Vande Mataram "I praise to thee, Mother". The "mother goddess" in later verses of the song has been interpreted as the motherland of the people – Bangamata (Mother Bengal) and "Bharat Mata" (Mother India), though the text does not mention this explicitly. It played a vital role in the Indian independence movement, first sung in a political context by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. It became a popular marching song for political activism and Indian freedom movement in 1905. Spiritual Indian nationalist and philosopher Sri Aurobindo referred it as "National Anthem of Bengal". The song and
I Exalt Thee GMA Dove Award for Inspirational Album of the Year. "I Exalt Thee" reached #15 on "Billboard"s Inspirational LPs. AllMusic gives the album 4.5 stars. The album includes three original songs by Driscoll, three standards, and three modern tracks from other songwriters. The title track, "I Exalt Thee", had been written by Pete Sanchez in 1975 and copyrighted in 1976. It was not, however, until Driscoll popularized it with this 1983 eponymous album, that the song and Sanchez gained national and international attention. The album was the first collaboration between Driscoll and producer, arranger, and songwriter Lari Goss, spawned by a