God with Us (song)
Encyclopedia
"God With Us" is a song written and performed by MercyMe
. The song is lyrically a worship song, inspired by a question used by lead singer Bart Millard's pastor.
Released as the lead single
from MercyMe's 2007 album All That Is Within Me
, "God With Us" peaked at No. 1 on both the Hot Christian Songs
and Hot Christian AC charts, and was ranked at No. 3 and No. 4 on the 2008 year-end charts, respectively. The song also ranked at No. 12 on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart, and No. 19 on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart.
and in the key of A major
, with a moderate tempo
of 92 beats per minute, and a vocal range spanning from A3–E5.
The song's lyrical content was inspired by the question "Why does God look our way?", which lead singer Bart Millard's pastor used to ask. Millard commented that "I couldn't get that out of my head. The desire to sing about the undeserving love God shows us all was intense". Millard further noted that "It’s become a really special worship song to us, and I hope that it really ushers a lot of people into the throne room of Christ through worship".
commented that "“God With Us,” a superlative, six-minute marathon, may be the best cut on the album", also opining that "With plenty of time to sink its teeth into the song, the band delivers more emotion than on any tune since “I Can Only Imagine
". Kevin McNeese of New Release Tuesday called the song a "worship-filled moment", while Jay Heilman of Christian Music Review opined that the song is "a reminder of how compassionate and loving the Lord is of us".
Hot Christian Songs
chart for the chart week of October 27, 2007. It advanced to No. 13 in its second week, and to No. 8 in its third. In its fifth chart week, "God With Us" advanced to No. 4, a spot it held for an additional two weeks. In its ninth chart week, the song advanced to No. 1, a spot it held for three weeks. The song dropped to No. 2 in its twelfth chart week and held that chart for three weeks before advancing back into No. 1 and holding that spot for five weeks. In its twentieth chart week, "God With Us" dropped to No. 2, and held that spot for three weeks. "God With Us" dropped out of the top five in its twenty-ninth chart week, falling to No. 6, and dropped out of the top ten in its thirty-fifth chart week. In all, "God With Us" spent a total of thirty-eight weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart, eight of them at No. 1.
"God With Us" also peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart, and spent a total of thirty-eight weeks on the chart. In Billboard's 2008 year-end charts, "God With Us" ranked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart and No. 4 on the Hot Christian AC chart. The song also ranked on Billboard's 2000s decade-end charts, at No. 12 on the Hot Christian AC chart and No. 19 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
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....
. The song is lyrically a worship song, inspired by a question used by lead singer Bart Millard's pastor.
Released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
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"...
, "God With Us" peaked at No. 1 on both the Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
and Hot Christian AC charts, and was ranked at No. 3 and No. 4 on the 2008 year-end charts, respectively. The song also ranked at No. 12 on the decade-end Hot Christian AC chart, and No. 19 on the decade-end Hot Christian Songs chart.
Composition, background, and lyrics
"God With Us" is a worship song with a length of five minutes and fifty-two seconds. It is set in common timeCommon Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and in the key of A major
A major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
, with 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 92 beats per minute, and a vocal range spanning from A3–E5.
The song's lyrical content was inspired by the question "Why does God look our way?", which lead singer Bart Millard's pastor used to ask. Millard commented that "I couldn't get that out of my head. The desire to sing about the undeserving love God shows us all was intense". Millard further noted that "It’s become a really special worship song to us, and I hope that it really ushers a lot of people into the throne room of Christ through worship".
Critical reception
Critical reception to "God With Us" was generally positive. Mike Parker of Today's Christian MusicToday's Christian Music
Today's Christian Music is a radio format programmed and produced by Salem Radio Networks. It targets the 25-54 adult Christian listener demographic. Today's Christian Music has a blend of Contemporary Christian music from artists such as Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, MercyMe, Delirious?,etc....
commented that "“God With Us,” a superlative, six-minute marathon, may be the best cut on the album", also opining that "With plenty of time to sink its teeth into the song, the band delivers more emotion than on any tune since “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...
". Kevin McNeese of New Release Tuesday called the song a "worship-filled moment", while Jay Heilman of Christian Music Review opined that the song is "a reminder of how compassionate and loving the Lord is of us".
Chart performance
"God With Us" debuted at No. 17 on the BillboardBillboard (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...
Hot Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs
Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States....
chart for the chart week of October 27, 2007. It advanced to No. 13 in its second week, and to No. 8 in its third. In its fifth chart week, "God With Us" advanced to No. 4, a spot it held for an additional two weeks. In its ninth chart week, the song advanced to No. 1, a spot it held for three weeks. The song dropped to No. 2 in its twelfth chart week and held that chart for three weeks before advancing back into No. 1 and holding that spot for five weeks. In its twentieth chart week, "God With Us" dropped to No. 2, and held that spot for three weeks. "God With Us" dropped out of the top five in its twenty-ninth chart week, falling to No. 6, and dropped out of the top ten in its thirty-fifth chart week. In all, "God With Us" spent a total of thirty-eight weeks on the Hot Christian Songs chart, eight of them at No. 1.
"God With Us" also peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Christian AC chart, and spent a total of thirty-eight weeks on the chart. In Billboard's 2008 year-end charts, "God With Us" ranked at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs chart and No. 4 on the Hot Christian AC chart. The song also ranked on Billboard's 2000s decade-end charts, at No. 12 on the Hot Christian AC chart and No. 19 on the Hot Christian Songs chart.
Music video
A music video was released for "God With Us". The video features MercyMe performing in a live setting.Weekly charts
| Charts (2007-2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
1 |
| 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... Hot Christian AC |
1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| 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... Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
3 |
| 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... Hot Christian AC |
4 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000s) | Position |
|---|---|
| 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... Hot Christian AC |
12 |
| 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... Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs Christian Songs is a Billboard chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.... |
19 |
Chart procession and succession
Personnel
(Instrumental and composition credits lifted from Allmusic, writing credits lifted from sheet music)- Bart MillardMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, writerSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media... - Jim BrysonMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– keyboards, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, writer, composer - Nathan CochranMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, writer, composer - Barry GraulMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, writer, composer - Mike ScheuchzerMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– guitar, writer, composer - Robby ShafferMercyMeMercyMe 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....
– drums, writer, composer - The London Session OrchestraLondon Philharmonic OrchestraThe London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
- stringsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
External links
- The official music video for "God With Us".