Washed by the Water
Encyclopedia
"Washed by the Water" is a 2007 song by the Christian rock
band Needtobreathe
from their second studio album The Heat
. It was released as a radio single at the end of 2007, becoming a #1 hit in the spring of 2008. It was the sixth most-played song on R&R
's Christian CHR
chart for 2008.
. Lead singer Bear Rinehart said, "It's a song about my dad. He's a pastor...There was some stuff that got said at our church that actually turned out to not be true when it all came out. I just thought it was a cool thing that my dad kept his integrity throughout that whole situation."
ballad. It takes influence from a southern style of music and has been labeled as "gospel
-tinged".
's CHR chart at the end of May 2008. By June 6, "Washed by the Water" had stayed at the #1 position for three consecutive weeks.
editor John DiBiase said that it is "another one of the album's true gems, a piano-driven southern delight ... [It is] new territory that will no doubt spread a smile across the listener's face." Christa Banister of Christianity Today
was also positive towards "Washed by the Water", saying that it "[packs] more emotional punch while Bear Rinehart's gravelly vocal rises to the top".
In February 2009, the song won the "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year" award at the 2009 GMA Dove Awards. The song was also featured as About.com
's Christian Music Song of the Week on October 15, 2007; editor Kim Jones labeled it as a "bluesy" and "awesome tune".
.
's monthly Top Ten music video countdown.
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band has charted on mainstream rock/pop charts, but have had their greatest number of singles on Christian music charts...
from their second studio album The Heat
The Heat (Needtobreathe album)
The Heat is the second studio album by the American rock band Needtobreathe, released on August 28, 2007 under Atlantic/Word Records. The album reached #164 on Billboards Top 200 and #2 on the Top Heatseekers charts...
. It was released as a radio single at the end of 2007, becoming a #1 hit in the spring of 2008. It was the sixth most-played song on R&R
R&R (magazine)
R&R was a weekly music trade publication that followed the radio industry and tracked the monitoring of current songs by format, station and audience cumes...
's Christian CHR
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
chart for 2008.
Background
The song was written by the Rinehart brothers about their father who was a pastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
. Lead singer Bear Rinehart said, "It's a song about my dad. He's a pastor...There was some stuff that got said at our church that actually turned out to not be true when it all came out. I just thought it was a cool thing that my dad kept his integrity throughout that whole situation."
Composition
The song is a piano-based rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ballad. It takes influence from a southern style of music and has been labeled as "gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-tinged".
Release
The song reached #1 on R&RRadio & 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...
's CHR chart at the end of May 2008. By June 6, "Washed by the Water" had stayed at the #1 position for three consecutive weeks.
Reception
The song was generally well-received by music critics. Jesus Freak HideoutJesus 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...
editor John DiBiase said that it is "another one of the album's true gems, a piano-driven southern delight ... [It is] new territory that will no doubt spread a smile across the listener's face." Christa Banister of Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
was also positive towards "Washed by the Water", saying that it "[packs] more emotional punch while Bear Rinehart's gravelly vocal rises to the top".
In February 2009, the song won the "Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year" award at the 2009 GMA Dove Awards. The song was also featured as 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....
's Christian Music Song of the Week on October 15, 2007; editor Kim Jones labeled it as a "bluesy" and "awesome tune".
Compilation
This song was also by the appearances by the compilation album WOW Hits 2009WOW Hits 2009
WOW Hits 2009 is a two-disc compilation album composed of some of the biggest hits on Christian radio during the previous year. Disc one features more of the adult contemporary hits, while disc two features the CHR–pop and rock hits....
.
Music video
In the week of February 11–16, 2008, a music video was filmed for "Washed by the Water". The video premiered on April 5, 2008, airing on JCTVJCTV
JCTV is a young adult television network devoted to music videos, owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network. It is similar to MTV, but with a Christian focus....
's monthly Top Ten music video countdown.
External links
- "Washed by the Water" 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....