Lead Me On is the eighth studio album by Christian singer - songwriter Amy Grant, released on June 17, 1988 by Myrrh/Word Records and A&M Records.
Lead Me On was a departure from its predecessor, the 1985 high-energy pop album Unguarded. The album was not as mainstream compatible. Although the album did really well in the Christian retail market (climbing to number one on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart), Lead Me On climbed to number 71 on the Top 200 Albums chart. It was the first Christian album to be shipped Gold to retail in both Christian and mainstream markets.
Lead Me On was named the number one album by CCM Magazine in their 2001 book The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music and the title song was ranked at number 60 in 2006's 100 Greatest Songs in Christian Music. Grant won both Grammy and Dove Awards for her album, in addition to winning Artist of the Year. The CD version of Lead Me On contains two bonus tracks: "Wait for the Healing" and "If You Have to Go Away."
A live concert album Lead Me On Live 1989 featuring performances from the Lead Me On tour was released in October 2023 with some tracks featuring video footage was released on social media such as YouTube and Facebook.
Track listing on the CD version
1. 1974 (We Were Young) (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Jerry McPherson) -4:22
2. Lead Me On (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick) -5:35
3. Shadows (Amy Grant, Karen & Don Peris) -5:24
4. Saved by Love (Amy Grant, Justin Peters, Chris Smith) -4:38
5. Faithless Heart (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) -5:10
6. What About the Love (Rhonda Fleming, Janis Ian) -5:23
7. If These Walls Could Speak (Jimmy Webb) -5:42
8. All Right (Amy Grant, Dann Huff, Phil Naish) -4:23
9. Wait for the Healing (Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Jerry McPherson) -5:36
10. Sure Enough (Mike Brignardello, Shane Keister, Wayne Kirkpatrick) -4:00
11. If You Have to Go Away (Amy Grant, Jerry McPherson) -4:01
12. Say Once More (Amy Grant, Gardner Cole) -4:54
Note: the track "Say Once More" is a different recording than the song also titled "Say Once More" that is on Grant's 1980 album Never Alone.
In 2007, Amy Grant was celebrating her 30th year in music. She left Word Records, her distributor since she was 16 years old, and signed with Sparrow/EMI Records and has re-released her studio albums as remastered versions. A year later Grant, re-released Lead Me On, in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc with new acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant recreated the Lead Me On tour in the fall of 2008. Most of the original tour's band reunited for the anniversary tour.
Track listing on the 20th Anniversary bonus disc
1. Lead Me On -4:40
2. Introduction to "Faithless Heart" (Amy and Michael W. Smith) -0:33
3. Faithless Heart (acoustic) -3:51
4. Say Once More (acoustic) -3:49
5. Wait for the Healing (live) -6:01
6. Shadows (live) -5:26
7. All Right (live) -5:22
8. Piano intro (Michael W. Smith) -1:51
9. Lead Me On (live) -6:27
10. Quite a Change (interview) -1:41
11. The Great Balancing Act (interview) -1:46
12. Seasons (interview) -1:19
13. Wait for the Healing (interview) -1:01
14. Looking Back (interview) -0:44
Gold certified in 1988.
Accolades
Grammy Award - Best Gospel Performance, Female (Lead Me On)
Dove Award -Artist of the Year
Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (Lead Me On)
Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Lead Me On")
Radio singles
1989 "What About the Love" -#1 Christian CHR, #1 Christian AC
1989 "Say Once More" -#2 Christian CHR, #8 Christian AC
1990 "Faithless Heart" -#16 Christian CHR, #12 Christian AC
Previous release: The Collection (1986)
Next release: Heart in Motion (1991)
Watch the music video of "Lead Me On" here: