including:
- Her humble state
- Angels explicitly name her
- Would be the mother of the Savior, Jesus
- Her Son would be of noble birth
- He would be called “God with us”
- Angelic beings prostrate themselves before Him
- He was born amid turmoil on earth
- He will suffer and there’s not a thing she can do to alleviate the pain; a crushing defeat for any mother
- His Holiness
- He is light
As with many Christmas songs, it talks about the singing angels. The angels were possibly singing, though the case for it is not strong (see section 2). This affects the song’s Biblical accuracy, but not its overall message.
Score: 10/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
Almost the entire song except for the singing angels. The Scriptural support for this is weak at best.
Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
Who am I that You would choose me?
Just a lowly girl from a simple family
This is a retelling of a portion of the Magnificat in Luke 1:48. Elizabeth said something to this effect in Luke 1:43, when Mary went to visit her while pregnant with Jesus. So, it seems reasonable to think that Mary had similar thoughts that are not recorded in Scripture.
Who am I that angels speak my name?
This includes Gabriel (Luke 1:26-30) and the angel who visited Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:20).
Called to be the mother of the One who comes to save
As stated by Gabriel in Luke 1:31-33.
[Chorus]
Oh, what a King
This is explicitly mentioned in Luke 1:33.
Emmanuel, God with us
Quotes from Matthew 1:23.
The world will call you Jesus
In the English vernacular, yes. The Hebrews know Him as Yeshua.
I will call You Son
His earthly mother, of course, Mary would call Him that!
Oh, what a King
Repeats line 1.
Heaven bows before You
As stated in Hebrews 1:4-14 and Revelation 5:11-14. Given that an angel gave her this message, and the shepherds witnessed a multitude of angels and, perhaps, informed her (Luke 2:8-20) it is reasonable to think she might have believed this.
Your mother, she adores You
Based on Luke 1:48 and Luke 2:51, we can extrapolate that she loved her Son.
Long-awaited One, oh, what a King
They were waiting for the Messiah to come, as early as Genesis 3:15.
[Verse 2]
Born into a world of suffering
This has been a feature since the fall of mankind (Genesis 3:16-19).
They don’t know the gift I know You’re gonna be
Because it had not been revealed to them yet, as Gabriel had told her (Luke 1:32-33).
I wish I could protect You from the pain
But something’s tellin’ me that’s the reason why You came
That “something” is likely to be Isaiah 53:1-12.
[Bridge]
Holy, holy, lyin’ in a manger
Holy, holy is the Son of God
Considering that the Holy Spirit overshadowed her (Luke 1:35), yeah, she has good reason to think her Son is the holy Son of God. The manger portion comes from Luke 2:7.
Hallelujah, hear the angels singin’
According to Luke 2:13-14, there was a multitude of angels exalting Jesus. Though there were heavenly hosts and they announced the birth of Jesus, Scripture does not support that they were singing. Take a good look at Luke 2:13. It says “saying”. It comes from the Koine Greek word “legó”, which means “to say”. That doesn’t mean that angels can’t sing (Job 38:7’s “morning stars” could be seen as angels), but the text doesn’t say that they sang.
As for the Koine Greek term Aineo (to praise), according to Bible Study Tools, praiseworthy singing is a possible translation for this word. However, no major translation translates it with singing in mind.
The word ‘Hallelujah” is a compound Hebrew phrase, with “hallelu” meaning “a joyous praise in song” and “jah” or “yah”, which refers to the Tetragrammaton YHWH. Put together, we are singing “we joyfully praise God in song” when we use this word.
Hallelujah, Heaven’s Light has come
Jesus is light (John 1:1-8, John 8:12, and Ephesians 5:14).
[Outro]
Oh, what a King
Repeats Chorus, line 1.
Score: 9/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Those who do not yet know Jesus will probably think this is another run-of-the-mill Christmas song. They will extrapolate from “Called to be the mother of the One who comes to save” that Mary is speaking about Jesus. All the elements touched on should be familiar to anyone who has a vague sense of the “Christmas story”.
It also helps that Nichole threw in terms such as “emmanuel” and “Jesus”, with language that is everyday and easy to digest.
Score: 10/10
4. What does this song glorify?
It glorifies Jesus that Nichole honored Him by accurately reporting the likely thoughts and feelings of His mother. This song’s only potential minor error is that the angels were singing, slightly veiling His glory.
Score: 9/10
Closing Comments
Katy Nichole’s O What A King is a unique song. Very few songs speak on Mary’s inner dialogue as she reflects on the visiting angel who speaks her name, that she would conceive the Savior Jesus, a Holy King who would ascend David’s throne, and her lowly state as one who doesn’t deserve all the attention she gets. These bring Christ glory. Unbelievers will easily know it’s a Christmas song.
This song is a great testimonial and could be useful in terms of reflecting on Mary’s perspective, but not suitable for corporate worship.
Final Score: 9.5/10
Artist Info
Track: O What A King (listen to the song)
Artist: Katy Nichole
Album: N/A
Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Release Year: 2022
Duration: 3:15
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2022 Centricity Songs (BMI) BrentHood Music (BMI) Forbidden Island Music (BMI) Meaux Mercy (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Comments
Ron Onimous
I really enjoy Katy Nichole’s music, approach to songwriting/style of lyrics, and her testimony. I attended a Christmas concert that featured her as well as other more experienced Christian musicians, and she was the highlight of the evening in my opinion.
Enough on that – I think this song is beautifully written, and really helps people to personally identify with Mary as well as other Biblical characters, which helps to make it real to some (me). I am reminded of (Chris Eaton)/Amy Grant’s Breath of Heaven.
I like the details she brings to the song, as well as how Biblical it is (even though I agree the angels may not have been singing (but singing is often a form of praise, so why wouldn’t angels sing joyfully?)).