A friend just guided me to this little idea posted at the Wittenburg Door.
Though it has a “tone,” I think it speaks to some of the issues we should be attending to in worship songwriting today.
I passionately believe that he power of today’s worship songs is their simplicity, their recovery of intimacy and the Song of Solomic tradition in worship lyricism, the emotional integration (and healing) of the Church, and the power of the Hebrew idea of the always-necessary “new song” that every generation must revisit.
Yet, may this sarcastic play on the issue of over simplified, or less reflective lyricism, spur us on as from one who gives us good counsel, but says it with a big bite of irony.
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That is spot on, really made me chuckle. Funny, yet very true.
I put it up at the risk of going against some of the beautiful things I firmly believe about much of contemporary worship music. And yet, it illustrates both a reality and a perception that may need to be critically reviewed by songwriters.
We just sang a new song I wrote called “O Blessed Trinity” this Sunday. It still needs work, but it was an attempt to keep a song true to the contemporary worship spirit, and at the same time allow the hymnlike quality that enables you to cover more theological/artistic ground (at least lyrically).
We need to get intentional in our writing, to serve the Church, while remaining true to the artist that is so vital to the Church and the culture.
Worship music is now under similar marketing pressure to other genres. The very fact it has become a genre illustrates this. I hear very formulaic songs all the time which essentially say nothing. I think, and hope, that there will be a return to the artist being true to who they are and what God has birthed in them, and not being afraid to use their gifts to craft more than jingles. I also love the worship ethos the early vineyard had of a place where broken, weak and burned out people gathered and poured out their hearts with songs to God. The style of the songs birthed out of that aren’t all to my taste (as in what I’d listen to or buy on a CD), but my set lists have been full of them over the years. If we are true and real and gritty and edgy as songwriters, then it will be accessible, integrous and intimate as I believe God will bless it and grow it.
And… accessible. That value is over-rated I believe, in many cases, but what the masses will engage with in corporate worship and learning is different than what will come out of the “emoting” artist.
An artist has a wide realm to play in – from the utterly inaccessible to the accessible – the key is to know the context we are writing for, in and even to, and then to be faithful. One song may be very accessible – another may not even be close.
The best worship songwriters, I’ve found, write accessible songs, lyrically and melodically, by nature. I.e. It’s their gift, at their most creative, to create a wide gateway. U2 choruses have that quality, as do other bands today.
Worship writers should know where they land on the artist writer/worship writer continuum, and then be faithful to touch both with great attendance to faithfulness – first to God, then ourselves and others.
Having said that, let me restate: To be an utterly inaccessible artist may be the highest point of faithfulness to God, ourselves and others that we can attain to. It’s about doing the right thing, and, in the right context.
I agree Dan. I also think that just about anything can be accessible to someone. Some like pop, some like blues, others like avant garde jazz. What you say about context is right. We should write according to the context that God has put us in, not “one size fits all”. I also think that congregations are often more musically sophisticated than we give them credit for. Accessibility is often more about heart ownership of songs that mean something to them. I saw this in a powerful way outside of a church context when I stood amongst 12000 people singing “The River” (not a lyrically simple song) word for word and with feeling at a recent Springsteen gig. If we can write the songs that people can own in their hearts then we both honour God and serve the church.
I think one of the keys to fresh lyrical expresions in our worship songs is our theology. We have just begun to write some contempary worhip songs/hymns which reflects(shall i say “N.T. Wright” influced)creational theology. ie. Father of the World - why is it fresh and powerful partly it’s theology perspective. It still seems like many of todays worship songs writers are reflecting an individualized - snatch me from this world - salvation.
too funny. It is good to laugh at ourselves…keeps us humble. Here’s to great songwriting inspired by God and not personal gain…
I would say though, that the cry of our hearts is often a simple one. Simple and even predictable doesn’t necessarily mean it is not genuinely sung.
I used the madlibs example in our worshipteam last week. My main goal was that everyone in the team would think about what their worship was and give words to their feelings. I suggested everyone would try to write a songlyric and if you needed help I handed out the madlips. There was a lot of laughing and we had an exellent time together in the precense of God. I wrote some music under my lyric and we sung it in church yesterday.
There is no better thing
than to know you more and more
and to sit at your feet today
So I´m longing for you
and your kingdom to come
let your will be done
I choose to loose myself in you
translated from dutch so the grammar isn´t right, but you´ll get it. I´ll probably write a song using the madlibs in the near future. We don´t have a lot of real genuine Dutch songs, so there´s a whole new world…….
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