Coach Charlotte Smith earns social media acclaim with new song

A composition by the head Phoenix women's basketball coach, along with faculty member Todd Coleman and alumna Kennedy Caughell, has reached nearly 90,000 Facebook users.

Kennedy Caughell ’12 (left) sang the vocals for the song written by Charlotte Smith and arranged and produced by faculty member Todd Coleman.[/caption]A musical composition by Elon’s head women’s basketball coach Charlotte Smith about a racial incident she experienced is gaining a large audience via social media. Smith’s recording was released Jan. 2, 2015, and has already reached a Facebook audience of nearly 90,000, with more than 25,000 viewing the video.

The song is titled “Lord Give Us Your Heart.” The lyrics and tune were written by Smith, with musical arrangement, performance and production by Todd Coleman, associate professor of music, and vocals by Kennedy Caughell ’12, a graduate of Elon’s music theatre program.

Smith wrote her song after experiencing a racist tirade by an angry motorist in 2011. She says writing the song helped her heal from the incident and allowed her to become a voice for love and reconciliation. The video production includes an explanation of the song by Smith.

Smith and Coleman decided to release the song now because of the racial tensions that have gripped the nation.

Watch the video below and read the comments on Elon’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152751947889342&set=vb.66962184341&type=2&theater