I’m not sure why this happened, while at the same time fully respectful of the power of “Why not?” On today’s episode of Harry, Oprah Winfrey chatted for many segments with host Harry Connick, Jr., about her life, career, and a-ha moments (an a-ha moment, she explained, is a sort of breakthrough of really understanding the importance of something you already knew...which I feel like I already knew?). Then she did a segment in which she discussed her O, That’s Good food line and Connick claimed to like her mashed cauliflower and also broccoli cheddar soup with butternut squash doing a lot of the cheddar’s heavy lifting (???). And then Connick was like, “Now she’s gonna sing” and then she sang!
She did a whole number with a band (and Connick on keys)—the Christian hymn “I Surrender All,” which dates back to the 19th century. She explained she sang this song for inspiration in the jittery days before she found out she’d gotten the role of Sofia in the big-screen adaptation of The Color Purple. And then she unleashed her singing voice, which is low. I feel like I already knew it would be, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how low.
Oprah has performed this song before, kind of—she did a few bars acapella in 2014 when she hosted her Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend tour in Newark, NJ. And those of us who watched her talk show couldn’t possibly forget her frequent attempts to sing along with various music guests on her talk show, including her iconic take on “We Belong Together.” On the Harry stage, though, Oprah’s lips matched the words, because we’re all becoming the best versions of ourselves each and every day.