| Song: A Little Piece Of Jesus |
|
| By: Steven Liotta & Gary Hemmingstad | |
| From: Brooklyn, New York, USA | |
| About the Songwriters: Steve
is a singer, drummer, & songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He is also a vocal
and instrumental music teacher in the New York City public school system.
Steve studied drums and arranging at college. That is where he got into
songwriting while and has continued to write through the
years. Steve lives in Brooklyn, New York with his
wife and 2 sons.
Gary is a lyricist from Woodbury, Connecticut, where he lives with his wife and 3 children. The idea behind Gary’s lyrics was of a man who felt something missing in his life, and he finds fulfillment and hope in receiving the Eucharist. The subject realizes during mass that the missing piece is Jesus. Gary's subject receives the Eucharist and feels the body of Christ filling the void. He leaves church with a renewed sense of purpose and hope, and will devote his time to helping others who felt the same as he did. Gary actually wrote this song while helping his son prepare for his First Communion lessons. He described how receiving communion was like receiving, “a little piece of Jesus." The line stuck with him for a few days, in which he played around with the wording. Eventually, the whole thing came together. A few months later, he sent Steve the lyrics to see what he could come up with. When Steve read the lyrics, he was immediately taken in with the beauty of the words. He wrote the music to the chorus, and then spent a day or two fooling around with different melodies before coming up with the finished version. Steve finished the song as a ballad and set out to record the demo you hear now. Steve took the inspiration of writing the song from his mother, who passed away on the 1-year anniversary of 9/11. She was bedridden the last 5 years of her life and received Communion every day until the end. |
