Joan Osborne got famous for 'One of Us' — but finding her own voice took decades

Life in Seven Songs - A podcast by The San Francisco Standard - Tuesdays

If you’ve ever wondered, “What if God was one of us?” you probably have Joan Osborne to thank. But you might not realize that Osborne didn’t actually write her chart-topping hit. In this episode, the singer-songwriter traces her evolution from a Catholic girl in Kentucky singing in church choirs, to accidentally discovering her voice at a New York blues bar covering other artists, to finally writing her own songs and sharing hard-won wisdom with her daughter. Here are her songs: So Long, Farewell - Sound Of Music I Saw Three Ships - The Oxford Trinity Choir God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday How Blue Can You Get - BB King Shine A Light - The Rolling Stones Crazy Baby - Joan Osborne Nobody Owns You - Joan Osborne