How I Got Over is a Gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

 hymn

Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...

 composed and published in 1951 by Clara Ward

Clara Ward

Clara Ward was an American gospel artist who achieved great success, both artistic and commercial, in the 1940s and 1950s as leader of The Famous Ward Singers....

 (1924-1973). Notable recordings of this work have been made by Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...

 (1961, winner of the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance

Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance was awarded from 1969 to 1977. In 1978 the award was divided into two new awards, the Grammy Awards for Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional and Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Contemporary.Years reflect the year...

 in 1976), Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

 (1972 on her Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin album)

-Disc 1:#"Mary Don't You Weep" #"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" /"You've Got a Friend" / #"Old Landmark"#"Give Yourself to Jesus" #"How I Got Over"...

live record album), and the Blind Boys of Alabama (2008 album Down in New Orleans

Down in New Orleans

Down in New Orleans is a gospel album by The Blind Boys of Alabama, released in 2008. It won Best Traditional Gospel Album at the 51st Grammy Awards...

).

Inspirations

According to her sister, Willa Ward,the inspiration for this song was an experience Clara Ward, Willa, their mother, Gertrude, and members of their singing group had traveling in the racially segregated South in 1951. En route to Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

, they were besieged by a group of white men. The men were enraged that Black women were riding in a luxury vehicle (a Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

), and surrounded their car and terrorized them with racist taunts. The women were rescued when, in a burst of inspiration, Gertrude Ward feigned demonic possession, spewing curses and incantations at the men, who fled.