As a member of the Glee Cast, Riley sang numerous solos, including "Bust Your Windows", "Hate on Me", "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", "Beautiful", "I Look To You", "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and an original song "Hell To The No."
At the age of seventeen, Riley auditioned for American Idol but was turned down by the producers. Amber graduated from La Mirada High School, La Mirada, California in 2004. In 2010, she had the honor of singing to President Obama, which she said was perhaps "the minute [her] life was made complete".
In 2013, Amber won the seventeenth season of ABC's dancing competition Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with the show's one and only six-time champion, Derek Hough. Riley and Hough tied the record for highest first-week score of 27, received 5 perfect scores of 30, and only received a score lower than 8 one time. Riley is the first African-American woman to win the show.
Since “Glee”, she has gone on to do films such a, “Nobody’s Fool” alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Tiffany Haddish. She has also tackled theatre stages playing Addaperle in “The Wiz” and Effie White in “Dreamgirls” which won her an Olivier Award. She released her debut album, an EP simply titled RILEY, in 2020.
Angels We Have Heard On High
Amber Riley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweetly singing over the plains
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains.
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Shepherds, why this Jubilee?
Why your joyous strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord,
The newborn King
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
See Him in a manger laid
Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth!
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
With us sing our Savior's birth.
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
The first verse of Amber Riley's version of "Angels We Have Heard on High" describes the experience of seeing and hearing angels singing over the plains and mountains. The phrase "sweetly singing" evokes a sense of peace and happiness, while the echoes of their songs bring joy to the earth. The chorus, sung in Latin, translates to "Glory to God in the highest."
The second verse speaks directly to the shepherds who are experiencing the joyous celebrations of the angels. It asks them why they are experiencing such great happiness and what kind of good news they are sharing through their heavenly song. The chorus is repeated again, emphasizing the glory being given to God.
The third verse invites listeners to "come to Bethlehem and see" the newborn King that the angels are celebrating. The phrase "adore on bended knee" suggests that the newborn King is worthy of worship and respect. The chorus is repeated once more.
The fourth and final verse describes the scene of the newborn King lying in a manger, with Mary and Joseph nearby. It suggests that the shepherds and other listeners can also join in the celebration and sing along with the angels. The chorus is repeated yet again.
Line by Line Meaning
Angels we have heard on high
We have heard angels singing sweetly over the plains
Sweetly singing over the plains
Angels singing joyful songs that are pleasing to hear over the plains
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyous strains.
The mountains are repeating the joyous songs of the angels singing back to them
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
The angels are singing 'Glory to God in the highest'
Shepherds, why this Jubilee?
The shepherds are being asked why they are celebrating so much
Why your joyous strains prolong?
Why are you continuing to sing happy songs?
What the gladsome tidings be
What is the good news that is making you so happy?
Which inspire your heavenly song?
What is inspiring you to sing this joyous song from heaven?
Come to Bethlehem and see
Come to Bethlehem to witness an event
Him whose birth the angels sing;
See the newborn that the angels are singing about
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord,
The newborn King
Kneel to worship and adore Christ, the Lord and newborn King
See Him in a manger laid
The newborn King can be seen lying in a manger
Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth!
Jesus is the Lord of both heaven and earth
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
Mary and Joseph are being asked to help
With us sing our Savior's birth.
Join us in singing about the birth of our Savior
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
Glo-ori-a
In excelsis de-o
The angels are singing 'Glory to God in the highest'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, MACK DONALD III BROCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Karen Esposito
I love glee Christmas music
Ingrid Giannina Aguirre
Hermoso!!!!
Hughie Brophy
Amazing
Suhaan Khan
4:13 Amber Riley's hitting B5 Belt "Angels We Have Heard On High by Glee Cast"