I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky

Album by John Adams & June Jordan & Holst-Sinfonietta & Klaus Simon

I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky is a song-play by American composer John Adams, premiered in 1995. Musically it blends elements of minimalism with vernacular American styles such as pop, gospel and rock within a staged ensemble vocal format, and it represents Adams's turn in the 1990s toward more theatre-oriented, populist musical writing in his career.
First released: October 2005

Tracklist

  1. 1.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky
    8:21
  2. 2.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Duet: Three Weeks and Still I'm Outta My Mind
    5:04
  3. 3.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: A Sermon on Romance
    3:10
  4. 4.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Earthquake Sounds
    1:01
  5. 5.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Earthquake Music
    3:07
  6. 6.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Leila's Song of the Wise Young Women
    4:55
  7. 7.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Solo in Sunlight
    3:50
  8. 8.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Crushed by the Rock I Been Standing On
    4:28
  9. 9.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Donde Estas?
    4:20
  10. 10.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Duet in the Middle of Terrible Duress
    11:27
  11. 11.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Dewain's Song of Liberation and Surprise
    6:23
  12. 12.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Mike's Song About Arresting a Particular Individual
    3:28
  13. 13.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Este país / This Country
    4:33
  14. 14.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Tiffany's Solo
    4:46
  15. 15.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: One Last Look at the Angel in Your Eyes
    2:22
  16. 16.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Song About the on Site Altercation
    2:53
  17. 17.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act II: Finale
    4:55
  18. 18.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Song About the Bad Boys and the News
    6:38
  19. 19.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Your Honor My Client, He's a Young Black Man
    5:42
  20. 20.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Consuelo's Dream
    6:09
  21. 21.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Rick's Cross-Examination of Tiffany and Mike
    4:14
  22. 22.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Song About Law School as the Natural Follow-Up to Jail
    4:49
  23. 23.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Leila's Solo: Alone (Again or at Last)
    4:40
  24. 24.
    I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky: Act I: Song About the Sweet Majority Population of the World
    4:40

Credits