Finally Home
Encyclopedia
"Finally Home" is a song by Contemporary Christian
band MercyMe
. Co-written by Bart Millard, Barry Graul, and Mike Scheuchzer, the song has lyrical themes revolving around heaven, with the music written around an acoustic guitar riff. It also contains musical influences from country
and pop
music, and features harmony vocals from Millard.
"Finally Home" was released as the third single from MercyMe's 2007 album All That Is Within Me
and peaked at No. 1 on Billboard
magazine's Soft AC/INSPO and Christian AC charts, No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs
chart, and No. 16 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart. The song ranked at No. 9 on Billboard's 2009 year-end Hot Christian AC chart, and No. 12 on the year-end Hot Christian Songs
chart.
riff. According to Millard, he "wrote the first line and just started bawling. Then we played it for our producer, and he started bawling". Millard was not sure the song would fit on the record, but Brown Bannister
(the group's producer) told him "You just made a grown man cry. It's going on the record".
song with influences from country
and pop
, and has a length of three minutes and thirty seconds.
The song is set in the key of E major
and has a moderate tempo
of 64 beats per minute, and with a vocal range spanning from B3–A5. "Finally Home" is similar to MercyMe's previous songs "I Can Only Imagine
" and "Homesick
" in theme, with the lyrics revolving around heaven
. The instrumentation of the song is based around an acoustic guitar riff, and features harmony vocals from lead singer Bart Millard.
that "The album's crowning moment is "Finally Home," a mesmerizing acoustic journey that takes listeners to a place where they are reunited with loved ones". Russ Breimeier of The Fish commented that "With "Finally Home," we get another heaven song from the same guys responsible for "I Can Only Imagine
," "Homesick
," and others. The flowing acoustic pop style sets it apart from others, but seriously, can we expect a heaven medley from MercyMe in concert someday?"
Chuck Taylor of Billboard
commented that "Finally Home"... is a midtempo guitar-driven ode to meeting the maker
. Christian AC has already offered its approval and though thematically it's genre-specific, lead singer Bart Millard's beautiful harmonies accompanying a singalong chorus and country
radio's wholesome persona open the doors to acceptance there. Overall, a fine contender to further this established band's brand". Lauren Summerford of Jesus Freak Hideout
was more apathetic about the song, commenting that "The acoustic guitar based "Finally Home" fills the void of the "ballad about getting to heaven" spot we've come to expect from MercyMe".
chart for the chart week of January 17, 2009. The song moved to No. 19 in its second chart week, and to No. 16 in its third week. "Finally Home" jumped to No. 8 in its sixth chart week, and advanced to No. 5 in its thirteenth chart week, a spot it held for two weeks. After advancing and spending a further three weeks at No. 4, "Finally Home" reached its peak of No. 3 for the chart week of May 16, 2009, a position it held for two weeks. The song spent a further eight weeks on the chart before dropping out after the chart week of July 18, 2009. "Finally Home" also peaked at No. 1 on the Christian AC and Soft AC/INSPO charts.
On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Finally Home" debuted at No. 27 for the chart week of April 4, 2009, a spot it held for two weeks. The song advanced to No. 27 in in its third chart week, and reached its peak position of No. 16 on its tenth chart week. The song spent ten more weeks on the chart before dropping out, spending twenty weeks on the chart in total.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
band MercyMe
MercyMe
MercyMe is an American Christian rock band founded in Greenville, Texas. The band consists of vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul....
. Co-written by Bart Millard, Barry Graul, and Mike Scheuchzer, the song has lyrical themes revolving around heaven, with the music written around an acoustic guitar riff. It also contains musical influences from country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music, and features harmony vocals from Millard.
"Finally Home" was released as the third single from MercyMe's 2007 album All That Is Within Me
All That Is Within Me
All That Is Within Me is the sixth major label, full-length studio album from MercyMe, that was released on November 20, 2007 through INO Records. The first radio single released in support of the album is "God With Us"...
and peaked at No. 1 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Soft AC/INSPO and Christian AC charts, No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart, and No. 16 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart. The song ranked at No. 9 on Billboard's 2009 year-end Hot Christian AC chart, and No. 12 on the year-end Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart.
Background
"Finally Home" was written after lead singer Bart Millard heard guitarists Mike Scheuchzer and Barry Graul improving with an acoustic guitarAcoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
riff. According to Millard, he "wrote the first line and just started bawling. Then we played it for our producer, and he started bawling". Millard was not sure the song would fit on the record, but Brown Bannister
Brown Bannister
Brown Bannister is a CCM producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, Talk to One Another, in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Records Label five years later, featuring a newer recording of the album's final cut, "Create In Me A Clean Heart"...
(the group's producer) told him "You just made a grown man cry. It's going on the record".
Composition
"Finally Home" is a Contemporary ChristianContemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
song with influences from country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and has a length of three minutes and thirty seconds.
The song is set in the key of E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
and has a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 64 beats per minute, and with a vocal range spanning from B3–A5. "Finally Home" is similar to MercyMe's previous songs "I Can Only Imagine
I Can Only Imagine
"I Can Only Imagine" is a single recorded by contemporary Christian and Christian rock band MercyMe. Written and composed by Bart Millard, the song, based around a main piano track, was inspired by the death of Millard's father and considers what it would be like in Heaven and to be standing...
" and "Homesick
Homesick (MercyMe song)
"Homesick" is a song by Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. Written by Bart Millard, the song is an expression of grief and longing that was written after the band experienced the deaths of nine people they were connected to in a short period of time....
" in theme, with the lyrics revolving around heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. The instrumentation of the song is based around an acoustic guitar riff, and features harmony vocals from lead singer Bart Millard.
Critical reception
"Finally Home" received generally positive to mixed critical reception. Jared Johnson of Allmusic opined in his review of All That Is Within MeAll That Is Within Me
All That Is Within Me is the sixth major label, full-length studio album from MercyMe, that was released on November 20, 2007 through INO Records. The first radio single released in support of the album is "God With Us"...
that "The album's crowning moment is "Finally Home," a mesmerizing acoustic journey that takes listeners to a place where they are reunited with loved ones". Russ Breimeier of The Fish commented that "With "Finally Home," we get another heaven song from the same guys responsible for "I Can Only Imagine
I Can Only Imagine
"I Can Only Imagine" is a single recorded by contemporary Christian and Christian rock band MercyMe. Written and composed by Bart Millard, the song, based around a main piano track, was inspired by the death of Millard's father and considers what it would be like in Heaven and to be standing...
," "Homesick
Homesick (MercyMe song)
"Homesick" is a song by Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. Written by Bart Millard, the song is an expression of grief and longing that was written after the band experienced the deaths of nine people they were connected to in a short period of time....
," and others. The flowing acoustic pop style sets it apart from others, but seriously, can we expect a heaven medley from MercyMe in concert someday?"
Chuck Taylor of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
commented that "Finally Home"... is a midtempo guitar-driven ode to meeting the maker
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Christian AC has already offered its approval and though thematically it's genre-specific, lead singer Bart Millard's beautiful harmonies accompanying a singalong chorus and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
radio's wholesome persona open the doors to acceptance there. Overall, a fine contender to further this established band's brand". Lauren Summerford of Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout
Jesus Freak Hideout is a Christian music website. The website specializes in reviewing, previewing, and selling Christian albums. The website is known for its album reviews, independent music, artist interviews, concert dates and ministry through devotionals and prayer...
was more apathetic about the song, commenting that "The acoustic guitar based "Finally Home" fills the void of the "ballad about getting to heaven" spot we've come to expect from MercyMe".
Chart performance
"Finally Home" debuted at No. 21 on the Hot Christian SongsHot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart for the chart week of January 17, 2009. The song moved to No. 19 in its second chart week, and to No. 16 in its third week. "Finally Home" jumped to No. 8 in its sixth chart week, and advanced to No. 5 in its thirteenth chart week, a spot it held for two weeks. After advancing and spending a further three weeks at No. 4, "Finally Home" reached its peak of No. 3 for the chart week of May 16, 2009, a position it held for two weeks. The song spent a further eight weeks on the chart before dropping out after the chart week of July 18, 2009. "Finally Home" also peaked at No. 1 on the Christian AC and Soft AC/INSPO charts.
On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Finally Home" debuted at No. 27 for the chart week of April 4, 2009, a spot it held for two weeks. The song advanced to No. 27 in in its third chart week, and reached its peak position of No. 16 on its tenth chart week. The song spent ten more weeks on the chart before dropping out, spending twenty weeks on the chart in total.
Music video
A music video was released for "Finally Home". The video features the band performing the song live, with heavy uses of special effects in between and during shots.Weekly charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Christian AC |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Soft AC/INSPO | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
16 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian AC | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
12 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000s) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian AC | 72 |
External links
- The MercyMe "Finally Home" music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.com