"Everything is Beautiful" is a song by Ray Stevens. It has
appeared on many of Stevens' albums, including one named after
the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious
performances. The children heard singing the chorus of the
song, using the hymn, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", are
from the Oak Hill Elementary School in Nashville, Tennessee.
This group includes Stevens' two daughters. The singer arranged
and tape recorded the impromptu session himself for inclusion
in the song .
The song was responsible for two wins at the Grammy Awards
of 1971: Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for
Ray Stevens and Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance
for Jake Hess. Ray Stevens' recording was the number one song
on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in the spring of 1970.
The song also spent three weeks atop the adult contemporary
chart. Many country stations played the song, peaking it at #39
on Billboard's chart .
This song was a major departure for Stevens, as "Everything
is Beautiful" is a more serious and spiritual tune, unlike some
of his earlier ("Gitarzan" and "Ahab the Arab") and later ("The
Streak") recordings which were more in the style of
comedy/novelty songs .
The Smashing Pumpkins also released a cover of the song in
their Live Smashing Pumpkins album series.