What makes a worship song a worship song? What differentiates a worship song from a “regular” song? What are the qualities of a good worship song? These are all questions I’ve been chewing on especially as I’ve recently written my first worship song, one that I hope to include on the new rock album. Let me start out by saying I am no Chris Tomlin or Matt Redman, so my actual experience in writing worship songs is quite limited. However, as a worship pastor, I’ve played and charted a myriad of worship songs, and have observed a number of similarities between them.
Getting From Point G to Point C
To begin, it is a no brainer that most worship songs are simple. As a whole, they tend to be straightforward musically and lyrically. Musically, the chords are most often rather basic. How many worship songs have you heard that use U2’s With or Without You I V vi IV chord progression? (In the key of G, this would be G D Em C) Blessed Be Your Name, Hallelujah Your Love is Amazing, Came To My Rescue, and Majesty (Delirious’ version) are just a few of many examples (mind you, U2 owns no copyright on this chord progression; it’s probably been used in thousands of songs throughout the years).
Have you ever wondered why most worship songs use such elementary chord progressions? My thinking is that this simplicity makes worship songs more accessible to a broad group of church musicians, regardless of skill level. Also, melodies are sometimes easier to write and sing over standard chord progressions. The writers of worship songs may or may not intend to use simple chord progressions, although it’s possible. Sometimes, I wonder if some of the popular worship leaders of our day ever long to add a few major 7, diminished or augmented chords to their songs, only to back down for simplicities’ sake.
Stay Away From The Winding Roads (And The Vocal Acrobatics)
In addition to using simple chord progressions, many worship songs use vocal melodies that are relatively basic. This doesn’t mean that they are bad melodies; they are just limited in their range and in their rhythm, probably so that a wide variety of worshippers can sing along. You just don’t hear many Justin Timberlake or Maria Carey inspired melodies in congregational worship songs. Generally, worship songs aren’t written exclusively for the artist; they are written for the many worshippers who will sing these songs Sunday after Sunday.
The Easy Map Is Quick To Fold, But It May Be Missing Some Streets
Have you ever noticed that most worship songs are lyrically less complicated and less descriptive than your “regular” song? You may enjoy decoding the lyrics of your favorite rock band, but there isn’t a lot of room for lyrical ambiguity when it comes to worship songs (or at least, there shouldn’t be). If I’m singing a worship song, I don’t want to have to guess if the lyrics were written for a girl or for God and I don’t want to wonder what God or god the writer is speaking of. I want to worship the one true God, and the one true Lord Jesus Christ, not some vague god removed from the foundation of scripture. I also don’t want to sing songs that are overly focused on the praise-ie instead of the One being praised (How often do you hear the words “I,” “me” or “us” in some of today’s worship songs?). I believe worship lyrics should be God-centered and clearly defined in message, but that doesn’t mean that worship songwriters need to settle for non-descriptive and/or over-used Christian-speak. I really appreciate how many hymn writers use colorful illustrations and imagery to communicate timeless truths. Some people may go further in arguing that many hymns have a greater concentration of theological content than the standard worship song (although there are also some silly hymns out there including one of my favorites Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition). As a general rule, I would agree that hymns tend to have stronger theological content than most “worship choruses” (as some people call them), although I’m hearing more and more modern worship songs with deep Biblical rooting. I hope we see more of this!
The Simplest Route is Sometimes The Best Route
Don’t get me wrong. Simplicity is not necessarily a bad thing. Some of the best songs ever written (worship and non-worship songs) are musically uncomplicated. To be honest, I personally wrestle with writing worship songs just for this very reason. I often want to embellish simple songs when sometimes the best thing to do is to let simple songs stay simple (especially when you’re writing songs that are meant to be sung by others in a church setting). I actually admire artists who can write strong and unique songs that implement simple chords, catchy melodies, and simple yet insightful and Christ-centered lyrics.
