The transformative power of the song was investigated by journalist Bill Moyers in a documentary released in 1990 . Moyers was inspired to focus on the song 's power after watching a performance at Lincoln Center , where the audience consisted of Christians and non-Christians , and he noticed that it had an equal impact on everybody in attendance , unifying them . James Basker also acknowledged this force when he explained why he chose " Amazing Grace " to represent a collection of anti-slavery poetry : " there is a transformative power that is applicable ... : the transformation of sin and sorrow into grace , of suffering into beauty , of alienation into empathy and connection , of the unspeakable into imaginative literature . " Moyers interviewed Collins , Cash , opera singer Jessye Norman , Appalachian folk musician Jean Ritchie and her family , white Sacred Harp singers in Georgia , black Sacred Harp singers in Alabama , and a prison choir at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville . Collins , Cash , and Norman were unable to discern if the power of the song came from the music or the lyrics . Norman , who once notably sang it at the end of a large outdoor rock concert for Nelson Mandela 's 70th birthday , stated , " I do n't know whether it 's the text I do n't know whether we 're talking about the lyrics when we say that it touches so many people or whether it 's that tune that everybody knows . " A prisoner interviewed by Moyers explained his literal interpretation of the second verse : " 'T was grace that taught my heart to fear , and grace my fears relieved " by saying that the fear became immediately real to him when he realised he may never get his life in order , compounded by the loneliness and restriction in prison . Gospel singer Marion Williams summed up its effect : " That 's a song that gets to everybody "
rock concert for Nelson Mandela 's 70th birthday
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
Amazing Grace