President Obama’s singing of “Amazing Grace” during the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed last month in a shooting at a Charleston church, has been widely acknowledged as one of the most powerful moments of his presidency. 
  
 Interested in ? Add as an interest to stay up to date on the latest news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest 
  
 But when he first raised the idea with first lady Michelle Obama and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, it was met with skepticism. 
  
 “Why on earth would that fit in?” the first lady said in reaction to the idea, according to Jarrett, who was with the Obamas as they departed the White House aboard Marine One on their way to the funeral in South Carolina. 
  
 Jarrett, who had once before tried unsuccessfully to dissuade the president from singing a line of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," had a more subdued reaction. "Hmmm," Jarrett reacted. 
  
 The president went on to explain his thinking to Jarrett and the first lady, who had yet to read the president’s prepared eulogy, during the helicopter ride. 
  
 “I think if I sing, the church will sing with me,” Obama said, according to Jarrett, who recalled the story during a question answer session at the Aspen Institute’s Ideas Festival. 
  
 But even then, President Obama hadn’t made his mind up whether he would in fact sing. 
  
 “I don’t know whether I’m going to do it, but I just wanted to warn you two that I might sing,” Jarett recalled him saying. “We’ll see how it feels at the time.” 
  
 But as soon as the president took to podium to begin the eulogy, Jarrett said, it was clear the mood was right. 
  
 “From the first time he started to speak, the church was clearly with him,” Jarrett said. “He knew they were with him.” 
  
 Before the president began to sing, Jarrett observed that the president paused for a moment. And she later asked him, “Were you thinking about whether or not you were going to sing?” 
  
 “Oh no, I knew I was going to sing, I was just trying to figure out what key to sing in,” the president said in response to Jarrett. ||||| Photo 
  
 President Obama’s decision to sing “Amazing Grace” at the end of his eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a black pastor who was killed with eight others during Bible study in a Charleston, S.C., church last month, became one of the more memorable moments of his second term. But the idea raised at least some eyebrows when he first broached it with his closest confidants. 
  
 Mr. Obama was on the Marine One helicopter leaving the White House en route to Andrews Air Force Base for his flight to South Carolina when he mentioned the thought to Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett, their close friend and a White House senior adviser. 
  
 “When I get to the second part of referring to ‘Amazing Grace,’ I think I might sing,” he told them, by Ms. Jarrett’s account. 
  
 “Hmm,” Ms. Jarrett recalled responding. 
  
 Mrs. Obama was a little more pointed. “Why on earth would that fit in?” she asked. 
  
 He tried to explain. “I don’t know whether I’m going to do it,” he said, according to Ms. Jarrett, “but I just wanted to warn you two that I might sing.” He added, “We’ll see how it feels at the time.” 
  
 Ms. Jarrett told the story at the Aspen Ideas Festival last week in a session with Walter Isaacson, the Aspen Institute president. She noted that she had a little history with Mr. Obama’s singing career, recalling the 2012 fund-raiser at Harlem’s Apollo Theater when he crooned a little Al Green. 
  
 “I will confess to you that I was the voice back stage when he was being egged on by the electrical engineers who were doing the sound work for the show, ‘Go on, Mr. President, sing, sing,’” Ms. Jarrett said, referring to the 2012 event at the Apollo. “And I said, ‘Don’t sing! Don’t sing! Please, whatever you do, don’t sing.’ And of course, he sang. And it went over very well.” 
  
 So this time, she said, she knew better than to object and, in fact, in an email on Monday she said she and the first lady “both encouraged him to do whatever the spirit moved him to do.” 
  
 Many who watched him that day noted that he paused a long time before beginning to sing. 
  
 “So later I said to him, ‘Were you thinking about whether or not to sing?’” Ms. Jarrett recalled at Aspen. “He said, ‘Oh no, I knew I was going to sing. I was just trying to figure out which key to sing it.’” |||||

Write a summary.
– President Obama's rendition of "Amazing Grace" at the end of his eulogy for the Rev. Clementa Pinckney has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube. Had he listened to the gut reaction of those around him, it might not have happened at all. The New York Times and ABC News have the background on his decision to break out in song: Obama first shared his plan—to sing once he got "to the second part of referring to 'Amazing Grace'"—with Michelle Obama and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett while en route to Andrews Air Force Base to board his flight to South Carolina. "I think if I sing, the church will sing with me," he said, per Jarrett, who told the story during a Q&A at the Aspen Ideas Festival last week. How Jarrett says she responded: "Hmm." How Michelle put it: "Why on earth would that fit in?" Jarrett says he told them he wasn't convinced he'd go that route, but wanted to offer a warning. "We'll see how it feels at the time," she says he said. She says she and Michelle were ultimately encouraging, and as for the long pause before he began, she says that was a moment of debate ... but not about whether to go ahead. "I knew I was going to sing," he told her. "I was just trying to figure out which key to sing it."
President Obamas sång av ”Amazing Grace” under lovtalet för Rev. Clementa Pinckney, som dödades förra månaden i en skottlossning på en Charlestonkyrka, har allmänt erkänts som en av de mäktigaste stunderna under sitt presidentskap. Intresserad av ? Lägg till som ett intresse för att hålla dig uppdaterad på de senaste nyheterna, video och analys från ABC News. Add Interest Men när han först tog upp idén med första damen Michelle Obama och seniorrådgivaren Valerie Jarrett möttes den av skepticism. “Varför i hela friden skulle det passa in?” sade den första damen som reaktion på idén, enligt Jarrett, som var med Obamas när de avgick Vita huset ombord Marine One på väg till begravningen i South Carolina. Jarrett, som en gång tidigare utan framgång hade försökt avråda presidenten från att sjunga en rad av Al Greens "Let's Stay Together", fick en mer dämpad reaktion. "Hmmm", reagerade Jarrett. Presidenten fortsatte med att förklara sina tankar för Jarrett och den första damen, som ännu inte hade läst presidentens förberedda lovtal, under helikopterfärden. "Jag tror att om jag sjunger, kyrkan kommer att sjunga med mig," Obama sade, enligt Jarrett, som erinrade sig historien under en frågesvar session på Aspen Institutes Idéfestival. Men inte ens då hade president Obama bestämt sig för om han faktiskt skulle sjunga. — Jag vet inte om jag skall göra det, men jag ville bara varna er två för att jag måtte sjunga, erinrade sig Jarett honom sägande. "Vi får se hur det känns på den tiden." Men så snart presidenten tog till podiet för att börja lovtalet, Jarrett sade, det var klart humöret var rätt. — Från första gången han började tala, var kyrkan tydligt med honom, sade Jarrett. “Han visste att de var med honom.” Innan presidenten började sjunga, Jarrett observerade att presidenten pausade för ett ögonblick. Och hon frågade honom senare: ”Tänkte du på om du skulle sjunga eller inte?” ”Åh nej, jag visste att jag skulle sjunga, jag försökte bara komma på vilken nyckel att sjunga i”, sade presidenten som svar på Jarrett. Foto President Obamas beslut att sjunga "Amazing Grace" i slutet av hans lovtal för Rev. Clementa Pinckney, en svart pastor som dödades tillsammans med åtta andra under bibelstudiet i en Charleston, S.C., kyrka förra månaden, blev ett av de mer minnesvärda ögonblicken under hans andra termin. Men tanken höjde åtminstone några ögonbryn, då han först röfvade den med sina närmaste förtrogna. Mr Obama var på Marine One helikopter lämnar Vita huset på väg till Andrews Air Force Base för sin flygning till South Carolina när han nämnde tanken till Michelle Obama och Valerie Jarrett, deras nära vän och en Vita huset senior rådgivare. — När jag kommer till den andra delen av att hänvisa till ''Amazing Grace'', tror jag att jag skulle kunna sjunga, sade han dem, av ms Jarretts skildring. — Hmm, erinrade ms Jarrett sig svarande. Mrs Obama var lite mer spetsig. — Varför i all världen skulle det passa in? frågade hon. Han försökte förklara. "Jag vet inte om jag ska göra det," sade han, enligt Ms Jarrett, "men jag ville bara varna er två att jag kan sjunga." Han tillade, "Vi får se hur det känns på den tiden." Ms Jarrett berättade historien på Aspen Ideas Festival förra veckan i en session med Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute president. Hon noterade att hon hade en liten historia med Mr Obamas sångkarriär, och erinrade sig 2012 års insamlingsgala på Harlems Apolloteater när han krona lite Al Green. “Jag ska erkänna för er att jag var rösten tillbaka scenen när han blev eggad på av de elingenjörer som gjorde ljudarbetet för showen, ‘Fortsätt, herr president, sjunga, sjunga,’” Ms Jarrett sade, med hänvisning till 2012 händelsen på Apollo. — Och jag sade: ’Sjung inte! Sjung inte! Snälla, vad du än gör, sjung inte.’ Och naturligtvis sjöng han. Och det gick mycket bra.” Så den här gången, sade hon, visste hon bättre än att invända och, faktiskt, i ett mejl på måndagen sade hon att hon och den första damen “båda uppmuntrade honom att göra vad anden fick honom att göra.” Många som såg honom den dagen noterade att han pausade en lång tid innan han började sjunga. — Så sade jag senare till honom: ’Tänkte du på, om du skulle sjunga eller inte?’ erinrade sig miss Jarrett på Aspen. — Han sade: 'Åh nej, jag visste, att jag skulle sjunga. Jag försökte bara lista ut vilken nyckel som skulle sjunga den.’” Â€ Skriv en sammanfattning.
President Obama's Song of ‘Amazing Grace' during the eulogy of Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed last month in a shooting at a Charleston church, has been widely recognized as one of the most powerful moments during his presidency. Interested in ? Add as an interest to keep up to date with the latest news, video and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest But when he first raised the idea with First Lady Michelle Obama and senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, it was met with skepticism. “Why on earth would it fit in?” said the first lady in reaction to the idea, according to Jarrett, who was with the Obamas when they resigned the White House aboard Marine One on their way to the funeral in South Carolina. Jarrett, who had once unsuccessfully tried to dissuade the president from singing a line of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", received a more subdued reaction. "Hmmm," Jarrett reacted. The president went on to explain his thoughts to Jarrett and the first lady, who had not yet read the president's prepared eulogy, during the helicopter ride. "I think if I sing, the church will sing with me," Obama said, according to Jarrett, who recalled the story during a question-answer session at Aspen Institute's Idea Festival. But even then, President Obama had not decided whether to actually sing. “I don’t know if I’m going to do it, but I just wanted to warn you two that I might sing,” Jarett recalled him saying. "We'll see how it feels at the time." But as soon as the president took to the podium to begin the eulogy, Jarrett said, it was clear the mood was right. “From the first time he began to speak, the church was clear with him,” Jarrett said. “He knew they were with him.” Before the president began singing, Jarrett observed that the president paused for a moment. And she later asked him, "Did you think about whether or not to sing?" "Oh no, I knew I would sing, I was just trying to figure out what key to sing in," said the president in response to Jarrett. Photo President Obama's decision to sing "Amazing Grace" at the end of his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, a black pastor who was killed along with eight others during the Bible study in a Charleston, S.C., church last month, became one of the more memorable moments of his second semester. But the thought raised at least a few eyebrows when he first scratched it with his closest confidants. Mr. Obama was on Marine One helicopter leaving the White House en route to Andrews Air Force Base for his flight to South Carolina when he mentioned the idea of Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett, their close friend and a White House senior advisor. — When I come to the second part of referring to 'Amazing Grace', I think I could sing, he said them, by Ms. Jarrett's account. — Hmm, Ms. Jarrett recalled her response. Mrs. Obama was a little more pointed. “Why in the world would it fit in?” she asked. He tried to explain. "I don't know if I'm going to do it," he said, according to Ms. Jarrett, "but I just wanted to warn you two that I can sing." He added, "We'll see how it feels at the time." Ms. Jarrett told the story at the Aspen Ideas Festival last week in a session with Walter Isaacson, Aspen Institute president. She noted that she had a small history of Mr. Obama's singing career, recalling the 2012 fundraising gala at Harlem's Apollo Theatre when he crowned a little Al Green. “I’ll admit to you that I was the voice backstage when he was incited on by the electric engineers who did the sound work for the show, ‘Continue, Mr. President, sing, sing,’” Ms. Jarrett said, citing the 2012 event at Apollo. — And I said, ‘Don’t sing! Don't sing! Please, whatever you do, don’t sing.’ And of course he sang. And it went very well.” So this time, she said, she knew better than to object and, indeed, in an email on Monday she said that she and the first lady “both encouraged him to do what the spirit made him do.” Many who saw him that day noted that he paused a long time before he started singing. — So I later said to him, ‘Did you think whether you should sing or not?’ recalled Miss Jarrett of Aspen. — He said, ‘Oh no, I knew I would sing. I was just trying to figure out which key would sing it.’” Write a summary.
– President Obamas överlämnande av "Amazing Grace" i slutet av hans lovtal för Upp. Clementa Pinckney har setts mer än 2 miljoner gånger på YouTube. Om han hade lyssnat på de omkring honom inbitna reaktionerna, hade det kanske inte alls hänt. The New York Times och ABC News har bakgrunden till hans beslut att bryta ut i sång: Obama delade först sin plan – att sjunga när han väl fick "den andra delen av att referera till 'Amazing Grace'" – med Michelle Obama och seniorrådgivaren Valerie Jarrett medan han var på väg till Andrews Air Force Base för att gå ombord på sitt flyg till South Carolina. "Jag tror, att om jag sjunger, så kommer kyrkan att sjunga med mig", sade han, per Jarrett, som berättade historien under en Q&A på Aspen Idéfestival förra veckan. Hur Jarrett säger att hon svarade: "Hmm." Michelle sa: "Varför skulle det passa in?" Jarrett säger att han sa att han inte var övertygad om att han skulle gå den vägen, men ville ge en varning. "Vi får se hur det känns då", säger han. Hon säger att hon och Michelle i slutändan var uppmuntrande, och när det gäller den långa pausen innan han började, säger hon att det var ett ögonblick av debatt ... men inte om huruvida man ska gå vidare. "Jag visste att jag skulle sjunga", sa han. "Jag försökte bara komma på vilken nyckel som skulle sjunga den."
– President Obama's rendition of "Amazing Grace" at the end of his eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney has been seen more than 2 million times on YouTube. If he had listened to the reactions around him, it might not have happened at all. The New York Times and ABC News have the background to his decision to break out in vocals: Obama first shared his plan—to sing once he got "the second part of referring to 'Amazing Grace'"—with Michelle Obama and senior advisor Valerie Jarrett while heading to Andrews Air Force Base to board his flight to South Carolina. "I think, if I sing, the church will sing with me," he said, per Jarrett, who told the story during a Q&A at Aspen Idea Festival last week. How Jarrett says she answered, "Hmm." Michelle said, "Why would that fit in?" Jarrett says he said he wasn't convinced he was going that way, but wanted to give a warning. "We'll see how it feels then," he says. She says she and Michelle were ultimately encouraging, and when it comes to the long break before he started, she says it was a moment of debate...but not about whether to move on. "I knew I'd sing," he said. "I was just trying to figure out which key would sing it."