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.
8 comments:
One thing I noticed last night, is that some worship songs are sung with God and His Name in third person, others in second. Personally, I enjoy refering to the Lord as You rather than He, because it seems more personal. I've noticed the same song sung both ways.
Good topic Marc! Modern worship music is a soar topic with me.
For instance:
There's the lame lyric syndrone: "You are the Lord the famous one" The famous one? Goofy. Are we talking about Elvis or God here? Last time I checked the world doesn't like Jesus all that much.
or
"You're my all, you're the best" you're the BEST? LOL. Sounds like something my boss would say to me after a quick pat on the back. Sort of a "Thanks God, you're just swell old pal. In fact, you're the best! Golly gee!"
Then there's the vain statement lyrics: "I give you my all" Really? Do we honestly mean this? I doubt it. Sanctification is a lifelong process. God knows we don't really give him our all at any one point in time...so why are forced to sing lyrics like this?
And lastly, we have the mushy, romanticized songs to God: "In our secret place, I want to fall in love with you, etc." Is God a romantic object now? Sometimes when songs like this play at church I can't help but look around a notice the women REALLY get into these types of songs. Must really hit the emotional nerve! Sort of like a Chic flick does!
With all that said, I believe I respond better to hymns because they tend to focus more on the specific attributes of God, or tell more of a story of his redemptive work. Songs like "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art" will always send a chill down my spine.
Patrick
Anne,
I totally agree with you. I also like worship songs that address the Lord as "You" instead of "He." It's funny how many worship songs actually use both tenses. In the verse, "He" may be used, and then "You" is used in the chorus! Talk about confusing!!
Patrick,
I literally laughed out loud when I read your comment! So true! It's funny... we're actually playing all of those worship songs this week at church! Kidding! Actually, I'm not a fan of any of the songs you listed except the hymns. I'm totally with you man. I also like songs that focus on attributes and promises of God instead of our emotional state or our intentions of doing or feeling good things.
Not too bash all modern worship songs, though. I think Hillsong puts out a slighter higher caliber of music than the standard Cris Tomlin song. And hymns do have a certain sameness to the melodies and time signatures. Musically speaking, hymns would get boring after a while as well. In fact, as you obviously know, most genres of music have similar structures: folk, blues, pop, rock, jazz, you name it. It's really the singer's tone, nuances with the instruments, and the way he or she plays with the melody lines that adds originality. Unfortunately, in worship music's defense, there isn't a whole lot of room to do that when songs are meant to be sung by a large group of people. My problem isn't always the songs, it's that we do the same songs over, and over and over and over!
LOL....Heritage church does Chris Tomlin's "How Great is our God" literally twice a month!
Patrick
Descriptive...or prescriptive? You've done a good job of outlining the basics of what appears to be involved in writing worship music. But I'd argue that it can (and should) be done better. God can be glorified in anything...but I don't know that that's an excuse to write the same melodies and chord progressions over and over...or only to draw on ... See Morethe same shallow pool of "50 magic worship song terms". I would argue that more compelling songwriting could allow the songs themselves to be more memorable, make worshipers less dependent on overhead screen projection, and have a longer life within minds and hearts. Where has uniqueness gone? And what is the point of rewriting the same song over and over, with only small variations? Why write another if its already been done before...and often, better? In my view, worship music was never a particularly deep pool (at least, worship music as we've known it since the mid-Seventies)...but the proliferation of money and careers that has stemmed from it in the interim has watered it down to the place where it exists almost exclusively as a tool...and very, very rarely an opportunity for creative worship of the ultimate Creator. Singability is a legitimate issue...but I wouldn't accept that it is the limiting factor some suggest. I believe people would rather struggle with the occasional note they can't reach than settle for the musical pablum that is served up weekly in most churches.
I'm not offering this up just to be combative. It's something that I've felt deeply about on a personal level for a long time. And while I generally avoid the genre now, I haven't noticed it getting any better. I believe the bar has been set so low that few people really try any more to create anything truly special. From my perspective, I'd rather have 100 classic songs written and canonized than 50,000 mediocre ones. Just my two cents' worth...perhaps you have an opposing viewpoint. ;-)
- Chuck
Patrick,
I'm a big fan of Hillsong (when it comes to worship music). In my opinion, their music is definitely more passionate and believable than a lot of stuff that is out there.
I agree that any genre can become monotonous. With that, any artist can become monotonous because it's just one person (or group) trying to write something different from the last song he wrote. This becomes more and more difficult the more songs the artist writes!
I like your statement, "It's really the singer's tone, nuances with the instruments, and the way he or she plays with the melody lines that adds originality." Very true.
I also get tired of singing the same songs over and over, and I likewise don't like it when worship leaders turn a 4 minute song into a 7 minute song by repeating the chorus 37 times!
Chuck - I would say that this blog majors on descriptive and minors on prescriptive. On one hand, I’ve described what the majority of worship music looks like today (whether we like it or not) and I’ve also mentioned some basic qualities of what sets a worship song (as most churches define it) apart from any other type of song. I think it’s ok for an artist to break any of the simplicity guidelines I’ve mentioned (chords, melody, arrangement, etc.), but when he/she does, the music may no longer fall in the genre of “modern worship music.” I am simply categorizing a music style, just as we would label a rap song as “rap” or a country song as “country.” This doesn’t mean that the boundaries of “modern worship music” can’t and shouldn’t be pushed (musically and lyrically). I really think that “worship music” is just a sub category of “Christian music.” I probably should have plunged deeper into the area of content because I think that’s an intricate part of what makes a worship song a worship song (probably more consequential than chords or melody, although those are a big defining factor of what has become worship music today). Simply put, worship songs focus the singer’s attention towards God and aim to glorify God directly (usually by speaking of His attributes, etc.). On the flip side, there are Christian songs that glorify God, but they are story or topic driven and they are better sung from one person’s mouth than from the mouths of many people in church/youth group/conference settings.
I agree that God can be glorified in anything (that doesn’t dishonor Him or contradict His character). Musically, this includes hymns, worship songs, Christian songs, and even non-Christian songs. I also don’t think that worship songwriters should intentionally limit themselves musically or lyrically, but as with any style, you have to write for the style, which means there are some boundaries. I am currently working on a worship song that uses 9 and 7 chords all over the place and vocally jumps to some pretty high notes in the bridge (probably not singable by a congregation). However, I’m still calling it a worship song because it speaks to God directly, explores some of His attributes, and seeks to honor Him for whom He is. It’s unlike any of the other songs on my album. The other songs are Christian, but some are meant to exhort, some are meant to comfort, some are story-driven and some are more topic driven. At the end of the day, they all point back to Christ, but each use a slightly different method to communicate a point.
Worship music is definitely a sore point for many people (believe me I know). Ultimately, whether we like it or not, it comes back to our heart’s position before God. Some people can’t stand Chris Tomlin and the like because they’ve become popular over writing really basic songs over and over (possibly there’s some jealousy there?), and some people think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I personally like complex music. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that it does take some talent to write simple catchy songs. Anyone who complains about worship songs should try writing one. It’s actually quite difficult to (1) stay within the genre, (2) write something that hasn’t been said before using language that people understand the first or second time they hear the song (3), write something that a number of people relate to directly – no personal stories allowed, (4) find a strong melody that is singable, memorable, and not annoying, (5) focus the attention on God while seeking to make the song honoring to Him.
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