"I Can See the Light" is one of the most enduring Don Gnecco songs; its "arrival" is, in itself, a miracle story! Don tells the song's story....

"Each of us has probably had something inexplicable happen at one time or another. "I Can See the Light" is a song that virtually wrote itself. One evening, as I was passing by the piano in the family room, I sat down and just started playing a few chords. The melody somehow fell into my head, and I just kept playing it repeatedly. Fortunately, I had a tape recorder nearby and was able to capture the song before I forgot it.

"I then took a pad of paper and wrote the first line so that I wouldn't forget it..."I Can See the Light shining from inside me...." Since I had only stopped by the piano en route to the refrigerator during a television commercial, it was my intention to return to the song at a later time! But then the second line just fell out of my head and I soon found that I just couldn't write quickly enough.

Miracle Story. "Since I had long ago learned to type faster than I can write (thanks to my high school typing teacher, Mrs. Webster!), I went into the little office just off of the family room. I rolled a piece of paper into the typewriter and re-typed the first line...and then just continued typing nonstop. I was aghast...all of the lyrics were there. No revisions, no re-writes, no corrections!"

This song has an inextricable connection with Unity Church of Greater Portland. It was first performed there as a solo by Andrea Taylor. Later, Karen Lee Davis, who served as accompanist and music director at Unity, arranged the song in three parts for the choir. The choir later performed the song at a regional benefit concert in Portland and eventually recorded the song. Click here to hear the choral version.

Sherry Allen later recorded the song, and in 1992 the composition was included on the first Don Gnecco/Sherry Allen album, Castles. Listen to the Sherry Allen rendition.