Well-known Recordings
Among the recordings well known in their day is an instrumental version of "Joy to the World" by conductor Percy Faith. First recorded in 1954 on his Music of Christmas LP (Columbia CL 588), it was re-recorded in stereo in 1959 as Columbia 8176.
The popular European group Boney M. covered the song in 1984 which was internationally released in 1986 on their record The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs.
John Rutter arranged the carol in the style of Handel and recorded this arrangement twice with the Cambridge Singers, for their Christmas albums Christmas Star (1983) and Christmas with the Cambridge Singers (1989). His pseudo-Handelian arrangement has also been recorded by other choirs including those of St. Paul's Cathedral and King's College, Cambridge.
In 1965, The Supremes recorded the song for their album Merry Christmas.
Andy Williams recorded the tune in a medium-slow ballad style in his 1974 Christmas Present LP.
Mariah Carey re-recorded this song for her 1994 album Merry Christmas. Carey's version, done in a dance-pop style, combined the chorus (with slightly altered lyrics) of the Hoyt Axton song "Joy to the World" (made popular by Three Dog Night) with the traditional Christmas song. The Jonas Brothers recorded a version of this song called "Joyful Kings" for the 2008 Disney Channel Holiday album All Wrapped Up.
Whitney Houston recorded the song for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album (1996), and also included it on One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003). Clay Aiken recorded it on his 2004 album Merry Christmas with Love.
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