Homesick (MercyMe song)
Encyclopedia
"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.
"Homesick" was included on MercyMe's third studio album Undone
and released as the album's second single. "Homesick" met with success on both Christian and mainstream radio, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot Christian Songs
chart and No. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Following the death of lead singer Bart Millard's brother-in-law Chris in a car accident, Millard finished the song to play it at Chris's funeral. Millard and the rest of MercyMe intended the song to only be played once, at Chris's funeral, but Millard's mother-in-law encouraged them to record it. Although the record they were going to release, Undone
, was essentially complete, the band returned to the studio to record "Homesick" for the record.
with a length of 3 minutes and 41 seconds. Lyrically, the song is an expression of grief, pondering Heaven
and the time it takes to get there, as well as anger, confusion, and brokenness.
The song is set in the key of F major
and has a moderate tempo
of 72 beats per minute, and Millard's vocal range in the song spans from C4–A5.
Some comparisons have been made between the lyrical content of "Homesick" and MercyMe's 2001 single "I Can Only Imagine
" (David Jenison of CCM Magazine
referred to the song as the 'sequel' to "I Can Only Imagine"). Regarding these comparisons, Millard said "’I Can Only Imagine’ took the focus off of what you are going through and was comforting because it put the focus on where they were going... ’Homesick’ is the opposite because it completely addresses us that are left here. I don’t think as a Christian that it’s right for me to say, ‘I wish you could’ve stayed here,’ because truthfully, we’re getting the raw end of the deal if we really believe what we say that heaven is as great as we want it to be. The whole idea is that we’re the ones who have to wait.” Millard has also noted that "“The difference with ‘Homesick’ [as compared to "I Can Only Imagine"] is that it talks about those who are stuck around here after someone passes away. When you lose somebody, you learn what being homesick is really about".
, commenting that "[Homesick] is a delicate ballad about being apart". Russ Breimeier of The Fish noted that "The beautiful ballad "Homesick" is both similar to and an improvement on "Imagine," the difference in how it focuses on persevering on earth in anticipation of heaven". Kim Jones of About.com
commented that ""Homesick" is the true gem on this release", also opining that "Should it be a radio release, I won't be a bit surprised to see it in the number one spot for many, many weeks".
Hot Christian Songs
chart for the chart week of November 13, 2004, advancing to No. 6 four weeks later. The song held the No. 6 spot for three weeks before advancing to it's peak position of No. 3 for the chart week of January 1, 2005. "Homesick" dropped to No. 11 the next week, but returned to the top 10 and, after spending two weeks at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, "Homesick" spent ten consecutive weeks in the top 5 of the chart. After dropping out of the top 5, the song spent nine more weeks on the chart before dropping out. In all, the song spent a total of thirty weeks on the chart.
On the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, "Homesick" debuted at No. 32 for the chart week of February 12, 2005. The song spent seventeen further weeks on the chart before reaching it's eventual peak of No. 9 for the chart week of June 18, 2005. In all, the song spent twenty-six weeks on the chart.
"Homesick" also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Christian AC and the R&R
Christian AC charts, spending twenty-eight weeks on both. On the R&R Christian AC Indicator chart the song peaked at No. 1, spending a total of five weeks at the top spot and twenty-five weeks on the chart in total. On the R&R Soft AC/INSPO chart, "Homesick" spent one week at the top spot and twenty weeks on it total. "Homesick" also spent four weeks on Christian CHR chart, peaking at No. 27.
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....
. 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.
"Homesick" was included on MercyMe's third studio album Undone
Undone (MercyMe album)
Undone is the third major label studio album from Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. The album features the hit radio singles "Here With Me" and "Homesick". Undone peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and at number 12 on the Billboard 200...
and released as the album's second single. "Homesick" met with success on both Christian and mainstream radio, peaking at 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. 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Background
"Homesick" was written during a time of hardship for the band - nine people close to the band had died in a short span of time. Lead singer Bart Millard initially wrote the chorus following a funeral service for two infants that died in pregnancy, but didn't finish it. Millard asserts it is because "I didn’t want to fake my way through it... My dad passed away 13 years ago, and I just couldn’t recall what such a tragedy felt like”.Following the death of lead singer Bart Millard's brother-in-law Chris in a car accident, Millard finished the song to play it at Chris's funeral. Millard and the rest of MercyMe intended the song to only be played once, at Chris's funeral, but Millard's mother-in-law encouraged them to record it. Although the record they were going to release, Undone
Undone (MercyMe album)
Undone is the third major label studio album from Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. The album features the hit radio singles "Here With Me" and "Homesick". Undone peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and at number 12 on the Billboard 200...
, was essentially complete, the band returned to the studio to record "Homesick" for the record.
Composition
"Homesick" is a balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
with a length of 3 minutes and 41 seconds. Lyrically, the song is an expression of grief, pondering 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...
and the time it takes to get there, as well as anger, confusion, and brokenness.
The song is set in the key of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
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 72 beats per minute, and Millard's vocal range in the song spans from C4–A5.
Some comparisons have been made between the lyrical content of "Homesick" and MercyMe's 2001 single "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...
" (David Jenison of CCM Magazine
CCM Magazine
CCM Magazine was a monthly magazine published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. It was first published in July 1978, and it has always been a Christian music magazine. On January 16, 2008, Salem announced that the April 2008 issue would be the final printed issue of the...
referred to the song as the 'sequel' to "I Can Only Imagine"). Regarding these comparisons, Millard said "’I Can Only Imagine’ took the focus off of what you are going through and was comforting because it put the focus on where they were going... ’Homesick’ is the opposite because it completely addresses us that are left here. I don’t think as a Christian that it’s right for me to say, ‘I wish you could’ve stayed here,’ because truthfully, we’re getting the raw end of the deal if we really believe what we say that heaven is as great as we want it to be. The whole idea is that we’re the ones who have to wait.” Millard has also noted that "“The difference with ‘Homesick’ [as compared to "I Can Only Imagine"] is that it talks about those who are stuck around here after someone passes away. When you lose somebody, you learn what being homesick is really about".
Critical reception
Critical reception to "Homesick" was generally positive. Allmusic reviewer Johnny Loftus selected the song as a track pick on his review of UndoneUndone (MercyMe album)
Undone is the third major label studio album from Contemporary Christian band MercyMe. The album features the hit radio singles "Here With Me" and "Homesick". Undone peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart and at number 12 on the Billboard 200...
, commenting that "[Homesick] is a delicate ballad about being apart". Russ Breimeier of The Fish noted that "The beautiful ballad "Homesick" is both similar to and an improvement on "Imagine," the difference in how it focuses on persevering on earth in anticipation of heaven". Kim Jones of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
commented that ""Homesick" is the true gem on this release", also opining that "Should it be a radio release, I won't be a bit surprised to see it in the number one spot for many, many weeks".
Chart performance
"Homesick" debuted at number 35 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 November 13, 2004, advancing to No. 6 four weeks later. The song held the No. 6 spot for three weeks before advancing to it's peak position of No. 3 for the chart week of January 1, 2005. "Homesick" dropped to No. 11 the next week, but returned to the top 10 and, after spending two weeks at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, "Homesick" spent ten consecutive weeks in the top 5 of the chart. After dropping out of the top 5, the song spent nine more weeks on the chart before dropping out. In all, the song spent a total of thirty weeks on the chart.
On the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, "Homesick" debuted at No. 32 for the chart week of February 12, 2005. The song spent seventeen further weeks on the chart before reaching it's eventual peak of No. 9 for the chart week of June 18, 2005. In all, the song spent twenty-six weeks on the chart.
"Homesick" also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Christian AC and the R&R
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
Christian AC charts, spending twenty-eight weeks on both. On the R&R Christian AC Indicator chart the song peaked at No. 1, spending a total of five weeks at the top spot and twenty-five weeks on the chart in total. On the R&R Soft AC/INSPO chart, "Homesick" spent one week at the top spot and twenty weeks on it total. "Homesick" also spent four weeks on Christian CHR chart, peaking at No. 27.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2004-2005) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. R&R Radio & Records Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and... Christian AC Indicator |
1 |
| U.S. R&R Soft AC/INSPO | 1 |
| 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... 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 Christian AC | 3 |
| U.S. R&R Christian AC | 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... |
9 |
| U.S. R&R Christian CHR | 27 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Christian Songs | 13 |
| Billboard Hot Christian AC | 13 |
| 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... |
20 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000s) | Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Christian AC | 73 |
External links
- MercyMe "Homesick" live video at 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