Christian music icon Amy Grant became emotional while reflecting on her mother's death and the deeply personal inspiration behind "The Other Side of Goodbye," a standout song from her new album, The Me That Remains, during a recent interview with DeWayne Hamby.
Here the song here.
During the conversation, Grant revealed that the song was shaped by her experiences walking through grief after losing both of her parents, particularly the unforgettable final moments she shared with her mother before she passed away.
"My mother's passing was very different from my father's," Grant explained emotionally. "At the moment before she took her last breath, she lit up."
Grant recalled that her mother had been nonresponsive for nearly 30 hours before suddenly appearing alert and radiant in her final moments - an experience the singer says forever changed the way she thinks about death, eternity, and what may exist beyond this life.
"What is she seeing?" Grant remembered wondering at the time.
The six-time Grammy winner explained that those memories eventually became part of the emotional foundation for "The Other Side of Goodbye," one of the most reflective and vulnerable tracks on her newly released album.
Grant also shared the touching story behind how the song's title came to life. While hosting a gathering at her Tennessee farm during the final summer of a longtime camp ministry, a guest mentioned wanting to look through photographs from the week together. Grant responded by saying they would talk about it "on the other side of goodbye."
A friend immediately recognized the emotional power of the phrase and urged Grant to write it down as a future song title.
"That's the title of another song," the friend told her. "Write that down."
Throughout the interview, Grant described the song as intentionally more hopeful and "light and breezy" than listeners might expect from a song dealing with grief. Rather than centering entirely on sorrow, she said the track reflects memory, reunion, and the enduring connection people carry with loved ones after death.
The interview also explored Grant's broader healing journey following several difficult years that included her serious bicycle accident, family loss, and emotional struggles. At one point, she shared a phrase that has especially resonated with listeners since the interview aired: "Hurt people hurt... but healed people heal."
For many longtime fans, Grant's reflections offered another reminder of why her music continues to resonate decades into her career - blending faith, vulnerability, heartbreak, and hope into songs that speak honestly about life's hardest moments.
Read our review of the album HERE.
